François d’Agincour (1684–1758) was a French composer, organist, and harpsichordist. Though overshadowed by contemporaries such as François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau his surviving keyboard works offer a fascinating glimpse into the refined and ornate French classical organ tradition of the early 18th century.
D’Agincour served as organist at the Rouen Cathedral for over 40 years and held royal positions as well, which afforded him access to France’s finest instruments and a cultured musical environment. His sole surviving organ collection, Premier livre d’orgue (1733), contains a series of pieces organized into suites according to church modes, consistent with the liturgical practices of the time. Each suite contains various movements — including Plein jeux, Fugues, Récits, and Dialogues — that correspond to specific parts of the Catholic mass.
His music reflects the elegance and clarity characteristic of the French classical organ school, with its emphasis on ornamentation, color, and registration. D’Agincour skillfully exploits the tonal possibilities of the French classical organ, composing pieces that call for distinctive solo stops such as the Cromorne, Tierce, and Cornet. While structurally conservative, his music reveals a personal voice marked by harmonic finesse, rhythmic vitality, and melodic inventiveness.
Though his output is modest compared to others, d’Agincour’s organ works exemplify the culmination of the French classical style just before it began to yield to the more galant and Classical idioms. Modern interest in historical performance practices has led to a renewed appreciation of his music.
Recorded by Chikako Nishikawa at the Andrea Zeni tribune organ in the Chiesa Parrocchiale dei SS. Giuseppe e Lucia, Italy
After her studies in her Native Japan Chikako Nishikawa went to Europe to study in Zurich, Fribourg and The Hague, meanwhile receiving top prizes at international competitions. Lately she studied organ, with a focus on early music, with Federico Del Sordo at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome (Post-Gradum course).
