François Giroust

François Giroust (10 April 1737 – 28 April 1799) was a French composer. He was born in Paris, where he was the last maître of the Chapelle royale before the French Revolution. He died, aged 62, at Versailles.

Biography After having studied at the Notre-Dame de Paris with Louis Homet (1691–1767) until 1748 and afterwards with Antoine Goulet, Giroust got appointed as maître de musique (Kapellmeister) at the cathedral of Orléans, where he stayed until 1769. He was very much appreciated by his employers. He also became the leader of the music academy of Orléans (1757-1765), which became a big yet temporary success soon after his appointment.

Two of his works won both 1st and 2nd place in a contest for composers of the Concert Spirituel, organised by the Tuileries in Paris, 1768. Because of this, he was appointed as kapellmeister at the church of the Saint-Innocents in Paris.

Works 6 masses, including the Coronation Mass for Louis XVI (31 June 1776) and the Missa pro defunctis for Louis XV. 70 grands motets. Rituel Maçonnique Funèbre "Le Déluge" (1784). 14 oratorio's (partly lost). 12 Magnificat settings for the cathedral at Orléans. Télèphe (opera, lost except for the overture). Regles de composition (a notebook on music theory). Various revolutionary songs.

Recordings of works by Giroust

Incomplete list of recordings

La Psalette d'Orléans, dir. Jean Turellier : Giroust - Prose des Morts (Dies Irae), from Musiques et musiciens d'Orléans, Merjitur, CL 84102, 1984 Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Musica Polyphonica, dir. Louis Devos: Giroust - Messe Du Sacre De Louis XVI, Super Flumina Babylonis, Prose de Morts (Dies Irae), Erato–2292-45024-2, 1990 Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Les Agrémens, dir. Jean-Claude Malgoire: Grands Motets / Grétry - Confitebor, Gossec - Terribilis est locus site, Giroust - Benedic anima mea, K617181-HM90, 2006