Introduction
The Conservatory...
The Professors...
The Laureates...
Table 1
--Conservatory Names
Table 2 --Major
Oboe Professors at Paris
Table 3 --First Prize Winners
at Paris (A-Duf
| Dun-Mari
| Marj-Sur
| Tab-Z)
Table 4 --Second Prize Winners at Paris (A-Lom
| Lou-Z)
Table 5 Other Award Winners at Paris
(A-Lep | Ler-Z)
Approximately fifty years ago I became an oboe student of Alfred Barthel. Mr. Barthel was a product of the national conservatory in Paris, France. My natural inquisitiveness regarding the conservatory, its oboe professors, and its students has been bothering me ever since.
Recently I managed to learn more about Mr. Barthel,[1] but still knew practically nothing about the conservatory, its directors, professors, and oboe students. In my search for more data regarding the conservatory, the help of several individuals and institutions was elicited. Their gracious cooperation made it possible to complete this study. I am deeply grateful to one and all, for their work made this study possible.
While in Paris, Dr. Ronald Klimko researched sources in the conservatory library and provided me with data regarding where to look for the name of oboe Laureats (1900-1984). After several trials, the Fort Worth Public Library Interlibrary Loan department produced a copy of Constant Pierre's book[2] which was used extensively covering from 1795 through 1900. Elisabeth Dunan's inventory[3] of conservatory documents in the Archives Nationales along with more recent studies by the present Conservateur Mine. Sylvie Nicolas helped unravel several tangled situations.[4] Laila Storch's recent article[5] about the great Georges Gillet with its appended listing of Gillet-trained laureates provided groundwork of extreme value. Finally, the conservatory Documentiste Mme. Michel Maurin generously provided Xerox copies of the annual listings of laureates (1900-1984) (Palmares) and surely helped resolve several problems of dates, names, and relationships.[6] In fact, she is still searching for the date of death of Sallantin!
The present report is the outcome of a threefold study of: (1) the conservatory, (2) its major oboe professors, and (3) its laureates - spanning from 1795 through 1984.
The
Conservatory...
The conservatory at Paris
is a direct product of the French Revolution! Prior to 14 July
1789 (Bastille Day), King Louis XVI had seen fit to guarantee
the high quality of singers and actors in France by establishing
schools (1784 & 1786 respectively) where aspiring students
could learn their craft. After 1789, interest in instrumental
music must have been high, for the powers that were in control
of Paris established the Institut national de musique (8 November
1793) which in turn decreed the forming of a conservatory
of music (3 August 1795) to consist of a library,
a concert hall, a division for declamation, dormitories,
and branches to be located in principal cities of various departments.
After much debate regarding the name, the concept of conservatory
(conservatoire) was included in the order.
The Institut appointed Bernard Sarrette (1756-1858) as the individual who was to implement the wishes (actually the law) of the Institute. Sarrette was not new to the field of music, having been involved previously with military music. As a military officer, he had been put in charge of 45 musicians without affiliation in 1790, which led to the establishment of l'Ecole de musique de la garde nationale in 1792 with Sarrette as captain and commandant. The new institution (1795) was to have 115 artists when it became totally operative! Initially, the administration of the new school was vested in five inspectors and four professors. There must have been problems with this arrangement, for Sarrette was named the first single Director in 1800 (March). The initial professional staff only consisted of 48 master musicians from l'Ecole de musique de la garde nationale and the Institute nationale de la musique plus 13 additional musicians. (Sallantin was one of the additional 13.)
Due to different types of government in France during the nearly two centuries of the existence of the conservatory, various names have been adopted as shown in Table 1.
The initial name of Conservatoire de musique was valid until 1806, despite the fact that a Paris was probably added to allow for the possibility of other conservatories being opened. When the area of declamation was added in 1806, the new title became Conservatoire de musique et de declamation which was to remain valid until 1815 when the institution was closed (17 November 1815) by the Bourbon Restoration King Louis XVIII. At various times between 1806 and 1815, the conservatory was called Conservatoire imperial de musique et de declamation thereby relating it to the First Empire (Napoleon 1). Sarrette's directorship was terminated at the closing of the conservatory (1815).
A few months later a new institution
was opened (1 April 1816) under the leadership of Francois Louis
Perne (1772- 1832) (He was titled Inspecteur general.)
bearing the name of Ecole royale de musique et de declamation.
This new school utilized the same buildings and staff as the closed
school, hence could easily be classified as a true successor.
