# Alexis de Castillon

Alexis-Marie de Castillon de Saint-Victor (13 December 1838 – 5 March 1873) was a French composer.

## Life and career

Castillon was born in Chartres into an old aristocratic family from Languedoc. His parents initially intended him to pursue a military career, but Castillon gave up plans for professional soldiering in favour of music, which he learned first in his birthplace and then in Paris, where he studied piano and composition, initially with Charles Delioux. For composition, he attended the classes of Victor Massé and, from 1869, of César Franck at the Paris Conservatoire. Before his studies with Franck, he had completed his Opus 1, a piano quintet, probably inspired by the earlier example of his friend Camille Saint-Saëns. Both the quintet and the later piano quartet Op. 7 follow Schumann's model. He disavowed earlier efforts, including a symphony in F major, which he had written in 1865.
In fragile health at the best of times (volunteering during the War of 1870, he fell ill and was demobilized in 1871), he died of complications from fever in 1873 at age 34. His works include pieces for piano, chamber music, mélodies, a piano concerto, and other orchestral music. He was also active in Parisian musical life, in particular helping to create, in 1871, the Société Nationale de Musique, of which he was the first secretary.

## List of compositions
### Piano solo

* Fugue in G minor
* Fugues dans le style libre, Op. 2 (1869)
* Suite No. 1, Op. 5 (1867?-69)
       I. Canon
       II. Scherzo
       III. Thème et Variations
       IV. Gavotte
       V. Marche
* 5 Pièces dans le style ancien, Op. 9 (1870)
       I. Prélude
       II. Sicilienne
       III. Sarabande
       IV. Air (D major)
       V. Fughette
* Suite No. 2, Op. 10 (1870)
       I. Ballade
       II. Ronde
       III. Adagietto (F major)
       IV. Fantaisie (D minor)
       V. Saltarelle
* 6 Valses humoristiques, Op. 11 (1871) (orchestrated by Charles Koechlin)
       I. (Liberamente) (E major)
       II. (Non troppo vivo) (A major)
       III. (Con fantasia) (C♯ minor)
       IV. (Comodo) (F♯ major)
       V. (Energico) (B major)
       VI. (Vivo assai) (E major)
* 24 Pensées fugitives (1873)
       I. Aveu
       II. Minuetto
       III. Au bois
       IV. Carillon
       V. Compliment
       VI. Première Mazurka
       VII. Causerie
       VIII. Fanfare
       IX. Scherzo-Valse
       X. Regrets
       XI. Deuxième Mazurka
       XII. Toccata
       XIII. Marche des Français
       XIV. Au revoir
       XV. Feu follet
       XVI. Bayadère
       XVII. Chanson du cavalier
       XVIII. Extase
       XIX. Colombine
       XX. Les Dragons
       XXI. Scherzettino
       XXII. Appel du soir
       XXIII. Troisième Mazurka
       XXIV. Aubade

### Chamber

* Piano Quintet, Op. 1 (1863–64)
       I. Allegro
       II. Scherzo
       III. Adagio et final
* String Quartet No. 1, Op. 3, No. 1 (1867) (ded. to Henri Poencet)
       I. (Allegro)
       II. (Adagio molto lento - Allegro scherzando)
       III. (Molto grave - Molto allegro)
* String Quartet No. 2, Op. 3, No. 2 (1867) (unfinished, only Cavatina published)
* Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 4 (1865)
       I. Prélude et Andante
       II. Scherzo
       III. Romance
       IV. Finale
* Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 6 (1868) (ded. to Elie-Miriam Delaborde)
       I. (Allegro moderato)
       II. (Allegro scherzando)
       III. (Andante)
       IV. (Allegro molto)
* Piano Quartet, Op. 7 (1869) (ded. to Anton Rubinstein)
       I. (Larghetto - Allegro deciso - Allegro)
       II. (Scherzando)
       III. (Larghetto, quasi marcia religiosa)
       IV. Finale (Allegro)
* Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 17 (1870-73?)
       I. (Allegro moderato)
       II. (Allegretto non vivo) (B♭ major)
       III. (Scherzando vivace) (G minor)
       IV. (Adagio - Allegro con fuoco - Molto expressivo senza rigore)

### Concertante

* Piano Concerto, Op. 12 (1871) (ded. to and first performed (in 1872) by Camille Saint-Saëns piano) (also arr. for 2 pianos by Vincent d'Indy)
       I. (Allegro moderato)
       II. (Molto lento)
       III. (Allegro con fuoco)

### Orchestra

* Robert Schumann: Trois morceaux, arr. for orchestra (unpublished)
* Marche Scandinave (ded. to Georges Bizet) (unpublished)
* Symphony No. 1 (1865) (unpublished)
* 5 Airs de Danse, suite for orchestra (1870) (unpublished)
       I. Introduction et Ronde
       II. Tempo di Walzer
       III. Sicilienne
       IV. Menuet
       V. Danse guerrière
* Esquisses symphoniques, Op. 15 (1872)
       I. Prélude
       II. Gavotte
       III. Allegretto
       IV. Retour du Prélude et Finale
* Symphony No. 2 (1872) (unfinished)
* Franz Schubert: Impromptu, Op. 90, No. 1, arr. for orchestra (1872) (unpublished)
* 3 Pièces dans le style ancien (1873) (orchestration of Nos. 3, 4, and 5 of Op. 9) (unpublished)
       I. Sarabande
       II. Air
       III. Fughette
* Torquato Tasso, Ouverture (unfinished)

### Songs

* 6 Poésies d'Armand Silvestre, Op. 8 (1868–73) (orchestrated 1920 by Charles Koechlin)
       I. Le Bûcher
       II. Le Semeur
       III. Sonnet mélancolique
       IV. La Mer
       V. Renouveau
       VI. Vendange

### Choral

* Paraphrase du Psaume 84, for soloists, choir, and orchestra, on a text by Louis Gallet, Op. 16 (1872)
* Mass (1872) (unfinished)