A French composer and organist born July 4, 1939 in Dijon.
With a diploma from the Institut Grégorien of Paris in 1959, Jean-Pierre Leguay continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory with Simone Plé-Caussade, Rolande Falcinelli and Olivier Messiaen. Titular organist at the church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris and then co-titular at the cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris, he has led a career as organist and improviser, recording many discs of music from the 17th to the 21st centuries, while still devoting himself to composition.
He has written for various instrumental and vocal formations with a predilection for the organ, alone or in association with other instruments. He has received commissions from the French state (Souffle for instrumental ensemble, 1984; Vigiles for chorus and instrumental ensemble, 1986), from Radio France (Job for female chorus and organ, 1976; Étoilé for harpsichord and five players, 1981), from the Paris Conservatory (Madrigal III for harpsichord, 1981) and from ‘Musique sacrée à Notre-Dame’ (Missa Deo Gratias for chorus and instrumental ensemble, 2000). His music reflects a personal language written in a contemporary spirit that remains independent of fashion.
As a pedagogue, Jean-Pierre Leguay has taught the organ, improvisation and the history of music at the Limoges Conservatory (1968-1989) and subsequently at the Dijon Conservatory until 2003.