Perne was replaced in 1822 by Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore
Cherubini (1760-1842). Though Italian by birth, Cherubini (whose
career was almost entirely French and also, the only foreign-born
person to be a Director), kept his post until 1841.
Another change in the national government caused the original
name of the conservatory to be used from 1831 until 1836, after
which the long-term name of Conservatoire national de musique
et de declamation was adopted. The national aspect as part of
the name seems to be quite variable during the period from 1836
to at least 1938. The present name of the institution is Conservatoire
national supirieur de musique de Paris.
The Directors since Cherubini have been: Daniel Francois Esprit Aubert (1782-1871) - 1842-1871; Charles Louis Antonie Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) - 1871-1896; Clement Francois Theodore Dubois (1837-1924) - 1896-1905; Gabriel Urbain Faure (1845-1924) - 1905-1920; Henri Rabaud (1873-1949) - 1920-1941; Claude Delvincourt (1888-1954) - 1941-1954; Marcel Dupre (1896-1971) - 1954-1956; Raymond Loucher (1899-1979) - 1956-1962; and, the incumbent Raymond Gallois-Montbrun (b. 1918) - since 1962.
The
Professors...
The oboe professors at the
conservatory have served in various capacities within their expertise,
whether it be the main thrust of producing artist performers,
or in collateral duties of (1) serving on juries at examens or
concours, (2) teaching military students, (3) dealing with preparatory
classes, or (4) being involved with a second class (probably started
to ensure more graduates).
During the infancy of the conservatory, two classes of oboe instruction were evidently conducted. The second class was at first conducted by Pierre Francois Joseph Delcambre (1760-?) from 1795 to 1800, followed by Jacques Schneitzhoeffer (1754-1829) who served from 1800 until the class was abolished in 1802. Both oboists were placed in retirement (reforme) when they left the conservatory. Earlier they had been in the orchestra of l'Opera as well as in the Garde nationale. Upon being transferred to the conservatory, Delcambre was assigned to the second oboe class while Schneitzhoeffer was assigned to the second flute class before replacing Delcambre when the oboist left the conservatory. Delcambre continued with I'Opera until 1816, and Schneitzhoeffer left in 1820.
A preparatory class existed from 1839 to 1844 during which time Louis Auguste Veny (also known as Vinit) (1801-?) who had won his Premier Prix from the conservatory in 1819 served as the professor.
The main line of Classe de Hautbois has had eleven oboists as major professors from 1793 until 1984! There may have been assistants (adjoints) other than Veny (Vinit) and Vogt, but that is a side issue to the main thrust of this study. The major professors of oboe at the conservatory are listed in Table II.
Table II gives the oboist's surname, followed by known given names. Vital statistics (as known) covering the year of birth and death follow. Then, with the exception of Sallantin, the year the professor received his Premier Prix from the conservatory is shown. (It would seem that the possession of the Premier Prix is one of the prerequisites for consideration for the professorship. This is quite logical, if one desires to perpetuate a tradition.) The last column gives the years of tenure for each professor.
Sallantin, as the first major oboe professor at the conservatory, has become a shadow when facts of his life are the subject of research. Citations and/or entries have appeared in at least 10 sources. Many repeat earlier errors and at the same time add to the basic facts. As best as can be determined, one is dealing with Francois Alexandre Antoine Sallantin (Sallentin), born in Paris 13 February 1755. He is thought to have died there sometime after 1 January 1816.
Various members of the Sallantin family were attached to the musical programs of the king's court early in the 18th century. Before 1770, the brothers Nicolas (oboist), Antoine (flutist), and Alexandre (contrabassist) were members of the orchestra of l'0pera. Nicolas taught his son oboe until the young man surpassed his teacher (which didn't take long). Our Sallantin joined the orchestra of l'Opera in either 1770 or 1773, where he remained until the end of 1812 when he retired. (He still kept his appointment to the conservatory until the start of 1816.)
During the 1770s, Paris was not only a musical center, but was a stop for emigrating musicians. Approximately one year after joining the orchestra of l'Opera, Sallantin heard a series of Parisian performances by Johann Christian Fischer (1733-1800), a foreign-born and trained emigrating oboist who was on his way to London from Turin (Italy).
Fischer was born in Freiburg (West Germany's Black Forest region) where he played in the local court orchestra before migrating to Dresden. He probably had contact with a nephew of Besozzi while in Dresden, for the German soon traveled to Turin to study with - and later to become a rival of - Allessandro Besozzi (1702-1793) who had played at Parma before completing his career at Turin.
