Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Alexandre Pierre-François Boëly
Person · male · France · Paris · born 1785 · died 1858 · recording since 1973
French composer, organist and pianist (1785-1858)
Also known as 亚历山大·博埃利
Timeline
8 events▣ Album 5◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1780s
1850s
1970s
· Debut release
Debut release: Un orgue Clicquot à Paris
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
Biography
English biography413 words · 2 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1357726451
Biography
Alexandre Pierre-François Boëly (19 April 1785 – 27 December 1858) was a French composer, organist, pianist, and violist.
Career
Born in Versailles into a family of musicians, Boëly received his first music lessons from his father, Jean-François, who was a countertenor at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and a composer and harp teacher at the court of Versailles. He also studied under the Tyrolian pianist Ignaz Ladurner, who introduced him to the work of Bach and Haydn, which Boëly would champion in his adult career. Besides mastering the piano and organ, Boëly was also a talented violist.
As the Romantic movement swept through Europe during the 19th century, Boëly was shunned by the official mainstream of musical life in Paris because of his classical sensibilities and his "elitist" fidelity to writing serious music. Boëly regarded with distaste the music that was written and feted by many of his contemporaries. The most popular standards during the Napoleonic period were compositions that swelled with patriotism or operatic intensity. Entrenching his reactionary reputation, he used his appointment as organist at Saint Germain l'Auxerrois in 1840 to promote the works of deceased composers who were then only scantily appreciated by the public. These included Frescobaldi, Couperin and, most importantly of all, the supposedly impenetrable, unplayable Bach.
Such efforts did not win him popular favour, for he was dismissed from his position in 1851 for the "austerity" of his playing. He died a simple piano teacher, but not without enjoying the respect and confidence of a close circle of friends which included Marie Bigot, Pierre Baillot, Friedrich Kalkbrenner, and Johann Baptist Cramer.
Although Boëly was and remains largely unknown to the public, this does not diminish the part he played in the flourishing development of French music during the 19th century. He left behind an impressive oeuvre which numbers about 300 individual works, especially in the genres of chamber music and instrumental pieces for piano or organ. These include twelve books of practice-pieces of different styles and four books for organ with pedals or piano three hands. In old age, he was sought out by two rising young artists, César Franck and Camille Saint-Saëns, who revered him as a guardian of a noble and pure classical organ tradition.
He died of natural causes at 27 rue Ponthieu in Paris in 1858 at the age of 73. After a requiem mass at the church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule in which his pupil Saint-Saëns played the organ, he was buried at the Montmartre Cemetery.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 6 | 79.7th |
| Studio albums | 5 | 84.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 8 | 84.1th |
| Recording span (years) | -115 | 4.8th |
| Genres | 0 | 0th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (6 release groups · 5 studio albums)
Albums · 5
1973 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 16 tracks · 34:56
1Fantaisie et Fugue4:502Cantique: « Quel étonnement vient saisir mon âme »1:233Fugue sur le Kyrie1:474Verset sur le Kyrie1:185Verset sur le Christe2:156Fugue à deux sujets2:277Choral: « Bin ich gleich von Dir gewichen »1:408Cantique: « Voici la première entrée »1:399Quatuor1:5610Trio1:3511Tierce en taille2:0912Grands Jeux1:3013Dialogue de Hautbois et Cromorne1:5414Duo0:5515Andante en Si mineur5:5016Cantique « Le Vermeil du Soleil »1:48Pièces d'orgue & musique sacrée
2001 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 26 tracks · 1:16:45
