L'Académie Charles Cros
Encyclopedia
The Académie Charles-Cros, (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization in France
that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy
makers and professionals in music and the recording industry.
The academy is composed of fifty members specializing in music criticism
, sound recording, and culture. It was founded in 1947 by Roger Vincent with Armand Panigel, José Bruyr, Antoine Golea, Franck Ténot, and Pierre Brive – critics and recording specialists - and led by musicologist Marc Pincherle
. It was named in honor of Charles Cros
(1842–1888), inventor and poet (friend of Arthur Rimbaud
and Verlaine
) who was one of the pioneers of sound recording.
The academy continues to stay abreast of advances in technology, from the development of 78 RPM gramophone record
s to CDs, DVD
s, playable torrents and all other readable, transportable music formats available today.
, to recognize outstanding achievements in recorded music and musical scholarship. Prizes are awarded in the field of popular song, classical music, jazz, and other categories of recorded music, as well as for outstanding books of musicology
. Categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in one category in the same year.
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...
that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy
Cultural policy
Cultural Policy is the area of public policy-making that governs activities related to the arts and culture. Generally, this involves fostering processes, legal classifications and institutions which promote cultural diversity and accessibility, as well as enhancing and promulgating the artistic,...
makers and professionals in music and the recording industry.
The academy is composed of fifty members specializing in music criticism
Music criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
, sound recording, and culture. It was founded in 1947 by Roger Vincent with Armand Panigel, José Bruyr, Antoine Golea, Franck Ténot, and Pierre Brive – critics and recording specialists - and led by musicologist Marc Pincherle
Marc Pincherle
Marc Pincherle was born in Constantine on June 13, 1888 and died in Paris on June 20, 1974. A French musicologist, music critic and violinist, he was the pupil of Louis Laloy, André Pirro and Romain Rolland, among others....
. It was named in honor of Charles Cros
Charles Cros
Charles Cros was a French poet and inventor. He was born in Fabrezan, Aude, France, 35 km to the East of Carcassonne....
(1842–1888), inventor and poet (friend of Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet. Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he produced his best known works while still in his late teens—Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"—and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent...
and Verlaine
Verlaine
Verlaine is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. On January 1, 2006 Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km² which gives a population density of 145 inhabitants per km². The municipality contains the villages...
) who was one of the pioneers of sound recording.
The academy continues to stay abreast of advances in technology, from the development of 78 RPM gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s to CDs, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, playable torrents and all other readable, transportable music formats available today.
Awards
Each year since 1948, the Academy has given out its grand prize, the Grand Prix du DisqueGrand Prix du Disque
The Grand Prix du Disque is the premier French award for musical recordings. The award was inaugurated by l'Académie Charles Cros in 1948 and offers prizes in various categories. The categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in any one category in the same year...
, to recognize outstanding achievements in recorded music and musical scholarship. Prizes are awarded in the field of popular song, classical music, jazz, and other categories of recorded music, as well as for outstanding books of musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
. Categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in one category in the same year.