Photo: photo Ch. Reutlinger, Paris, BNF Richelieu · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Léon Boëllmann
Person · male · France · Ensisheim · born 1862 · died 1897 · recording since 1987
French organist and composer
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Listen on SpotifyYouTube Music
Also known as Boellmann · 莱昂·波尔曼
Timeline
10 events▣ Album 7◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1860s
1890s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: L'œuvre pour grand orgue
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
· Album
Album: Godard: Cello Sonata / Two Pieces, op. 61 / Boëllmann: Cello Sonata / Two Pieces, op. 31
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Markus Eichenlaub, Organist am Hohen Dom zu Limburg, spielt an der großen Rieger-Orgel der Abteikirche Marienstatt
Album
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
· Album
Album: Symphonie en fa majeur / Variations symphoniques / Quatre Pièces brèves
Album
source: musicbrainz
Biography
English biography499 words · 7 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1376760299
Biography
Léon Boëllmann (French pronunciation: [leɔ̃ bɔ.ɛlman]; 25 September 1862 – 11 October 1897) was a French composer, known for a small number of compositions for organ. His best-known composition is Suite gothique (1895), which is a staple of the organ repertoire, especially its concluding Toccata.
Life
Boëllmann was born in Ensisheim, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, the son of a pharmacist. In 1871, at the age of nine, he entered the École de Musique Classique et Religieuse (L'École Niedermeyer) in Paris, where he studied with its director, Gustave Lefèvre, and with Eugène Gigout. There, Boëllmann won first prizes in piano, organ, counterpoint, fugue, plainsong, and composition. After his graduation in 1881, Boëllmann was appointed "organiste de choeur" at the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, and six years later he became cantor and organiste titulaire, a position he held until his early death, from tuberculosis.
In 1885, Boëllmann married Louise, the daughter of Gustave Lefèvre and the niece of Eugène Gigout, into whose house the couple moved (having no children of his own, Gigout adopted Boëllmann). Boëllmann then taught in Gigout's school of organ playing and improvisation.
As a student of Gigout, Boëllmann moved in the circles of the French musical world. He made friends of many artists and was able to give concerts both in Paris and the provinces. Boëllmann became known as "a dedicated teacher, trenchant critic, gifted composer and successful performer ... who coaxed pleasing sounds out of recalcitrant instruments". Boëllmann also wrote musical criticism for L'Art musical under the pseudonym "le Révérend Père Léon" and "un Garçon of the Salle Pleyel".
Boëllmann died in 1897, aged 35. After the death of his wife the following year, Gigout reared their three orphans, one of whom, Marie-Louise Boëllmann-Gigout (1891–1977), became a distinguished organ teacher in her own right.
Organ
Douze pièces, Op. 16 (1890)
Suite gothique, Op. 25 (1895)
Deuxième suite, Op. 27 (1896)
Les Heures mystiques, Op. 29/30 (1896)
Ronde française, Op. 37 (arr. Choisnel)
Offertoire sur les Noëls
Fantaisie
Piano
Valse, Op. 8
Deuxième valse, Op. 14
Aubade, Op. 15 No. 1
Feuillet d'album, Op. 15 No. 3
2e Impromptu, Op. 15 No. 4
Improvisations, Op. 28
Nocturne, Op. 36
Ronde française, Op. 37
Gavotte
Prélude & fugue
Scherzo-Caprice
Chamber music
Piano Quartet in F minor, Op. 10
Piano Trio in G major, Op. 19
Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 40
Suite for Cello and Piano, Op. 6
2 Pièces for cello and piano, Op. 31
Pièce pour violoncelle et piano
Orchestra
Fantaisie dialoguée, Op. 35, for organ and orchestra
Intermezzo, for orchestra
Ma bien aimée, for voice and orchestra
Rondel, for small orchestra
Scènes du Moyen-Âge, for orchestra
Symphony in F major, Op. 24
Variations symphoniques, Op. 23, for cello and orchestra
Selected recordings
Suite gothique, Op. 25, Deuxième Suite, Op. 27, Offertoire sur des noëls, Carillon et Choral des Douze Pièces Op. 16, Deux esquisses, Fantaisie, Heures mystiques (extracts), Op. 29 & 30, Helga Schauerte-Maubouet, Kuhn organ of Minden cathedral, Germany: Syrius SYR 141374.
