List of compositions by César Franck

Most of César Franck's works seem to have been published during his lifetime, although only 21 works received a publisher's opus number. The mature published works were catalogued by Wilhelm Mohr in his Franck Werke Verzeichnis (FWV). He divided Franck's compositions into two main groups: instrumental works, M.1-48, and vocal works, M.49-91, arranging them by genre, and by composition date order within each genre.

César Franck photographed by Pierre Petit.

The CFF catalogue (see § External links) compiled by Joël-Marie Fauquet (published in 1999) details almost every known work by Franck, including many not listed by Mohr. In addition, many dates are listed in Fauquet's catalogue that are incorrect in Mohr's, or missing altogether.

Juvenile works edit

Franck wrote a number of juvenile works between 1834-7 to which he assigned an opus number; he later disowned all these early works, except for the Premiere Grande Fantaisie for piano, Op.12 (1836), which he occasionally played in later life. These opus numbers are not to be confused with his mature published works, published with or without an opus number.

  • Op. 2 - Concerto No. 1, piano & orch., 1834?
  • Op. 3 - Grand Rondo, piano, 1834
  • Op. 4 - Variations brillantes un thème original, piano, 1834
  • Op. 5 - Variations brillantes sur un air du Pré aux Clercs (Hérold), piano, 1834
  • Op. 6 - Grand Trio for piano, violin & cello, 1834
  • Op. 8 - Variations brillantes sur la ronde favorite de Gustave III (by Auber), piano & orch., 1834
  • Op. 9 - O salutaris, chorus & piano, 1835
  • Op. 10 - Première grande Sonate, piano, 1834/5
  • Op. 11 - Deuxième grand Concerto, piano & orch., 1835
  • Op. 12 - Première grande Fantaisie, piano, 1836 (only piece not to be disowned)
  • Op. 13 - Fantaisie (lost), piano, 1836
  • Op. 14 - Deuxième grande Fantaisie, piano, 1836
  • Op. 15 - Two mélodies for piano, c. 1837
  • Op. 18 - Deuxième Sonate, piano, c. 1837
  • Op. 19 - Troisième grande Fantaisie for piano c. 1837

Mature works edit

This is an incomplete, sortable list of César Franck's mature works. The general layout of the table is according to Mohr's classification of the published compositions listed in FWV by genre and date, along with a few unpublished/unfinished works to which Mohr did not assign an FWV number; the latter are included in date order within each FWV genre. The corresponding publisher's Opus number is also shown where appropriate.

In some recorded performances, programme notes, and printed sheet music, Mohr's classification of FWV numbers is sometimes misunderstood and confused with opus numbers: e.g. "Fantaisie in C Major, Opus 16" may be given where "FWV 16" is meant.