1Rentrée de la Procession, op. 42 n°141:452Prélude d'orgue à 2 claviers séparés et pédale obligée, op.18 n°22:593Antienne: Rorate Coeli5:134Quatre Noëls: I. O jour ton divin flambeau1:235Quatre Noëls: II. Vous qui désirez sans fin, op. 42 n°40:526Quatre Noëls: III. Noël Suisse2:267Quatre Noëls: IV. Tambourin [Noël Lorrain: Grâce soit rendue]1:098Antienne: Alma redemptoris4:119Fugue, plein-jeu2:0410Duo, op. 41 n°51:2911Quatuor à 2 claviers séparés et pédale obligée, op. 10 n°121:4412Dialogue du Cornet et du Basson (Quoniam Tu solus op. 35 n°81:3413Grand Choeur, op. 10 n°41:3714Tierce en taille, op. 12 n°82:1615Hymne: Stupete gentes: Hymne du 5e ton, op. 37 n°8 – Fughetta, op. 37 n°10 – Trio à dessus de Cromorne et basse de tierce, op. 37 n°11 – Fugue du 5e ton, à 2 sujets, op. 36 n°37:1716Kyrie2:5417Gloria3:1418Allegro ma non troppo en fa mineur, op. 18 n°72:5019Sanctus2:4020Agnus Dei2:3521Andante con moto en mi bémol majeur, op. 18 n°13:2622Fantaisie et Fugue en si bémol, op. 18 n°65:1523Motet: Salve regina2:4024Pour le Saint-Sacrement: Pange lingua, op. 42 n°7 – Canto fermo figurato nella parte acuta, op. 41 n°13 – Trio sur la voix humaine (Tantum ergo op. 36 n°5 – Fughetta, op. 42 n°85:4225Ave verum, op. 36 n°103:3226Toccata en si mineur, op. 43 n°133:58Grands Offertoires, Fantaisies, Cantiques & Pièces libres
2003 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 21 tracks · 1:17:46
1Offertoire pour le Jour de Pâques op. 38,104:592Duo op. 38,72:433Allegro moderato en mi bémol majeur op. 18,127:124Quatuor op. 12,103:335Offertoire en ré majour5:416Toccata en si mineur3:287Canone all'ottava en fa dièse mineur op. 43,41:468Larghetto un poco sostenuto op. 43,87:119Canon en mi mineur2:2010Pièce dans le Style moderne en sol majeur op. 43,124:0211Offertoire pour une Messe de Noël op. 115:5212Cantique IX "Le Vermeil du Soleil" op. 15,91:2413Cantique VIII "Sus, sus qu'on se réveille" op. 15,80:5014Cantique XI "Voici une première entree" op. 15,112:1815Fugue en mi bémol majeur3:0416Fantaisie pour le "Judex crederis" op. 38,44:1717Moderato en do mineur op. 44,72:2818Petit offertoire op. 41,73:3119Allegro ma non troppo en fa mineur op. 18,72:3620Andante con moto en mi bémol majeur op. 183:1521Fantaisie et Fugue op. 18,65:162008 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 26 tracks · 1:13:46
1Sonata in C minor, op. 1 no. 1: I. Allegro molto8:002Sonata in C minor, op. 1 no. 1: II. Adagio con espressione6:223Sonata in C minor, op. 1 no. 1: III. Finale. Presto7:064Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 1 in F major: Allegro1:285Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 2 in A major: Allegretto1:326Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 5 in E major: Allegretto1:377Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 6 in C-sharp minor: Andante1:308Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 7 in F-sharp minor: Andante2:209Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 9 in A minor: Allegro molto vivace1:0510Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 10 in G major: Allegro1:2611Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 11 in G minor: Agitato1:2512Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 14 in B minor: Presto1:0413Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 15 in D major: Allegro1:4814Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 17 in A-flat major: Allegro, sempre legato2:3415Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 19 in G minor: Presto, ma non troppo0:5816Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 20 in B-flat major: Moderato3:4617Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 21 in C-sharp minor: Scherzando2:4618Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 22 in F-sharp minor: Moderato, sempre legato1:4519Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 23 in C minor: Allegro1:1520Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 25 in G minor: Moderato1:3721Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 27 in E minor: Allegro moderato2:5422Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 29 in D minor: Andantino1:3623Trente Caprices ou pièces d’étude pour le piano, op. 2: No. 30 in B-flat minor: Moderato con espressione2:4024Sonata in G major, op. 1 no. 2: I. Allegro con brio6:4125Sonata in G major, op. 1 no. 2: II. Scherzo. Allegro3:1326Sonata in G major, op. 1 no. 2: III. Rondo vivace ma non troppo presto5:182009 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:18:10