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 | 21 | 82.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 7 | 80.4th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 10 | 86.7th |
| Recording span (years) | -90 | 5.2th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (7 release groups · 7 studio albums)
Albums · 7
1987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:13:29
1Suite gothique, op. 25: I. Introduction - Choral2:052Suite gothique, op. 25: II. Menuet gothique2:433Suite gothique, op. 25: III. Prière à Notre-Dame5:004Suite gothique, op. 25: IV. Toccata3:485Deuxième suite, op. 27: I. Prélude pastoral3:296Deuxième suite, op. 27: II.Allegretto con moto3:377Deuxième suite, op. 27: III. Andantino3:358Deuxième suite, op. 27: IV. Final - Marche5:139Douze pièces pour grand orgue: I. Prélude4:1210Douze pièces pour grand orgue: II. Fugue3:4711Douze pièces pour grand orgue: III. Marche religieuse4:5812Douze pièces pour grand orgue: IV. Intermezzo3:5313Douze pièces pour grand orgue: V. Carillon2:3914Douze pièces pour grand orgue: VI. Choral4:3415Douze pièces pour grand orgue: VII. Élégie4:2616Douze pièces pour grand orgue: VIII. Deux verset de procession sur Adoro Te: 1er Verset2:2817Douze pièces pour grand orgue: IX. Deux verset de procession sur Adoro Te: 2ème Verset2:4318Douze pièces pour grand orgue: X. Canzona dans la tonalité grégorienne3:3719Douze pièces pour grand orgue: XI. Adagietto3:2620Douze pièces pour grand orgue: XII. Paraphrase sur Laudate Dominum3:16Godard: Cello Sonata / Two Pieces, op. 61 / Boëllmann: Cello Sonata / Two Pieces, op. 31
1996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:13:17
1Cello Sonata in D minor, op. 104: I. Moderato11:422Cello Sonata in D minor, op. 104: II. Adagio non troppo7:573Cello Sonata in D minor, op. 104: III. Vivace ma non troppo – Andante – Vivace – Moderato11:054Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, op. 61: I. Aubade7:185Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, op. 61: II. Scherzo3:166Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, op. 31: I. Valse lente3:417Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, op. 31: II. Menuet3:538Cello Sonata in A minor, op. 40: I. Maestoso – Allegro con fuoco9:359Cello Sonata in A minor, op. 40: II. Andante8:4510Cello Sonata in A minor, op. 40: III. Allegro molto – Poco animato6:051999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 30 tracks · 1:01:29
1Sonate Nr. 3 in A-Dur: I. Con moto maestoso7:042Sonate Nr. 3 in A-Dur: II. Andante tranquillo2:133Thema und Variationen, op. 115: Maestosamente - Thema. Andante affetuoso - Variationen: Stesso tempo / A tempo rubato / Vivacissimo / Sostenuto / Andantino / Allegro / Pastorale finale13:124Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 1. Allegro, C-Dur1:225Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 2. Allegretto, c-moll0:486Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 3. Andante espressivo, cis-moll0:497Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 4. Andantino, Des-Dur1:028Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 5. Allegro, D-Dur0:539Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 6. Moderato, D-Dur1:4310Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 7. Andantino non troppo, d-Moll0:4611Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 8. Allegretto grazioso, Es-Dur1:1712Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 9. Allegretto cantabile, E-Dur0:4813Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 10. Allegretto, e-Moll0:3614Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 11. Allegro vivo e leggiero, F-Dur0:4115Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 12. Andantino espressivo, f-Moll1:1116Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 13. Poco allegreto, fis-Moll0:5717Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 14. Allegro animato, G-Dur0:4918Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 15. Allegro, g-Moll1:0919Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 16. Poco, animato, A-Dur1:1320Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 17. Allegro assai, A-Dur0:4121Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 18. Allegro, a-moll0:4222Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 19. Andante molto, As-Dur0:4023Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 20. Allegro grazioso, B-Dur1:1124Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 21. Allegro moderato, b-Moll2:2325Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 22. Allegretto, h-moll1:1226Versets aus Heures Mystiques, op. 30: 23. Allegretto ben marcato, H-DUr1:0627Sonate Nr. 1 f-Moll, op. 65/1: Allegro moderato e serioso5:3128Sonate Nr. 1 f-Moll, op. 65/1: Adagio2:5929Sonate Nr. 1 f-Moll, op. 65/1: Andante recitativo2:5930Sonate Nr. 1 f-Moll, op. 65/1: IV. Allegro assai vivace3:322003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:17:32