Contents
Op. FWV Title Genre Composed Published Notes
1 /1 1 Piano Trio No.1 in F#- Chamber 1839-42
1 /2 2 Piano Trio No.2 in Bb Chamber 1839-42 "Trio de Salon"
1 /3 3 Piano Trio No.3 in B- Chamber 1839-42
2 4 Piano Trio No.4 in B- Chamber 1842
6 5 Andantino Quietoso in Eb, for violin & piano Chamber 1843
10 Solo de Piano on a theme from 'Ruth', for piano & string quartet Chamber 1843 unfinished
14 6 Duo Concertant in Bb, for violin and piano Chamber 1844
7 Piano Quintet in F minor Chamber 1878-79
8 Violin Sonata in A major Chamber 1886 1886
9 String Quartet in D Chamber 1889 1889
10 Mélancolie, for violin & piano Chamber 1889 ? 1911
3 11 Églogue Piano 1842 1844
4 12 Duo for piano No.1, on 'God Save the King', for piano 4-hands Piano 1842 1845 c.
5 13 Première Grand Caprice Piano 1843 1845 c.
7 14 Souvenir d'Aix-la-Chapelle Piano 1843 1845 c.
8 15 Four songs by Franz Schubert, arr. for piano solo Piano 1844
9 Ballade Piano 1844
11 16 Grande Fantaisie No. 1 on motifs from Gulistan by Nicolas Dalayrac Piano 1844 1844 [1]
17 Grande Fantaisie No. 2 on motifs from Gulistan by Dalayrac Piano 1844 1844
15 18 Fantaisie sur deux airs polonaises Piano 1845 1845
16 Trois petits riens[nb 1]
  1. Duettino
  2. Valse
  3. Le Songe
Piano 1845
17 19 Duo for piano No.2, on the quartet from Lucile by Grétry, for piano 4-hands[nb 2] Piano 1845-6 1846
20 Les plaintes d'une poupée Piano 1865 c. 1865
21 Prélude, Choral et Fugue Piano 1884 c. 1892 Sometimes wrongly numbered 'Op. 21' instead of M. 21
22 Danse Lente Piano 1885 ? 1888 publ. in "Album du Gaulois"
23 Prélude, Aria et Final Piano 1886-7 1902 Sometimes wrongly numbered 'Op. 23' instead of M. 23
24 L'Organiste Vol.2 Organ 1858-63 1900 Consists of 30 early pieces, collected and published posthumously after the later pieces in L'Organiste, Vol. 1 (1896)
25 Andantino in G minor Organ 1856 1889
23 26 5 Pièces pour harmonium
  1. Offertoire
  2. Petit offertoire
  3. Verset I
  4. Verset II
  5. Communion
Organ 1863 1864 [2]
27 Trois Antiennes
  1. Quasi lento
  2. Allegretto
  3. Lent
Organ 1859 1859
16 28 6 pièces pour Grande Orgue, Op. 16-21, M.28-33
Fantasy in C major
Organ 1856-63 1868
17 29 Grande Pièce Symphonique in F♯ minor Organ 1860-62 1868
18 30 Prélude, Fugue et Variation in B minor Organ 1860-62 1868 Also arr. for 2 pianos; for piano & harmonium; and for solo piano by Harold Bauer and Ignaz Friedman
19 31 Pastorale in E major Organ 1860-62 1868
20 32 Prière in C♯ minor Organ 1860-62 1868
21 33 Final in B♭ major Organ 1860-62 1868
22 34 Quasi Marcia, for harmonium Organ 1862 1868
35 Trois pièces pour Orgue, M.35-37
Fantaisie in A major
Organ 1878 1883
36 Cantabile in B major Organ 1878 1883
37 Piece héroique in B minor Organ 1878 1883
38 Trois Chorales pour Orgue, M.38-40
Chorale in E major
Organ 1890 1892
39 Chorale in B minor Organ 1890 1892
40 Chorale in A minor Organ 1890 1892
41 L'Organiste Vol.1 Organ 1889-90 1896 63 pieces published posthumously
42 44 pieces for harmonium Organ 1858-63 1900
Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne, symphonic poem Orchestra 1846 Op. posth.
43 Les Éolides, symphonic poem Orchestra 1875-76
44 Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), symphonic poem Orchestra 1881-82
45 Les Djinns, symphonic poem for piano and orchestra Orchestra 1884
46 Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra Orchestra 1885
47 Psyché, symphonic poem for chorus and orchestra Orchestra 1886-87
48 Symphony in D minor Orchestra 1887-88
Stradella, unpub. opera in 3 acts Opera 1841-2 Arranged by Luc van Hove from vocal score with indications for orchestration, perf. 2012-2013
Le Valet de Ferme, unpub. opéra comique in 3 acts Opera 1851-53
49 Hulda Opera 1882–85
50 Ghiselle Opera 1889
51 Ruth, for soloists, chorus & orch. Sacred w/orch 1843-6 Revised 1871
Les Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix Sacred w/orch 1859 Unperformed during his lifetime, only discovered in 1955