Sallantin, who must have been known professionally as Francois, took a leave of absence from l'Opera in 1790 to go to London and study with Fischer. Soon after returning to Paris in 1792, he became one of the 13 "added musicians" of the Garde nationale who were also attached to the Institut (1793). Later he was transferred to the conservatory (1795) where he remained until completing his retirement on 1 January 1816. He must have been known to his family as Antoine, because a nephew, Jules Sallantin donated his uncle Antoine's oboe - a modernized (19th century) 12-keyed Delusse - to the Music Instrumental at the conservatory (1866). (Sallantin seems to have possessed a second requirement for a professorship at the conservatory - French birth.)
The
Laureates...
Applicants for admission
to the conservatory are auditioned by a committee. It makes no
difference whether an applicant has prior conservatory (city-sponsored,
or branches of Paris) training or not. Everyone must be auditioned,
with a majority of the jury agreeing to permit entrance. It would
seem that there are two facets to this process, because successful
candidates are first admitted to the institution, and then assigned
to the class of a specific professor. Because the conservatory
receives its support from the national government, strict rules
regarding attendance, performance goals, and place of birth are
enforced. Also, no tuition is charged!
Periodic testing of students in class takes place, leading to two formal jury examinations (examens) during the school year. The spring examination selected students to appear at the annual competition (concours). Some students seem to be exempt from the spring examination if they are to appear in the competition. Students who are judged as being of high caliber receive honors, and have their names published in a permanent record (Palmare). These fortunate ones are thereafter known as Laureates (Laureats).
Two levels of attainment at the competition seem to have remained high throughout the life of the conservatory. The Premier Prix and the Deuxieme Prix have not changed. What has changed has been the lower level(s) of laureates.
From 1795 until 1973, the concept of accessit was given to the "also ran" students who were to be called laureates. Of course, there was a group of competitors at the concours who didn't make the list - names which cannot be found without a long time-consuming search. At first, a singular accessit was awarded (1795-1850). From 1851 through 1872, three levels of accessit existed. From 1783 through 1973, two levels were used. A great change occurred in 1973 when a four-tiered system was used. Every recipient mentioned in this new classification also had satisfied the "two year rule." (For many years, I have understood that students had to "win" at the end of any two-year period, or be dropped from the rolls of the conservatory.)
The four levels established in 1973, from high to low are: (1) Mention Tres Bien (MTB), (2) Mention Bien (MB), (3) Mention Assez Bien (MAB), and (4) Mention Passable (MP).
The concours were held annually in the month of July until 1913 when they were moved to May/June. The first concours which was held in 1797 (L'an cinq de la Republique) included an oboe laureate by the name of Laurent who received a Premier Prix plus an oboe. (How long an oboe was part of the prize is not known to me.) Several gaps in the consolidated list of laureates provided by Pierre[7] covering the early years may be correlated with political upheavals in France. The gap from 1815 through 1817 covers the closing of the school, and its reopening was probably due to the return of the Bourbons (Bourbon Restoration). The lack of a competition in 1871 resulted from the War of 1870 (Franco-Prussian). From 1872 through 1984, the competitions were held annually without interruption, even though twice the dates were deferred to September/October. (1 October 1940 was probably due to World War II. I can find no reason for 18 September 1968.)
Table III provides an alphabetical listing of students who have received a Premier Prix, along with lesser awards. Table IV repeats the concept, this time dealing with students who have received a Deuxieme or Second Prix as their highest award. Table V provides a listing of students who have become laureates, but did not win a prize.
A study of these tables provides answers to several questions, and poses many others. With 487 different names appearing, 314 won the Premier Prix, while 81 received the Second Prix as their highest award. The remaining 92, though considered laureates, won no prizes. Fourteen percent (44) of the Premier Prix winners were singular inasmuch as they "did it all" at a single competition. Thirty-three percent (27) were singular at the Second Prix level.
Several anomalies surfaced while organizing the data presented here. For example: Larrieux was identified as being blind; Baussart had already won a Premier Prix on bassoon (1863)[8] before trying the oboe; Gauthier and Perrier-David shared the span of 7 years between first and last appearance in the Palmares (probably due to World War I and World War II respectively); only four were ladies; Hezard and Percilier won the same award twice. At least, no laureate earned a second award at a lesser level.