1Suite gothique: I. Introduction2:042Suite gothique: II. Menuet gothique2:333Suite gothique: III. Prière à Notre-Dame4:234Suite gothique: IV. Toccata3:4252e Suite: I. Prélude pastorale3:3662e Suite: II. Allegro con moto3:3772e Suite: III. Andantino4:2282e Suite: IV. Final – Marche5:589Offertoire sur des Noëls5:0210Carillon3:3411Deux Esquisses: I. Allegro con moto3:1512Deux Esquisses: II. Moderato amabile4:3613Heures mystiques: I. Entrée en Ut majeur1:1514Heures mystiques: II. Offertoire en Sol majeur2:3115Heures mystiques: III. Élévation en Mi bémol majeur3:2416Heures mystiques: IV. Communion en Si bémol majeur1:5617Heures mystiques: V. Sortie en Ut majeur2:5318Fantaisie12:5519Choral5:562012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:41:05
Disc 11Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 2, op. 123: Maestoso largamente8:462Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 2, op. 123: Scherzo con variazoioni8:133Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 2, op. 123: Romanza7:074Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 2, op. 123: Allegro ma non troppo grazioso6:115Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 1, op. 32: Allegro8:406Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 1, op. 32: Andante tranquillo sostenuto6:257Sonata for Violoncello and Piano no. 1, op. 32: Allegro moderato6:09Disc 21Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 40: Maestoso9:362Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 40: Andante8:153Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 40: Allegro molto6:074Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 65: Allegro moderato10:595Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 65: Scherzo: Allegro con brio4:426Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 65: Largo3:237Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, op. 65: Finale: Allegro6:322021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:16:11
1Fantaisie in A major11:04212 Pièces pour orgue, op. 16: I. Prélude4:14312 Pièces pour orgue, op. 16: II. Fugue4:09412 Pièces pour orgue, op. 16: IV. Intermezzo4:44512 Pièces pour orgue, op. 16: XI. Adagietto4:05612 Pièces pour orgue, op. 16: V. Carillon3:507Deuxième Suite pour orgue, op. 27: I. Prélude pastoral5:068Deuxième Suite pour orgue, op. 27: II. Allegretto con moto3:469Deuxième Suite pour orgue, op. 27: III. Andantino3:5910Deuxième Suite pour orgue, op. 27: IV. Final5:4911Heures Mystiques, opp. 29-30: I. Entrée in E-flat major2:2612Heures Mystiques, opp. 29-30: II. Offertoire in G major4:5413Heures Mystiques, opp. 29-30: III. Sortie in D minor3:1114Suite gothique in C minor, op. 25: I. Introduction - Choral2:0715Suite gothique in C minor, op. 25: II. Menuet gothique3:1316Suite gothique in C minor, op. 25: III. Prière à Notre Dame5:4717Suite gothique in C minor, op. 25: IV. Toccata3:47Symphonie en fa majeur / Variations symphoniques / Quatre Pièces brèves
2021 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 54:08
1Symphony in F major, op. 24: I. Introduction - Allegro con fuoco18:132Symphony in F major, op. 24: II. Allegro ben marcato4:033Symphony in F major, op. 24: III. Récitatif et final9:154Variations symphoniques pour violoncelle et orchestre, op. 2311:045Quatre pièces brèves pour cordes: I. Allegro2:546Quatre pièces brèves pour cordes: II. Moderato3:467Quatre pièces brèves pour cordes: III. Allegro2:218Quatre pièces brèves pour cordes: IV. Andantino2:32
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Léon Boëllmann head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 21 | 82.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 7 | 80.4th |
| Studio albums | 7 | 87.5th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 10 | 86.7th |
| Recording span (years) | -90 | 5.2th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Officer of the French Order of Academic Palms | won | |
| — | prix Chartier | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leon_Boellmann.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1fe62603-9e6f-4af1-93b2-2b8025cfc58ddiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1fe62603-9e6f-4af1-93b2-2b8025cfc58dcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q454109genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q454109seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Bo%C3%ABllmannbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Bo%C3%ABllmann
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: photo Ch. Reutlinger, Paris, BNF Richelieu · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q454109 · MusicBrainz: 1fe62603-9e6f-4af1-93b2-2b8025cfc58d
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