Music in Paris

The first major festival of the Orphéonistes (choral society) movement, numbering approximately 6,000 performers, was held at the Palais de l'Industrie in March 1859.

This article is about the history of music in Paris, the capital of France. Although Paris has a history of classical music, the Orchestre de Paris was only founded in 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. The city is best known for its bal-musette, a style of French music and dance that first became popular in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s, and gypsy jazz, which is played in the clubs and cafes at night in the city.

Classical music

Prior to the ninth century there were no written manuscripts of liturgy related to music. The Gallic music of the churches of Gaul was replaced by the plain songs traced to Rome.^[1]

Left:Notre Dame de Paris: the stalls designed by Robert de Cotte (18th-century) and the choir organ seen from the gallery; right: pipe organ in Notre-Dame, in Paris.

In the late 12th century, a school of polyphony was established at Notre-Dame. A group of Parisian aristocrats, known as trouvères, became known for their poetry and songs.^[2] Choral polyphony is a musical genre which was introduced in the 15th century in the Western church music culture. At Notre-Dame, this culture became intertwined as its construction progressed.^[1] Composition of music and poetry was a culture that prevailed in the cathedral among its canons and dignitaries.^[3]

In the cathedral, polyphony and organ music were reserved for solemn occasions at a time when acoustics were not well developed.^[4] Organizing of the music group in the cathedral was such that the polyphonic vocal choir singing musicians were set behind the tapestries whereas the organ was placed in the nave.^[3] Before the 16th century all music performed in the cathedral was a cappella, except for use of organ while chanting.^[4]

During the reign of Francis I, the lute became popular in the French court, and a national musical printing house was established.^[5] In 1571, the poet Baïf founded the Academy for Music and Poetry. During the Renaissance era, the French royals "disported themselves in masques, ballets, allegorical dances, recitals, opera and comedy", and composers such as Jean-Baptiste Lully became popular.^[5] During the 18th century there was a dispute between the proponents of French and Italian opera, known as the Musical Wars, and a second war developed in which many showed an aversion to comic opera.^[5] The Conservatoire de Musique de Paris was founded in 1795.^[2] By 1870, Paris had become the most important centre for ballet music, and composers such as Debussy and Ravel contributed much to symphonic music.^[5]

The Orchestre de Paris was established in 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, when conductor Charles Munch was called on by the Minister of Culture, André Malraux, and his music director, Marcel Landowski to create a new orchestra in Paris.^[6] Soon after its creation, Munch died in 1968, and Herbert von Karajan was hired as an interim music advisor from 1969 to 1971. Successive music directors include Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, and Semyon Bychkov. Christoph von Dohnányi served as artistic advisor from 1998-2000.^[6] The orchestra performs most of its concerts at the Salle Pleyel. The Élysées-Montmartre, much reduced from its original 1807 size, is a concert hall today, as well as serving as a club and rock venue.^[7]

Bal-musette

Left:A musette accordion player; right:Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876).

Bal-musette is a style of French music and dance that first became popular in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s; by 1880 Paris had some 150 dance halls in the working-class neighbourhoods of the city.^[8] Patrons danced the bourrée to the accompaniment of the cabrette (a bellows-blown bagpipe locally called a "musette") and often the vielle à roue (hurdy-gurdy) in the cafés and bars of the city. Parisian and Italian musicians who played the accordion adopted the style and established themselves in Auvergnat bars, especially in the 19th arrondissement,^[9] and the romantic sound of the accordion has since become one of the musical icons of the city.

Jazz

Django Reinhardt

Paris became a major centre for jazz, and still attracts jazz musicians from all around the world to its clubs and cafes. Although jazz became less popular during the latter half of the 20th century as rock music prevailed, Parisians still have "an insatiable craving for American music, especially jazz, and the scene is vibrant as a new generation develops a taste".^[10] Paris is the spiritual home of gypsy jazz in particular, and many of the Parisian jazzmen who developed in the first half of the 20th century began by playing bal-musette in the city.^[9] Django Reinhardt rose to fame in Paris, having moved to the 18th arrondissement in a caravan as a young boy, and performed with violinist Stéphane Grappelli and their Quintette du Hot Club de France in the 1930s and 40s.^[11] In a country where gypsies are seen as outcasts, gypsies form a collective identify in the suburbs of the city, and some of the finest manouche musicians in the world are found here playing the cafes of the city at night.^[11] Some of the more notable jazz venues include the New Morning, Le Baiser Sale, Le Duc Lomards, Le Sunset and Le Petit Journal Montparnasse jazz clubs,^[10] and the cafes/bars La Chope des Puces (Espace Django Reinhardt), located near where Reinhardt once lived and which also has a jazz school, Bouquet du Nord, opposite where Stéphane Grappelli once lived, La Locandiera, La Chope de Château Rouge, L'atelier Charonne and Clarion de Chasseurs.^[11]

