Biography
This French organist and composer took up duties at Rouen’s church of St. Jean in 1585 while simultaneously assuming the post of organist at the city’s cathedral, a position he retained until his death. He became France’s earliest notable creator of organ music, writing versets whose conservative idiom avoided ornamentation, elaboration, and developmental procedures yet remained firmly grounded in polyphonic technique; these pieces alternated with choral passages during services. His reputation also rested on an extensive command of organ construction, for which he was repeatedly consulted not only locally in Rouen but likewise in Amiens and Poitiers.