Alfred Désenclos

Alfred Desenclos (7 February 1912 – 31 March 1971), was a French composer of classical (modern) music.

Desenclos had to work as an industrial designer until the age of 20 to help support his family. He had to renounce continuing his general studies, but eventually entered the Conservatory in Roubaix, France in 1929 to study piano - until that time he had played only as an amateur.

His sacred music compositions belong to the tradition begun by Saint-Saëns and continued by Fauré. He won the Prix de Rome in 1942.

Desenclos' "Messe de requiem" was written in 1963 and published by Durand et Fils in 1967. In 1999 the piece was reprinted under the name of Atlanta-based composer Tristan Foison. Foison's mass was given its "American premiere" on 18 May 1999 in a performance by the Capitol Hill Chorale - but soon after the piece was discovered to be a note-for-note duplicate of Desenclos's requiem from 1963. [http://www.requiemsurvey.org/composers.php?id=256]

Compositions

*Aria & Rondo "(Double Bass and Piano)"
*Bucoliques (flute and piano)
*Cantilene Et Divertissements (French horn and piano)
*Fantaisie (harp solo)
*Incantation, Threne Et Danse (trumpet and orchestra)
*Messe de requiem
*Nos Autem (SSATBB "a cappella")
*Plain (trombone and piano)
*Preludes "(need instrumentation)"
*Preambule, complainte et final (French horn and piano)
*Prélude, Cadence Et Finale (alto saxophone and piano)
**In 1997 this piece was arranged for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra by Russell Peterson
***in 2007 this piece was arranged for Alto Saxophone and small wind band by the Dutch saxophone player Karl Veen. However, the parts of the edition are loaded with mistakes.
*Quatuor (saxophone quartet)
*Salve Regina (SATB chorus)
*Suite Breve (piano solo)