Bernard Sarrette
Encyclopedia
Bernard Sarrette founded what would become the Paris Conservatoire
.
Sarrette was born in Bordeaux
, France
, the son of a shoemaker
, and travelled to Paris
as an accountant. During the French Revolution
, he joined the Garde Nationale
. There he proposed the formation of a corps of musicians, and was put in charge, although he was not a musician.
He gathered together forty-five musicians from the depot of the Gardes Françaises
, and they formed the nucleus for the music of the Garde Nationale, with François Joseph Gossec
as artistic director. In May 1790, the municipality of Paris increased the body to seventy-eight musicians. When the financial embarrassments of the Commune
necessitated the suppression of the paid guard, Sarrette kept the musicians near him and obtained from the municipality, in June 1792, the establishment of a free school of music.
Sarrette was briefly imprisoned from 25 March to 10 May 1794, although the reasons are uncertain. On the 18th of Brumaire
in the year II (November 8, 1794) the school was converted into the Institut National de Musique by decree of the convention, and by the law of the 16th of Thermidor
in the year III (August 3, 1795) it was finally organized under the name of Conservatoire. Sarrette regained the title of director during the reorganization of 1800.
For the last forty years of his life Sarrette lived in retirement. The protection of Napoleon I
was a source of disaster to him in 1815, when the conservatoire was closed; its subsequent history was watched by its founder as a mere spectator from outside. He died in Paris.
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
.
Sarrette was born in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the son of a shoemaker
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
, and travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as an accountant. During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, he joined the Garde Nationale
National Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
. There he proposed the formation of a corps of musicians, and was put in charge, although he was not a musician.
He gathered together forty-five musicians from the depot of the Gardes Françaises
Gardes Françaises
The Gardes Françaises was one of the two non-ceremonial infantry regiments in the "Maison du Roi" of the French Army under the Ancien Régime. The other regiment was the Gardes Suisses, which made the Gardes Françaises the only one recruited from France.-History:The regiment was created in 1563 by...
, and they formed the nucleus for the music of the Garde Nationale, with François Joseph Gossec
François Joseph Gossec
François-Joseph Gossec was a French composer of operas, string quartets, symphonies, and choral works.-Life and work:...
as artistic director. In May 1790, the municipality of Paris increased the body to seventy-eight musicians. When the financial embarrassments of the Commune
Paris Commune (French Revolution)
The Paris Commune during the French Revolution was the government of Paris from 1789 until 1795. Established in the Hôtel de Ville just after the storming of the Bastille, the Commune became insurrectionary in the summer of 1792, essentially refusing to take orders from the central French...
necessitated the suppression of the paid guard, Sarrette kept the musicians near him and obtained from the municipality, in June 1792, the establishment of a free school of music.
Sarrette was briefly imprisoned from 25 March to 10 May 1794, although the reasons are uncertain. On the 18th of Brumaire
Brumaire
Brumaire was the second month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word brume which occurs frequently in France at that time of the year....
in the year II (November 8, 1794) the school was converted into the Institut National de Musique by decree of the convention, and by the law of the 16th of Thermidor
Thermidor
Thermidor was the eleventh month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the French word thermal which comes from the Greek word "thermos" which means heat....
in the year III (August 3, 1795) it was finally organized under the name of Conservatoire. Sarrette regained the title of director during the reorganization of 1800.
For the last forty years of his life Sarrette lived in retirement. The protection of Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
was a source of disaster to him in 1815, when the conservatoire was closed; its subsequent history was watched by its founder as a mere spectator from outside. He died in Paris.