The music of César Franck is revered by musicians the world over. For organists, he holds a significant place in history as one of the founding fathers of the French Romantic organ tradition. First published during the bicentennial year of his birth, Franck’s journey from unsettled pianist to master craftsman at the organ and harmonium is presented in a new light. The objective of this chronologically ordered edition spanning the three different periods of his life combines as many elements as possible from the study of available autograph manuscripts, first editions and letters in the hope of contributing to a more holistic evaluation, in practical terms, of his output for organ and harmonium.
Editor Richard Brasier enjoys a busy and far-reaching international career as a concert organist and pedagogue. As an organist, Richard has performed extensively throughout the UK, Europe, and Asia in recital series and at major international festivals, using both period and modern instruments. Richard is a teacher for the Royal College of Organists, regularly teaches residential courses for organists of all ages and abilities, and visits conservatoires to lecture or teach on various specialist topics. He has been invited to serve as a competition adjudicator and external examiner, with former students achieving national and international success.
Richard has published articles and videos on organ-related topics on various platforms and has edited several performing editions, including the organ works of Ludwig van Beethoven and Heinrich Bach. In 2022, Richard established himself as a leading scholar of the organ music of César Franck with the publication of his internationally acclaimed edition for Lyrebird Music. He is the organist at St Mary’s German Lutheran Church in central London and curator organist at the historic German church of St George’s in Whitechapel. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London, and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, Köln.
