Denise Restout
Encyclopedia
Denise Restout - keyboard teacher; expert on German and French Baroque
performance practice for the keyboard; and protégé, assistant, editor, biographer and domestic partner
of noted harpsichord
ist Wanda Landowska
.
Born in Paris
, Restout studied drawing
, geometry
, art history
and painting
at the Bazot Studios, and was admitted to the School of Applied Arts of Paris in 1928. Restout received the first medal of the National Conservatory of Music (Paris) in 1930. Restout worked for a time at the Pleyel Company
factory in France. In 1933 she began study of the harpsichord
with Wanda Landowska
and the organ
with Joseph Bonnet
.
As a performer Restout appeared at Landowska's public master classes in France
and the Netherlands
and in recitals in Paris, Strasbourg
and elsewhere.
Restout and Landowska, who was of Polish
and Jewish origin, escaped Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
, France during the Nazi
advance in 1940 and arrived in the United States
in 1941 at Ellis Island
on the day of the Pearl Harbor
attack.
When Landowska died on August 16, 1959, Restout inherited her estate including her papers and collection of musical instruments. Restout continued to teach at the Landowska Center, their home in Lakeville, Connecticut
until her death. In 1964 she published, with Robert Hawkins of The Hotchkiss School, Landowska on Music a collection of Landowska's writings on music, which included material from Musique ancienne which Restout translated into English from the original French, and many of the master-class notes that Restout had saved during their flight from France.
Restout was a member of the faculties (at large) of the Barlow School in Amenia, NY
, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Hartt School
, University of Southern Mississippi, and Purchase College.
Later in life, Restout was organist at St. Mary's Roman Catholic church in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Restout was awarded the Amicus Poloniae citation by the government of Poland
.
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
performance practice for the keyboard; and protégé, assistant, editor, biographer and domestic partner
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
of noted harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist Wanda Landowska
Wanda Landowska
Wanda Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in the early 20th century...
.
Born in 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...
, Restout studied drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
at the Bazot Studios, and was admitted to the School of Applied Arts of Paris in 1928. Restout received the first medal of the National Conservatory of Music (Paris) in 1930. Restout worked for a time at the Pleyel Company
Ignaz Pleyel
Ignace Joseph Pleyel , ; was an Austrian-born French composer and piano builder of the Classical period.-Early years:...
factory in France. In 1933 she began study of the harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
with Wanda Landowska
Wanda Landowska
Wanda Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in the early 20th century...
and the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
with Joseph Bonnet
Joseph Bonnet
Joseph Bonnet was a French composer and organist.One of the major French pipe organ players, Joseph Bonnet was born in Bordeaux. He first studied with his father, an organist at St. Eulalie. At the age of 14, he became official organist, first at St. Nicholas and almost immediately at St. Michael...
.
As a performer Restout appeared at Landowska's public master classes in 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...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and in recitals in Paris, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and elsewhere.
Restout and Landowska, who was of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Jewish origin, escaped Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
Saint-Leu-la-Forêt is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:In 1806 the commune of Saint-Leu-la-Forêt merged with the neighboring commune of Taverny, resulting in the creation of the commune of Saint-Leu-Taverny.In 1821 the commune...
, France during the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
advance in 1940 and arrived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1941 at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
on the day of the Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
attack.
When Landowska died on August 16, 1959, Restout inherited her estate including her papers and collection of musical instruments. Restout continued to teach at the Landowska Center, their home in Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville is a village and census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on Lake Wononskopomuc. The village includes Lakeville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district represents about of the village center...
until her death. In 1964 she published, with Robert Hawkins of The Hotchkiss School, Landowska on Music a collection of Landowska's writings on music, which included material from Musique ancienne which Restout translated into English from the original French, and many of the master-class notes that Restout had saved during their flight from France.
Restout was a member of the faculties (at large) of the Barlow School in Amenia, NY
Amenia (town), New York
Amenia is a town in Dutchess County, United States. New York, United States. The population was 4,048 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the Latin word, amoena, which means "pleasant to the eye."...
, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the Hartt School
Hartt School
The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre...
, University of Southern Mississippi, and Purchase College.
Later in life, Restout was organist at St. Mary's Roman Catholic church in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Restout was awarded the Amicus Poloniae citation by the government of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Further reading
- Landowska, Wanda. Landowska on music. Collected, edited, and translated by Denise Restout, assisted by Robert Hawkins. New York, Stein and Day [1964] : Includes a new translation into English of Musique ancienne, see below.
- Recording: Wanda Landowska plays Bach; Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
(1685–1750) Wanda Landowska, harpsichord, with Denise Restout, harpsichord continuo, conducted by Eugène BigotEugène BigotEugène Bigot was a French composer and conductor. He also taught at the Conservatoire de Paris where his notable pupils included Émilien Allard, Louis de Froment, Henri-Claude Fantapié, António Fortunato de Figueiredo, Karel Husa, Paul Kuentz, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Pierre Rolland, and Mikis...
Recorded 1936, 1938 1947 (Pearl #169, July 23, 2002) - "Landowska: Uncommon Visionary" / directed by Barbara Attie and Diane Pontius ; producers, Barbara Attie, Diane Pontius, Janet Goldwater.: 1997 : (VHS) : sd., col. & b&w
- Landowska, Wanda. Musique ancienne; le mépris pour les anciens—la force de la sonorité—le style—l’interprétation—les virtuoses—les Mécènes et la Musique. Avec la collaboration de M. Henri Lew-Landowski. [Paris, M. Senart, 1921.]
- CHAMBONNIERES, JACQUES CHAMPION DE (1601/2–1672) Oeuvres complètes. Ed. by P. Brunold & A. Tessier. Reprint of the Paris, 1925, edition. English translation & new preface by D. Restout. Cloth.