Yves Gérard
Encyclopedia
Yves Gérard is a French
musicologist
.
at the Nancy-Université
from 1949 to 1955. Following his graduation, he studied piano
for three years at the Nancy Conservatory. From 1955 to 1956 he studied at the Sorbonne
under composer, musicologist and theoretician Jacques Chailley. At the Conservatoire de Paris
he studied music history, musicology and aesthetics winning first prize in each of these subjects. He succeeded his teacher, Norbert Dufourcq, as professor of music history
and musicology at the Conservatoire in 1975, and retained this post until he retired in 1997. From 1980 to 1983, Gérard served as president of the Société française de musicologie, and he was the French representative to the International Musicological Society from 1982 until 1992.
Gérard is known especially for his scholarly works on the composers Luigi Boccherini
and Camille Saint-Saëns
. He has also made significant contributions to the study of the chamber music
of late-18th century Italy
, Spain
, and Austria
, and to French music
of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
writes that his major work has been on the writings of Hector Berlioz
. In 1983 he co-edited volume 4 of Berlioz's Correspondance générale, and in 1996 he co-edited Volume 1 of the composer's Critique musicale.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
musicologist
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...
.
Life and career
Born on January 6, 1932, Yves Gérard studied philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Nancy-Université
Nancy-Université
Nancy-Université federates the three principal institutes of higher education of Nancy, in Lorraine, France:* Henri Poincaré University : natural sciences, wrapping several faculties and engineering schools...
from 1949 to 1955. Following his graduation, he studied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
for three years at the Nancy Conservatory. From 1955 to 1956 he studied at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
under composer, musicologist and theoretician Jacques Chailley. At the Conservatoire de 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...
he studied music history, musicology and aesthetics winning first prize in each of these subjects. He succeeded his teacher, Norbert Dufourcq, as professor of music history
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
and musicology at the Conservatoire in 1975, and retained this post until he retired in 1997. From 1980 to 1983, Gérard served as president of the Société française de musicologie, and he was the French representative to the International Musicological Society from 1982 until 1992.
Gérard is known especially for his scholarly works on the composers Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini was an Italian classical era composer and cellist whose music retained a courtly and galante style while he matured somewhat apart from the major European musical centers. Boccherini is most widely known for one particular minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No...
and Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
. He has also made significant contributions to the study of the chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
of late-18th century Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and to French music
French classical music
French classical music began with the sacred music of the Roman Catholic Church, with written records predating the reign of Charlemagne. It includes all of the major genres of sacred and secular, instrumental and vocal music...
of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
writes that his major work has been on the writings of Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
. In 1983 he co-edited volume 4 of Berlioz's Correspondance générale, and in 1996 he co-edited Volume 1 of the composer's Critique musicale.
Writings
- "L'Art pour la beauté: Samson et Dalila de Saint-Saëns", La Musique française, de Berlioz à Debussy (Paris, 1991), 25–32
- "La Bibliothèque musicale d'un amateur éclairé de Madrid: la duchesse-comtesse de Benavente, duchesse d'Osuna (1752–1834)", RMFC, iii (1963), 179–8.
- "Luigi Boccherini", Einzeldrucke vor 1800, RISMRépertoire International des Sources MusicalesThe Répertoire International des Sources Musicales is an international non-profit organisation, founded in Paris in 1952, with the aim of comprehensively documenting sources of music surviving all over the world...
, A/I/i (1971), pp. 322–349. - "Luigi Boccherini and Madame Sophie Gail", The Consort, xxiv (1967), 294–309
- "Notes sur la fabrication de la viole de gambe et la manière d'en jouer d'après une correspondance inédite de Jean-Baptiste Forqueray au Prince Frédéric-Guillaume de Prusse", RMFC, ii (1961–2), pp. 165–172.
- "L'œuvre de Saint-Saëns: éclats et ombres de la célébrité", 150 ans de musique française: Lyons 1991, 97–103
- "Le Rossignol: le paradoxe des codes détournés", Stravinsky-Schoenberg (Paris, 1997), pp. 52–58.
- "Saint-Saëns et l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo", L'Opéra de Monte-Carlo au temps du prince Albert Ier de Monaco, ed. J.M. Nectoux (Paris, 1990), pp. 29–36.
- Thematic, Bibliographical and Critical Catalogue of the Works of Luigi Boccherini (London, 1969).
As editor
- C. Saint-Saëns: regards sur mes contemporains (Arles, 1990)
- Le Conservatoire de Paris, 1795–1995: des Menus-Plaisirs à la Cité de la Musique (Paris, 1996), (with A. Bongrain and M.-H. Coudroy-Saghai)
- Hector Berlioz: correspondance générale, iv (Paris, 1983), (with P. Citron and H. Macdonald)
- Hector Berlioz: la critique musicale, 1823–1863 (Paris, 1996–), (with H.R. Cohen)
- "Lettres de Henri Duparc à Ernest Chausson", RdM, xxxviii (1956), pp. 125–146.