Ignace Leybach
Encyclopedia
Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach (17 July 1817, Gambsheim
, Alsace
– 23 May 1891, Toulouse
) was a teacher, pianist and organist, and a composer of salon piano music
.
He had his early training as an organist with Joseph (?) Wackenthaler, the organist and maître de chapelle of the cathedral of Strasbourg
, and then was a pupil in Paris of Friedrich Kalkbrenner
and of Chopin
. He was a famous pianist in his time, but is largely remembered for a single piece, his Fifth Nocturne
, Op. 52, number 5, for solo piano; it is still in print. His Fantasie elegante improvised on familiar themes from Gounod
's Faust
.
From 1844 he was organist at the cathédrale Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, succeeding Justin Cadaux. He published a three-volume method for the organ for which he also wrote about 350 pieces. Leybach also wrote motets and liturgical music.
Gambsheim
Gambsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is adjacent to a river crossing into Germany that is favoured by southbound autoroute traffic wishing to avoid traffic delays around Strasbourg...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
– 23 May 1891, Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
) was a teacher, pianist and organist, and a composer of salon piano music
Salon music
Salon music was a popular music genre in Europe during the 19th century. It was usually written for solo piano in the romantic style, and often performed by the composer at events known as "Salons". Salon compositions are usually fairly short and often focus on virtuoso pianistic display or...
.
He had his early training as an organist with Joseph (?) Wackenthaler, the organist and maître de chapelle of the cathedral of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, and then was a pupil in Paris of Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner was a German pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer who spent most of his life in England and France. Before the advent of Frédéric Chopin, Sigismond Thalberg and Franz Liszt, Kalkbrenner was by many considered to be the foremost pianist in...
and of Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
. He was a famous pianist in his time, but is largely remembered for a single piece, his Fifth Nocturne
Nocturne
A nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night...
, Op. 52, number 5, for solo piano; it is still in print. His Fantasie elegante improvised on familiar themes from Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
's Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
.
From 1844 he was organist at the cathédrale Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, succeeding Justin Cadaux. He published a three-volume method for the organ for which he also wrote about 350 pieces. Leybach also wrote motets and liturgical music.