The four ladies were all unmarried at the time of their winning at Paris. One (Rey, Odette) was of French birth, while the others were British subjects. Craxton and King were from England, and Fox was from Australia.
The youngest oboist to receive the Premier Prix was Andraud (age 13 years and 3 months - also singular). Pradel was the oldest, being 29 years and 8 months at the time of the concours.
It would seem that once a prize is awarded, the action is final. There is, however, one unusual case in point - the exception proving the rule? - Debondue. This laureate won a Second Prix on 26 June 1914. Exactly three years later, this prize was recalled (rappele)! (I don't know who initiated the recall, but the act was completed and published.) On 27 June 1919, Debondue won the Premier Prix plus a Prix d'Excellence - thereby becoming the only oboist to receive this highest award and honor.
Normally, laureates would earn only one citation per year. This was probably due to the spring examens and concours being held on the same date. However, from 1949 through 1955, the spring examen became a concours-examen and was held about one month before the regular concours. Different prepared music (solo) and (supposedly) sight-reading materials were used. Consequently students with two awards in a single year must have done considerable extra preparation. The 7 who accomplished this feat are: (1) Carlier (Michel), (2) Craxton, (3) Debray, (4) Jourdin, (5) Lehembre, (6) Maugras, and (7) Rigoutat.
From about 1857 through 1870, the conservatory had an additional responsibility, training military musicians. These students used a separate curriculum (incidentally, a class in saxophone with the inventor as the professor was included). Evidently some of the students were allowed to enroll in the regular oboe class. Of a total of 227 named military laureates, 10 were regular oboe students. The tables identify these students with the symbol (M) -
About 40 laureates were born outside continental France (8%). An attempt at separating foreign-born students from those born in French -protectorate or French-colonial possessions led to utter confusion, so the following is a list of "foreigners:" Algeria 5 (Guechoud, Mari, Nazzi, Riva, Soliveres); Argentina I (Vecchioni); Australia I (Fox); Austria I (Brix); Belgium 4 (Bour, Lenom, Mergny, Schoonbroodt); Canada 3 (Jean [Bernard], Masella, Simard); Denmark I (Andreassen); England 3 (Craxton, King, Lamotte); Germany 2 (Gundstoett, Luttmann); Japan 2 (Fukuda, Harada); Libya 1 (Dunoyer de Segonzac); Luxemburg 2 (Fiorazzo, Mattern); Spain 3 (Corostola-Picabea, Pont, Soler); Switzerland 7 (Bamert, Fischbacher, Fuchs, Holliger, Kull, Schirrer, Shann); Tunisia 1 (Dechico), and the United States 2 (Marangella, Sargeant)
In conclusion, the Conservatoire national supirieur de musique de Paris seems to be preparing young native Frenchmen for a career as an oboist! What more can one say?
As with all studies, if they have any value, further amplification is needed. In this case, when 22 different surnames appear more than once, what relationships are present? (fatherson, brother, ?) Also, what about products of the other conservatories in France?
Table 1
--Conservatory Names
Table 2 --Major
Oboe Professors at Paris
Table 3 --First Prize Winners
at Paris (A-Duf
| Dun-Mari
| Marj-Sur
| Tab-Z)
Table 4 --Second Prize Winners at Paris (A-Lom
| Lou-Z)
Table 5 Other Award Winners at Paris
(A-Lep | Ler-Z)
2. Constant Pierre. Le conservatoire national de musique et de declamation. Documents historiques et administratifs recuillis ou reconstituies. (Paris: Imprimerie national, 1900.) XXVIII +a 1031 pp.
3. Elisabeth Dunan. Inventaire de la serie AJ37. Tome Premier (AJ37 I ~a 375)). (Paris: S.E.V.P.E.N., 1971.) XXXIII +a 197 pp.
4. Sylvie Nicolas.
Information in letter dated 3 July
1985 forwarded by Mme. Michele Maurin.
5. Laila Storch.
"Georges Gillet - Master Performer and Teacher. "a Journal
of the International Double Reed Society. No. 5 (1977),
pp. 1-19.
6. Michele Maurin. Letters and document copies dated 15 November 1984, 3 July 1985, and 1 October 1985.
7. Constant
Pierre. Ibid., pp. 629ff.
8. Maurice
Allard. "The history of the French bassoon at the Conservatoire
Nationale Superieur de la Musique, Paris." Journal of
the International Double Reed Society. No. 13 (1985), p. 77.
