Maurice André
Encyclopedia
Maurice André is a French trumpeter, active in the classical music field.
, France in the Cévennes
into a mining family. His father was an amateur musician.
He studied trumpet with a friend of his father's, who suggested that he be sent to the conservatory
. In order to gain free admission to the conservatory, he joined a military band
. After only six months at the conservatory, he won his first prize.
At the conservatory, Maurice's professor beat him out of frustration and told him to return when he could excel in his playing. A few weeks later, he returned to play all fourteen etudes
found in the back of the Arban
's book
without a single mistake.
André won the Geneva International Music Competition
in 1955 and the ARD International Music Competition
in Munich
in 1963. He was made an honorary member of the Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
at Ithaca College in New York in 1970.
He rose to international prominence in the 1960s and 1970s with a large series of recordings of Baroque
works on piccolo trumpet
for Erato
and other labels. Not content to limit himself to the standard Baroque trumpet repertoire, he also performed many transcriptions
of works for oboe, flute, and even voice and string instruments. These recordings were (and remain) very popular, and were a strong component of the rebirth of interest in Baroque music in the 1960s. Fellow trumpeters and music lovers the world over have praised André for his clear, bright, ringing tone on the piccolo trumpet.
His flawless and graceful performances have inspired many brass
musicians, young and old. (Wynton Marsalis
, for example, was strongly influenced by André's style and tone in his own recordings of Baroque trumpet pieces.) He has over 300 audio recordings to his name, from the mid 1950s to the present.
He has two children: Nicolas, who plays trumpet; and Béatrice, who plays oboe. Both perform with their father in concert.
One of André's students, Guy Touvron
wrote a biography on him entitled Maurice André: Une trompette pour la renommée (Maurice André: A Trumpet for Fame), which was published in 2003.
Biography
He is a classical virtuoso trumpeter, born in AlèsAlès
Alès is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as Alais.-Geography:...
, France in the Cévennes
Cévennes
The Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche, and Haute-Loire.The word Cévennes comes from the Gaulish Cebenna, which was Latinized by Julius Caesar to Cevenna...
into a mining family. His father was an amateur musician.
He studied trumpet with a friend of his father's, who suggested that he be sent to the conservatory
Music school
The term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music.Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department or conservatory.Music instruction can be provided...
. In order to gain free admission to the conservatory, he joined a military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
. After only six months at the conservatory, he won his first prize.
At the conservatory, Maurice's professor beat him out of frustration and told him to return when he could excel in his playing. A few weeks later, he returned to play all fourteen etudes
Étude
An étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
found in the back of the Arban
Jean-Baptiste Arban
Joseph Jean-Baptiste Laurent Arban was a cornetist, conductor, composer, pedagogue and the first famed virtuoso of the cornet à piston or valved cornet...
's book
Arban method
The Arban Method is a complete pedagogical method for students of trumpet, cornet, and other brass instruments. The original edition was published by Jean-Baptiste Arban in 1864 and it has never been out of print since. It contains hundreds of exercises, ranging enormously in difficulty...
without a single mistake.
André won the Geneva International Music Competition
Geneva International Music Competition
The Geneva International Music Competition is a music competitions held in Geneva, founded in 1939 in the Geneva Conservatory for a wide variety of instruments, voice, conducting, and chamber music.-See also:* List of classical music competitions* World Federation of International Music...
in 1955 and the ARD International Music Competition
ARD International Music Competition
The ARD International Music Competition is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. It is held once a year in Munich.-History:...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1963. He was made an honorary member of the Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
at Ithaca College in New York in 1970.
He rose to international prominence in the 1960s and 1970s with a large series of recordings of Baroque
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...
works on piccolo trumpet
Piccolo trumpet
The smallest of the trumpet family is the piccolo trumpet, pitched one octave higher than the standard B trumpet. Most piccolo trumpets are built to play in either B or A, using a separate leadpipe for each key. The tubing in the B piccolo trumpet is one-half the length of that in a standard B...
for Erato
Erato Records
Erato Records is a record label founded in 1953 to promote French classical music. In 1992 it became part of Warner Bros. Records. In 1999 Erato launched a subsidiary Detour Records....
and other labels. Not content to limit himself to the standard Baroque trumpet repertoire, he also performed many transcriptions
Transcription (music)
In music, transcription can mean notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated, as, for example, an improvised jazz solo. Further examples include ethnomusicological notation of oral traditions of folk music, such as Béla Bartók's and Ralph Vaughan Williams' collections of the national...
of works for oboe, flute, and even voice and string instruments. These recordings were (and remain) very popular, and were a strong component of the rebirth of interest in Baroque music in the 1960s. Fellow trumpeters and music lovers the world over have praised André for his clear, bright, ringing tone on the piccolo trumpet.
His flawless and graceful performances have inspired many brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
musicians, young and old. (Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, for example, was strongly influenced by André's style and tone in his own recordings of Baroque trumpet pieces.) He has over 300 audio recordings to his name, from the mid 1950s to the present.
He has two children: Nicolas, who plays trumpet; and Béatrice, who plays oboe. Both perform with their father in concert.
One of André's students, Guy Touvron
Guy Touvron
Guy Touvron is a French classical trumpet player and music teacher. He is an accomplished soloist, having played with some of Europe's leading orchestras, and has premiered several prominent trumpet concertos...
wrote a biography on him entitled Maurice André: Une trompette pour la renommée (Maurice André: A Trumpet for Fame), which was published in 2003.
External links
- Maurice André website, part of the French Ministry of Culture's portal (French/English)
- Webpage with rich information about Maurice André
- A French documentary about Maurice André by Alain Duault. 2009