Pressing On and following on from yesterday...and Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly
Conservatoire de Paris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Conservatoire de Paris (
pronounced: [kɔ̃.sɛʁ.va.twaʁ də pa.ʁi]; English:
Paris Conservatory) is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue
Jean Jaurès in the
19th arrondissement of Paris, France. The Conservatoire offers instruction in music, dance, and drama, drawing on the traditions of the "French School."
In 1946 it was split in two, one part for acting, theatre and drama, known as the
Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (
CNSAD), and the other for music and dance, known as the
Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP). Today the conservatories operate under the auspices of the
Ministry of Culture and Communication.
History
École Royale de Chant
On 3 December 1783
Papillon de la Ferté,
Intendant of the
Menus-Plaisirs du Roi, proposed that
Niccolò Piccinni
should be appointed director of a future École Royale de Chant
(literally, Royal School of Singing). The school was instituted by a
decree of 3 January 1784 and opened on 1 April with the composer
François-Joseph Gossec
as the provisional director. Piccinni refused the directorship, but did
join the faculty as a professor of singing. The new school was located
in buildings adjacent to the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs at the junction of
the rue Bergère and the rue du Faubourg Poissonnière.
[1][2] In June a class in dramatic declamation was added, and the name was modified to École Royale de Chant et de Déclamation.
[3]
Institut National de Musique
Site plan (1836) of the
Menus-Plaisirs, the Concert Hall, and the Conservatoire
In 1792
Bernard Sarrette
created the École Gratuite de la Garde Nationale, which in the
following year became the Institut National de Musique. The latter was
also installed in the facilities of the former Menus-Plaisirs on the rue
Bergère
[1] and was responsible for the training of musicians for
National Guard bands, which were in great demand for the enormous, popular outdoor gatherings put on by the
revolutionary government after the
Reign of Terror.
[2]
Founding of the Conservatoire
On 3 August 1795, the government combined the Ecole Royale with the
Institut National de Musique, creating the Conservatoire de Musique
under the direction of Sarrette. The combined organization remained in
the facilities on the rue Bergère. The first 351 pupils commenced their
studies in October 1796.
[2][4]
By 1800 the staff of the Conservatory included some of the most
important names in music in Paris, including, besides Gossec, the
composers
Luigi Cherubini,
Jean-François Le Sueur,
Étienne Méhul, and
Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, as well as the violinists
Pierre Baillot,
Rodolphe Kreutzer, and
Pierre Rode.
[2]
Salle des Concerts du Conservatoire
A concert hall, designed by the architect François-Jacques Delannoy,
[5] was inaugurated on 7 July 1811.
[6]
The hall, which still exists today, was in the shape of a U (with the
orchestra at the straight end). It held an audience of 1055.
[7] The acoustics were generally regarded as superb. The French composer and conductor
Antoine Elwart(fr) described it as the
Stradivarius of concert halls.
[8]
In 1828
François Habeneck, a professor of violin and head of the Conservatory's orchestra, founded the
Société des Concerts du Conservatoire (forerunner of the
Orchestre de Paris). The Society held concerts in the hall almost continuously until 1945, when it moved to the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
[9] The French composer
Hector Berlioz premiered his
Symphonie fantastique in the conservatory's hall on 5 December 1830 with an orchestra of more than a hundred players.
[6]
Library
The original library was created by Sarrette in 1801.
[10] After the construction of the concert hall, the library moved to a large room above the entrance vestibule.
[11]
In the 1830s Berlioz became a part-time curator in the Conservatory
Library and was the librarian from 1852 until his death in 1869, but
never held a teaching position. He was succeeded as librarian by
Félicien David.
[2]
Bourbon Restoration
Sarrette was dismissed on 28 December 1814, after the
restoration of the monarchy, but was reinstated on 26 May 1815, after Napoleon's return to power (during the "
Hundred Days"). However, after Napoleon's fall, Sarrette was finally compelled to retire on 17 November.
[10] The government of the monarchy kept the school closed for a period, but reopened it as the École Royale de Musique with
François-Louis Perne as the director in April 1816.
[2] In 1819
François Benoist was appointed professor of organ.
[7]
Probably the most well known director in the 19th century was Luigi
Cherubini, who took over on 1 April 1822 and remained in control until 8
February 1842. Cherubini maintained high standards and his staff
included teachers such as
François-Joseph Fétis, Habeneck,
Fromental Halévy, Le Sueur,
Ferdinando Paer, and
Anton Reicha.
[2]
Cherubini was succeeded by
Daniel-François-Esprit Auber in 1842. Under Auber composition teachers included
Adolphe Adam, Halévy, and
Ambroise Thomas; piano teachers,
Louise Farrenc,
Henri Herz, and
Antoine François Marmontel; violin teachers,
Jean-Delphin Alard and
Charles Dancla; and cello teachers,
Pierre Chevillard and
Auguste Franchomme.
