Henri Mulet

Henri Mulet (12 October 1878 - 20 September 1967) was a French composer, organ, harmonium and cello player.

Mulet was born on 17 October 1878 in Montmartre under the shadow of Sacré-Cœur, Paris, France. He came of age assisting his father, the maître de-chapelle of the neo-Byzantine Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, by playing harmonium at the church. His mother taught piano and organ, and played the harmonium of the Basilica. The basilica was then under construction and the installation of the grande orgue years in the future. He was an enigmatic character, and somewhat eccentric. Because of his lack of correspondence, few friends and solitary lifestyle, information regarding his life is limited. Although he lived for 88 years, he composed music only during about 15 of them.

Most of his published compositions were for the organ. His works for organ have been called "expressive in a post-Romantic manner.

Enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire before he was twelve years old, Mulet studied cello, harmony, and organ. He won first prize for cello in Jules Delsart's class in 1893 and second prize for organ in 1897. He studied harmony at Conservatoire de Paris under Raoul Pugno and Xavier Leroux. He studied organ with Alexandre Guilmant, Charles-Marie Widor and their assistant Louis Vierne, all of whom thought highly of the young composer and organist. Louis Vieme claimed that Mulet was "one of the most brilliant of musical personalities, a solid virtuoso, and a very fine improviser." Although Mulet held several church organ positions, his most significant position was at Saint Philippe-du-Roule, a parish of about 30,000 members. He served as an organist in several churches in Paris {choirmaster of the basilica of Sacré-Coeur, Paris and titular organist at Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge (until 1901), St Eustache, Ste Marie des Batignolles () (1910), St Roch (1912), and finally St Philippe du Roule in Paris ()}. He was a professor in the Ecole Niedermeyer and in the Schola Cantorum. In 1937 Mulet burnt most of his manuscripts (giving some of his orchestral manuscripts to Félix Raugel), and left Paris for Draguignan in Provence. He also owned a house overlooking Frejus, which he shared with Madame Mulet's sister and mother. In 1914 he was a member of the committee of "Société Nationale de Musique".

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