Michel Chapuis

Michel Chapuis is a Organiste French born with Dole (the Jura) the January 15th 1930.

Holder successively with Paris of the Organ S of Auxerre-native Saint-Germain-the, Notre Dame (choir organ), of Saint Nicolas's Day of the Fields, Saint-Severin, then large organ of the Royal Vault of the Castle of Versailles. He was professor with the academies of Besancon, Strasbourg, then with CNSM of Paris.

Discoverer of the literature for organ

It durably influenced the interpretation of the traditional French music for organ very as far as the invoice of organ, for the restoration initially, of the instruments " traditional français" , but also of the organ " romantiques".

With his/her colleagues and friends, Francis Chain, Jean-Albert Villard, Xavier Darasse (to only quote emblématiques, it caused (in the continuation of the spirit of their Master Edouard Souberbielle) as of the Fifties, a questioning of organology such as she was thought and especially applied to the restoration of the organ since the Thirties, and this by historical research and technological of a remarkable rigor.

Michel Chapuis knows the invoice of organ to have practiced it itself, which has, or simplified or complicated his relationship with the organ builders, but always to advance the " cause orgue".

Musicologist

Michel Chapuis, some of his colleagues, some organ builders (in particular Philippe Hartmann, Robert Bushel, and some rare others in the Sixties) as well as musicologists considered at the time as atypical such Jean Fellot, Pierre Hardouin, or of the enlightened amateurs such Alain Lequeux, are directly at the origin of the revival of French the music known as " baroque" , work having been carried out in the other countries of Europe, generally by the " cordes" or by the " chefs" (for example Harnoncourt.) These concerns will lead, in front of the urgency to save certain instruments of all risks of hasty restorations, with the creation (circa 1964) of a.F.S.O.A (French Association for the Safeguard of the Old Organ) which will become the armed wing of this reconquète.

Parallel to this research on organology, Michel Chapuis was one of the first with his colleagues already quoted to be interested particularly so that one could call a " semiology " French music of the XVII° and XVIII° centuries: ornamentation, unequal notes, registrations, as many elements which, in spite of the first approaches of decoding of Guilmant and Pirro, unexploited or had been somewhat abused, with the way in which was it also and by the same ones, organology, by autoproclamés specialists. The question of the tuning forks and the temperaments does not have, of course, escaped with its sagacity.

One can thus consider without exaggeration that Michel Chapuis is in the beginning many keys of interpretation of the old music in France. It is indeed by making profitable this meeting, this " synergie" between the practice of organology by the invoice of organ and the assiduous frequentation of the libraries, which it is mainly responsible for the revival of the interpretation and the redécouverte of a whole forgotten musical literature, taking part very early in the genesis then with the acceleration of this passion for the Baroque music in France such as one knows it from now on.

Interpret

The discography of Michel Chapuis is very important and does not limit itself to the French repertory. Its interpretations of Bach and the German music are not in any manner to neglect not more than are to it its (more rare) interpretations of romantic works.

Pedagog

Its talents of pedagog and his vast culture made of Michel Chapuis a professor sought by young people musician () S of the whole world in the academies where it worked during all his career, but also during " academies of orgues" in whole Europe at the time where they were many and flourishing.

He is also, which is known less, one talented fort improviser.

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