52 Rédemption, symphonic poem for narrator, women's chorus, mixed chorus & orch. Sacred w/orch 1872 Revised 1874. Text by Edouard Blau.[3]
53 Les Béatitudes, oratorio for soloists, chorus & orch. Sacred w/orch 1869-79
54 Rébecca, cantata for soloists, chorus & orch. Sacred w/orch 1880–81 Text by Paul Collin
55 O salutaris, for soprano, tenor or mezzo-soprano & organ Sacred w/organ 1858
56 Three Motets, M.56-58
O salutaris, for soprano, chorus and organ
Sacred w/organ 1865
57 Ave Maria, hymn for soprano and bass soloists & organ Sacred w/organ 1865
58 Tantum ergo, hymn for bass voice, mixed chorus & organ Sacred w/organ 1865
59 Messe solennelle for bass and organ Sacred w/organ 1858
60 Le garde d'honneur, sacred canticle for voice, female chorus, organ Sacred w/organ
Op 12 61a Messe à trois voix for STB soloists, chorus and orchestra (or organ reduc.) Sacred w/organ 1860
Op 12 61b Panis Angelicus for tenor, cello, harp, organ Sacred w/organ 1861 Included in the 1872 edition, replacing the offertory O salutaris for bass
62 Ave Maria, for soprano, tenor, bass and organ Sacred w/organ
63 3 Offertories, M.63-65
Quae est ista
Sacred w/organ
64 Domine Deus in simplicitate, for three voices with organ and double bass Sacred w/organ 1861
65 Dextera Domini pour sop, tén, bas, choeur et orgue Sacred w/organ 1861 Orchestrated in 1877
66 Domine non secundum, offertory for three voices and organ Sacred w/organ
67 Quare fremuerunt gentes Sacred w/organ 1865
68 Veni Creator, for two voices and organ Sacred w/organ 1876
69 Cantique au Sacré-Coeur Sacred w/organ 1880
70 "Souvenance", song for voice and piano Solo song
71 "Ninon", song for voice and piano Solo song
72 "L'émir de Bengador", song for voice and piano Solo song
73 "Le sylphe", song for voice and piano Solo song
74 "Robin Gray", song for voice and piano Solo song
75 "L'ange et l'enfant", song for voice and piano Solo song
76 "Aimer", song for voice and piano Solo song
77 "Les trois exilés", song for voice and piano Solo song
78 "S'il est un charmant gazon", song for voice and piano Solo song
79 "Paris: Ode patriotique" for soprano or tenor and piano (or orch.) Solo song 1870
80 "Le mariage des roses", song for voice and piano Solo song
81 "Roses et papillons", song for voice and piano Solo song
82 "Passez, passez toujours", song for voice and piano Solo song
83 "Pour moi sa main cueillait des roses", song for voice and piano Solo song
84 "Le Vase brisé", song for voice and piano Solo song
85 "Nocturne", song for voice and piano Solo song
86 ? song for voice and piano Solo song
87 "Les Cloches du soir", song for voice and piano Solo song
88 "La Procession: Dieu s'avance à travers les champs!", for voice and piano (or orch.) Solo song
89 Six duos for female chorus and piano Chorus song
90 Premier sourire de Mai, for small 3-voice choir Chorus song 1888
91 Hymne de Jean Racine, for 4-part male chorus and piano (or orch.) Chorus song 1888
Other miscellaneous works

Probably included in other works in the table

  • Andantino (1889), for harmonium
  • Petit offertoire, for harmonium
  • Entrée, for harmonium
  • Piece in Eb, for organ or harmonium
  • Offertoire in A, for harmonium
  • Offertoire sur un Noël bréton, CFF 34, for harmonium

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ The opus numbers given to Trois Petits Riens, Op. 16, (1845), and Grand Duo on 'Lucile' by Grétry, Op. 17, M.19, (1845-6) were later assigned by a different publisher to Six Pieces for Organ Opp. 16-21, M.28-33.
  2. ^ See note 1
Citations
  1. ^ The MS of Gulistan is in the Württembergischen Landesbibliothek, Stuttgart. Krekler, Ingeborg et al.,(2000). Die Handschriften der Württembergischen Landesbibliothek Stuttgart. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 9783447042413
  2. ^ 5 Pièces pour harmonium (Franck, César). IMSLP. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. ^ Libretto at Gallica.bnf.fr Retrieved 12 January 2016.

External links edit