Jardin à la française

Traditional texts and music, arranged by Marcel-Joseph Godard (1920-2007) for 3 equal voices with piano

Variation on 6 popular songs. Simple and lilting, this score features sequences that are greatly aided by the piano (without an instrument, the sequences are more hazardous...).

Canon Marcel-Joseph Godard was born in Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne (Ain) on 2 March 1920. He studied violin from the age of 9 with Miss Lacroix, organ with Pierre Marchand and Adrien Rougier, harmony and counterpoint, and composition with Pierre Giriat. On 30 November 1946 he was ordained a priest for the diocese of Lyon. In Paris, his teachers were Edouard Souberbielle, Auguste Le Guennant and Norbert Dufourcq at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique. It was in Paris that he met the painter Jean Bertholle, who was to have a major influence on him. In 1958, he was appointed Chapel Master of Saint-Jean Cathedral in Lyon, where he directed the children choir and founded the mixed choir in 1961. He remained there for 27 years, committed to renewing the liturgical repertoire in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. During this time, from 1971 to 1979, he was president of the Union Fédérale Française de Musique Sacrée. His works as a composer are numerous, both for instruments and for choir and instruments. Several of them have been published by Schola Cantorum, Éditions du Chalet and Desclée (many works written for Carmel). These include "Sous les couleurs de l'arc-en-ciel" for 3 equal voices and piano, premiered at Europa Cantat in Nevers in 2000.

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