César Franck moved French music from the more conservative
opera, towards the more robust symphonies, orchestra and chamber
music. He influenced the later composers in France and was himself
influence greatly by his predecessors.
César Franck was born in 1822. He was born in Belgium and
was very slow to develop as a composer. He was often ridiculed as a
composer for his late development. Yet he became a highly
influential composer and some of his work has become part of the
standard repertoire. He grew up in France where he composed a few
very fine pieces. He focused on orchestral and chamber music. He
continued to grow as a composer throughout his life. He wrote his
most famous piece, a Violin Sonata at the age of sixty-three. It
typifies his style with Romantic lyrics and a slight hint
of classicism. He died in
1890.
There is a fine Piano
Quintet in f, which was completed in 1879 another fine String Quartet in D, written in
1890. Both these pieces are tributes to his legacy. Though he may
have been a late bloomer, his music speaks well for him and he
represents one of the greatest composers during his generation.
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