Samson François
Encyclopedia
Samson Pascal François was a French pianist and composer.
, who encouraged him to give his first concert at the age of six. Moving from country to country with his itinerant family, he studied in Belgrade
with professor Ćirilo Ličar (Cyril Licar), obtaining a first prize in performance. Professor Ličar also introduced him to the works of Béla Bartók
.
Having studied in the Conservatoire in Nice
from 1932 to 1935, where he again won first prize, François came to the attention of Alfred Cortot
, who encouraged him to move to Paris and study with Yvonne Lefébure
at the École Normale de Musique
. He also studied piano with Cortot (who reportedly found him almost impossible to teach), and harmony with Nadia Boulanger
. In 1938, he moved to the Paris Conservatoire to study with Marguerite Long
, the doyenne of French teachers of the age. He won the piano section of the inaugural (1943) Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition
.
He was particularly admired for his performances of Chopin
, Schumann
, Debussy
, and Ravel
. Many of these interpretations are now available on compact disc
. François was a keen jazz
fanparticularly of the brilliant pianist Bud Powell
, who lived and performed in Parisand claimed that jazz influenced his playing. He composed, among other works, a concerto
for piano and incidental music for film.
He married Josette Bahvsar, and their son Maximilien was born in 1955. Maximilien published a biography of his father in 2002 (see bibliography below).
Samson François's extravagant lifestyle, good looks, and passionate but highly disciplined playing, gave him a cult status as a pianist, although his passion for nightlife and his reckless behavior (lavish drinking and drug use) resulted in a heart attack on the concert platform in 1968. His early death followed only two years later.
François himself said "never play simply to play well" and, in a remark clearly inspired by his jazz influences, "It must be that there is never the impression of being obliged to play the next note."
Biography
François was born in Frankfurt where his father worked at the French consulate. His mother, Rose, named him Samson, for strength, and Pascal, for spirit. François discovered the piano early – at the age of two – and his first studies were in Italy, with Pietro MascagniPietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
, who encouraged him to give his first concert at the age of six. Moving from country to country with his itinerant family, he studied in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
with professor Ćirilo Ličar (Cyril Licar), obtaining a first prize in performance. Professor Ličar also introduced him to the works of Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
.
Having studied in the Conservatoire in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
from 1932 to 1935, where he again won first prize, François came to the attention of Alfred Cortot
Alfred Cortot
Alfred Denis Cortot was a Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor. He is one of the most renowned 20th-century classical musicians, especially valued for his poetic insight in Romantic period piano works, particularly those of Chopin and Schumann.-Early life and education:Born in Nyon, Vaud, in the...
, who encouraged him to move to Paris and study with Yvonne Lefébure
Yvonne Lefébure
Yvonne Lefébure was a French pianist.Born in Ermont, she studied with Alfred Cortot at the Paris Conservatoire, taking a premier prix in piano and numerous other subjects. She soon appeared with the Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux and the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne and in recital. She...
at the École Normale de Musique
École Normale de Musique de Paris
The École Normale de Musique de Paris is a leading conservatoire located in Paris, France. The school was founded by Auguste Mangeot and pianist Alfred Cortot in 1919...
. He also studied piano with Cortot (who reportedly found him almost impossible to teach), and harmony with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
. In 1938, he moved to the Paris Conservatoire to study with Marguerite Long
Marguerite Long
Marguerite Long was a French pianist and teacher.Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long was born in Nîmes. She studied with Henri Fissot at the Paris Conservatoire, taking a premier prix in 1891, and privately with Antoine François Marmontel...
, the doyenne of French teachers of the age. He won the piano section of the inaugural (1943) Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition
Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition
The Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists and violinists that has operated in France since 1943. It was created by the pianist Marguerite Long and the violinist Jacques Thibaud...
.
He was particularly admired for his performances of Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
, and Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
. Many of these interpretations are now available on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. François was a keen jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
fanparticularly of the brilliant pianist Bud Powell
Bud Powell
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
, who lived and performed in Parisand claimed that jazz influenced his playing. He composed, among other works, a concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
for piano and incidental music for film.
He married Josette Bahvsar, and their son Maximilien was born in 1955. Maximilien published a biography of his father in 2002 (see bibliography below).
Samson François's extravagant lifestyle, good looks, and passionate but highly disciplined playing, gave him a cult status as a pianist, although his passion for nightlife and his reckless behavior (lavish drinking and drug use) resulted in a heart attack on the concert platform in 1968. His early death followed only two years later.
François himself said "never play simply to play well" and, in a remark clearly inspired by his jazz influences, "It must be that there is never the impression of being obliged to play the next note."
External links
- Biography, in French from which the quotes in this article were translated.