1Trio en ut majeur, opus 5 no. 2 : I. Allegro6:572Trio en ut majeur, opus 5 no. 2 : II. Adagio7:033Trio en ut majeur, opus 5 no. 2 : III. Minuetto (Allegro)4:304Trio en ut majeur, opus 5 no. 2 : IV. Finale (Presto)6:135Trois Mélodies pour violoncelle avec accompagnement d’orgue expressif : No. 1. Andante larghetto2:2361er Quatuor en la mineur, opus 27 : I. Allegro6:0671er Quatuor en la mineur, opus 27 : II. Andante più tosto allegretto6:3381er Quatuor en la mineur, opus 27 : III. Scherzo (Allegro molto)2:3091er Quatuor en la mineur, opus 27 : IV. Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo)5:2810Mouvement pour quatuor en mi majeur : Adagio sostenuto7:4711Trois Mélodies pour violoncelle avec accompagnement d’orgue expressif : No. 2. Un poco lento1:5012Sextuor en ré majeur arrangé d’après une symphonie de l’auteur : I. Allegro7:0213Sextuor en ré majeur arrangé d’après une symphonie de l’auteur : II. Andante sostenuto4:1914Sextuor en ré majeur arrangé d’après une symphonie de l’auteur : III. Scherzo (Allegro molto)2:1815Sextuor en ré majeur arrangé d’après une symphonie de l’auteur : IV. Finale (Allegro)4:2716Trois Mélodies pour violoncelle avec accompagnement d’orgue expressif : No. 3. Andante sostenuto2:44
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Un Versaillais à ParisSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 36 tracks · 1:34:51Disc 1 1Sonate, op. 1 no. 1 en ut mineur : Allegro molto5:34 2Sonate, op. 1 no. 1 en ut mineur : Adagio con espressione5:49 3Sonate, op. 1 no. 1 en ut mineur : Finale5:16 4Moderato molto legato, op. 46 no. 12 en fa♯ mineur1:31 5Allegro, op. 49 no. 2 en si♭ mineur2:22 6Pièce, op. 48 no. 11 en la majeur2:08 7Sonate, op. 1 no. 2 en sol majeur : Allegro con brio6:48 8Sonate, op. 1 no. 2 en sol majeur : Scherzo allegro3:31 9Sonate, op. 1 no. 2 en sol majeur : Rondo vivace ma non troppo presto4:59 10Gigue, op. 54 no. 11 en la mineur2:14 11Moderato, op. 50 no. 4 en ré majeur2:33 12Tempo moderato, op. 52 no. 11 en mi♭ mineur3:04 Disc 21Caprices, op. 2 : No. 9 en la mineur1:05 2Caprices, op. 2 : No. 7 en fa♯ majeur2:52 3Caprices, op. 2 : No. 16 en fa mineur1:59 4Caprices, op. 2 : No. 17 en la♭ majeur2:33 5Caprices, op. 2 : No. 19 en sol mineur0:52 6Caprices, op. 2 : No. 12 en mi♭ majeur2:08 7Caprices, op. 2 : No. 23 en ut mineur1:18 8Caprices, op. 2 : No. 30 en si♭ majeur2:13 9Études, op. 6 : No. 12 en mi majeur1:41 10Études, op. 6 : No. 13 en ut♯ mineur3:04 11Études, op. 6 : No. 18 en la mineur1:10 12Études, op. 6 : No. 15 en la♭ majeur2:29 13Études, op. 6 : No. 23 en ré mineur3:03 14Suite, op. 16 no. 2 en ré mineur : Allemande2:46 15Suite, op. 16 no. 2 en ré mineur : Courante2:23 16Suite, op. 16 no. 2 en ré mineur : Sarabande2:19 17Suite, op. 16 no. 2 en ré mineur : Allegro1:59 18Suite, op. 16 no. 2 en ré mineur : Gigue2:24 19Études, op. 13 : No. 8 en ut♯ mineur1:27 20Études, op. 13 : No. 9 en sol majeur2:46 21Études, op. 13 : No. 16 en fa♯ mineur1:53 22Études, op. 13 : No. 19 en ut majeur1:15 23Études, op. 13 : No. 24 en mi♭ majeur1:28 24Études, op. 13 : No. 10 en sol mineur1:55 | Compilation | 2009 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Alexandre Pierre-François Boëly head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 6 | 79.7th |
| Studio albums | 5 | 84.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 8 | 84.1th |
| Recording span (years) | -115 | 4.8th |
| Genres | 0 | 0th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexandre-Pierre-Fran%C3%A7ois_Bo%C3%ABly.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65328f59-faca-4b6e-ab8f-b3b4b4e0e1f6discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65328f59-faca-4b6e-ab8f-b3b4b4e0e1f6core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q713312seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Bo%C3%ABlybiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Bo%C3%ABly
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q713312 · MusicBrainz: 65328f59-faca-4b6e-ab8f-b3b4b4e0e1f6
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