Clément Loret was born in Dendermonde in Belgium. His father Hippolyte, organist and organ builder, introduced him to music and the organ at a very young age. He started playing in church when he was 7 years old, and the following year he occasionally replaced his father at the keyboard. In 1846, his father was appointed organist at Mons, and the young Clément continued his musical studies with Jules Denefve. Admitted to the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in 1851, he was a student of Lemmens for the organ and Fétis for the counterpoint. He won a First Prize in 1853. In 1855, Loret came to Paris. Lemmens had written him a letter of introduction to Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who was so little impressed by the young man that he dared not present him to his acquaintances. However, he linked up with, an harmonium factor, who decided him to stay. He then held organist positions at Suresnes and Notre-Dame des Victoires. Then, he was named titular holder of the new Cavaillé-Coll organ of the National Basilica dedicated to St. Geneviève during the Second French Empire, from 1855 to 1885, and occupied the gallery of, where Niederermeyer was maître de chapelle from 1858 to 1866. Appointed professor of organ at the Niedermeyer school of Paris in 1858, he trained most of the French organists of the time including Fauré, Letocart and Gigout. His brother Charles, who died young, was also a musician and composer. His wife, Philippine Colonius, was a talented musician. Their son, Victor Loret was a musician, musicologist and a very famous French Egyptologist. A friend of Camille Saint-Saëns, he was interested in music and instruments from the Pharaonic period. As ethnomusicologist, he transcribed traditional melodies and dances from the south of the valley. Clément Loret died in Colombes, near Paris, on 14 February 1909,
Works
Several of his works have been published in Paris by Loret Fils & H. Freytag, his publishing house.
Organ
50 Pièces d’orgue pour messes et vêpres, Régnier-Canaux, Paris
24 Morceaux pour orgue sans pédale, Régnier-Canaux, Paris
Le Service divin, 6 Entrées, 6 Offertoires, 6 Élévations, 6 Communions, 6 Sorties, morceaux faciles, Heugel, Paris
6 Concertos pour orgue et orchestre de G. F. Hændel, arranged for organ only, with fermatas
6 Concertos pour orgue et orchestre de G. F. Hændel, arranged for organ only, with fermatas
Cours d’orgue Op. 19: I. Orgue sans pédale, II. Orgue avec pédale, III. Les combinaisons sur les orgues modernes et l’improvisation, IV. Le plain-chant et son accompagnement.
Exercices d’orgue, 3 issues, in La Maîtrise, Paris, 1859
24 Études pour orgue, 12 without pedal, 12 with pédal, Heugel, Paris
Pièces de genre : Sur les ondes – La Flûte enchantée – Enivrement – Cantilène – Souvenir – Les pifferari – Alceste
Glisse ô ma barque - Les deux captifs - Dis-moi je t’aime - Dormez - L’enfant de la négresse - La fleur - L’oreiller d’un enfant - Rêver, prier, aimer - L’été - Oui, c’est toi que j’aime
Piano
Studies
12 Morceaux pour piano : 1. Marche Nuptiale - 2. Menuet - 3. Romance sans Paroles - 4. Rosée de Printemps - 5. Scherzo - 6. Rêverie-Nocturne - 7. Rondo - 8. Pluie dans le Lac - 9. Andantino - 10. Dors mon Enfant - 11. Caprice-Mazurka - 12. Valse Tyrolienne, chez l’auteur à Paris, s.d.
Préludes and fugues
Romances sans paroles
Recordings
A selection of works for organ by Clément Loret has been recorded on the Cavaillé-Coll organs at Pezenas and Carcassonne by Jean-Luc Salique.
