Charles Tournemire

Charles Arnould Tournemire (22 January 1870 – 3 or 4 November 1939) was a French composer and organist, notable partly for his improvisations, which were often rooted in the music of Gregorian chant.

His compositions include eight symphonies (one of them choral), four operas, twelve chamber works and eighteen piano solos.

From 1898 (on the resignation of Gabriel Pierné) to 1939, Tournemire served as the organiste titulaire at Franck's old church, the Basilique Ste-Clotilde, Paris.

Of ten 78-rpm discs which Tournemire made in 1930, playing the Aristide Cavaillé-Coll organ of Sainte-Clotilde,[1] five contain compositions by Franck.

This collection covers the cycle of the Roman Catholic liturgical year, each set being based on the Gregorian chants for the day.