[2]
In 1852,
Camille Urso, who studied with
Lambert Massart, became the first female student to win a prize on violin.
[12]
Instrument museum
The Conservatory Instrument Museum, founded in 1861, was formed from the instrument collection of
Louis Clapisson(fr).
[2][13] The French music historian
Gustave Chouquet became the curator of the museum in 1871 and did much to expand and upgrade the collection.
[13]
Franco-Prussian War and the Third Republic
In the
Franco-Prussian War, during the
siege of Paris
(September 1870 – January 1871), the Conservatory was used as a
hospital. On 13 May 1871, the day after Auber's death, the leaders of
the
Paris Commune appointed one Salvador Daniel as the director, however Daniel was shot and killed ten days later by the troops of
Adolphe Thiers.
He was replaced by Ambroise Thomas, who remained in the post until
1896. Thomas's rather conservative directorship was vigorously
criticized by many of the students, notably
Claude Debussy.
[2]
During this period
César Franck
was ostensibly the organ teacher, but was actually giving classes in
composition. His classes were attended by several students who were
later to become important composers, including
Ernest Chausson,
Guy Ropartz,
Guillaume Lekeu,
Charles Bordes, and
Vincent d'Indy.
[2]
Théodore Dubois succeeded Thomas after the latter's death in 1896. Professors included
Charles-Marie Widor,
Gabriel Fauré, and
Charles Ferdinand Lenepveu for composition,
Alexandre Guilmant for organ,
Paul Taffanel for flute, and
Louis Diémer for piano.
[2]
Gabriel Fauré
Fauré in his office at the Conservatoire, 1918
Lenepveu had been expected to succeed Dubois as director, but after the "
Affaire Ravel" in 1905,
Ravel's teacher Gabriel Fauré became director instead.
Le Courier Musical
(15 June 1905) wrote: "Gabriel Fauré is an independent thinker: that is
to say, there is much we can expect from him, and it is with joy that
we welcome his nomination."
[14]
Fauré appointed forward-thinking representatives (such as Debussy,
Paul Dukas, and
André Messager) to the governing council, loosened restrictions on repertoire, and added
conducting and
music history to the courses of study. Widor's composition students during this period included
Darius Milhaud,
Arthur Honegger, and
Germaine Tailleferre. Other students included
Lili Boulanger and
Nadia Boulanger. New to the staff were
Alfred Cortot for piano and
Eugène Gigout for organ.
[2]
The modern era
The Conservatory moved to facilities at 14 rue de Madrid in 1911.
[2]
Henri Rabaud succeeded Fauré in 1920 and served until 1941. Notable students were
Olivier Messiaen,
Jean Langlais, and
Jehan Alain. Staff included Dukas and
Jean Roger-Ducasse for composition,
Marcel Dupré for organ,
Marcel Moyse for flute, and
Claire Croiza for singing.
[2]
Claude Delvincourt
was director from 1941 until his tragic death in an auto accident in
1954. Delvincourt was a progressive administrator, adding classes in
harpsichord,
saxophone,
percussion, and the
Ondes Martenot. Staff included Milhaud for composition and Messiaen for analysis and aesthetics. In 1946, the
dramatic arts
were transferred to a separate institution (CNSAD). Delvincourt was
succeeded by Dupré in 1954, Raymond Loucheur in 1956, Raymond
Gallois-Montbrunn in 1962, Marc Bleuse in 1984, and Alain Louvier in
1986. Plans to move the Conservatory of Music and Dance to more modern
facilities in
La Villette were initiated under Bleuse and completed under Louvier. It opened as part of the
Cité de la Musique in September 1990.
[2]
Currently the conservatories train more than 1,200 students in structured programs, with 350 professors in nine departments.
CNSAD
The Conservatoire National Supérieur d'art Dramatique (National
Superior Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts) is the conservatory for
acting, drama, and theatre, known by its acronym
CNSAD.
It is located in the original historic building of the Conservatoire de
Paris on the rue du Conservatoire at rue Sainte-Cécile in the
9th arrondissement of Paris. Free public performances by students at the
CNSAD are given frequently in the Conservatoire's theatre.
CNSMDP
The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris
(National Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance) is a
separate conservatory for music and dance. The French government built
the impressive new campus with strikingly modern architecture in the
19th arrondissement of Paris. Design by
Christian de Portzamparc.
The
organ on site was built in 1991 by a firm from
Austria.
Faculty
- Students
A listing of former students can be found at
List of former students of the Conservatoire de Paris
- Former teachers
A listing of former teachers can be found at
List of former teachers at the Conservatoire de Paris
of classical music or other arts, typically in the continental European tradition: she studies piano and violin at the Paris Conservatoire
Fibula is in the arm, doh,,,it is in the leg...
Are not theses Swallows Great?
jkj
