Jules Pillevestre was prominent as a conductor and composer during the last decades of the nineteenth century in Paris. He was frequently on the podium at the Théâtre du Vaudeville and he composed prolifically for wind instruments, military band, and orchestra. Pazdírek's Universal-Handbuch der Musikliteratur... credits him with 105 published works, while the French National Library retains 189 separate items by him in its catalogue. Many of these pieces were published in versions for several different solo instruments. In addition to the "Premier Offertoire," four of the "Fueilles d'Album - Morceaux faciles et concertants," intended primarily for alto saxophone, although published in versions for other wind and stringed instruments, were designated as being appropriate for the bass clarinet. They are: "Contemplation," "Lacrimosa," "Luther," and "Trappiste." All of them are the slow cantabile melodies which their devotional titles would suggest and are in keeping with concept of the otherworldly, devotional character of the bass clarinet which prevailed at the time. The four works are listed by the Bibliographie Musicale Française as having been published for soloist and orchestra in 1887. This listing, compiled quarterly by an association of French music publishers, makes, however, no mention of other versions of these works. "Premier Offertoire" bears the dedication "à mon ami Sallingue de l'Opera" and was probably first performed by him.