Schools

École Normale de Musique de Paris

Conservatoire de Paris

The city of Paris has several academic institutions which teach music. Founded in 1795, the Conservatoire de Paris provides instruction in music, dance, and drama, and drawing; its graduates are required to be skilled musicians.^[12] Established between 1923-31, the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff provides instructions in French and Russian languages. The École Normale de Musique de Paris was founded by Auguste Mangeot and pianist Alfred Cortot in 1919 and is under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[13] The École César Franck was established in 1935 due to a split from the Schola Cantorum de Paris.

Venues

There are many music halls and opera houses in Paris, producing very high quality contemporary and classical music. Some the more notable music halls are Salle Pleyel, the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, concert halls of the Musée de Radio France, and the Cité de la Musique. In more recent times, the Le Zénith hall in the La Villette district of Paris and a "parc-omnisports" stadium in Bercy serve as large-scale rock concert halls.^[14] In the 1970s, the musical culture of Paris, which had stagnated, got revived with financial support from the government.

Folies Bergere

Opéra Bastille

The Folies Bergère music hall, established as an opera house,^[15] was founded on 1 May 1869. It was one of the first in the city where operetta and pantomime shows were held. In 1897, it became popular for the night life. By the end of the 19th century and during the major part of the 20th century, nudity became part of its shows, which also featured music, acrobatics and sketching. It has approximately forty sets and over a thousand custom made costumes. A particular feature of the titles of all the Folies' shows it has held since 1869 is that all of them contain13-lettered themes.^[16] Other venues of note include Comédie-Italienne, Éden-Théâtre, Opéra-Comique, Salle Favart, Salle Feydeau, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre Italien, and Théâtre Lyrique. Other opera houses meriting mention are the Opéra-Comique, the Palais Omnisports de Bercy, and the Stade de France.^[14] In 1989, a second opera house was opened at the Place de la Bastille; thereafter music festivals also became a regular event during June and again from September to December.^[17] Theater venues of the Opéra de Paris are the Opéra Bastille, Opéra Garnier, Salle du Jeu de paume de la Bouteille, Salle Le Peletier, Salle Ventadour, Théâtre Louvois, Théâtre National de la rue de la Loi, and Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin. Gospel music is also very popular in many churches, in spite of Paris' very strong secular culture. Gospel concerts are said to evoke responses as “as wide as the Atlantic”. African-American gospel musicians are well known in Paris and some of them have taken permanent residence here.^[18]

Festivals and exhibitions

The International Exposition of 1867 took place in Paris. The French committee of admission for the exhibition of musical instruments observed that, "Paris is the only important manufacturing place for organs, pianos, and harmoniums. Then follow, according to importance, Marseilles, Lyons, Nancy, Toulouse, and Bordeaux".^[19] Several yearly festivals take place in Paris, including the Paris Jazz Festival and the rock festival Rock en Seine.^[20]

References

Bibliography

• Damschroeder, David; Williams, David Russell (1990). Music Theory from Zarlino to Schenker: A Bibliography and Guide. Pendragon Press. ISBN 978-0-918728-99-9. 
• Dregni, Michael (2008). Gypsy Jazz : In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-804262-4. 
• Hayden, P.C. (ed) (1904). School Music: A Magazine for Music Educators (Public domain ed.). P.C. Hayden. 
• Lawrence, Rachel; Gondrand, Fabienne (2010). Paris (City Guide) (12th ed.). London: Insight Guides. ISBN 9789812820792. 
• Mroue, Haas (2006). Frommer's Memorable Walks in Paris. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-03712-6. 
• Schroeder, Alan; Wagner, Heather Lehr (2009). Josephine Baker: Entertainer. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-0086-9. 
• Tillier, Alan; Spenley, Katherine (2012). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Paris. DK Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7566-9119-6. 
• United States. Commission to the Paris Universal Exposition, 1867 (1870). Reports of the United States Commissioners to the Paris Universal Exposition, 1867 5 (Public domain ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. 
• Wright, Craig (2008). Music and Ceremony at Notre Dame of Paris, 500-1550. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-08834-3. 

External links

Media related to Music in Paris at Wikimedia Commons