Jean-Michel Damase

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean-Michel Damase (born January 27, 1928 in Bordeaux , Gironde department ; † April 21, 2013 ) was a French composer and pianist .

life and work

The son of the harpist Micheline Kahn had lessons in solfège and piano with Marcel Samuel-Rousseau from the age of five . He started composing at the age of nine. Colette , a friend of his mother's, who had heard songs by him, wrote three Poèmes d'animaux especially for him . At the age of twelve Damase became a pupil of Alfred Cortot at the École Normale de Musique in Paris, in the following year he entered the piano class of Armand Fertés at the Conservatoire de Paris and in 1943 won first prize in piano.

From 1945 he studied composition with Henri Busser and counterpoint with Marcel Dupré at the Conservatoire . In 1947 he won first prize in composition at the Conservatoire and the Prix ​​de Rome with the cantata Et la Belle se réveilla .

At the same time, Damase began a successful career as a pianist. He has appeared as a soloist at the Concerts Colonne and the Concerts du Conservatoire and with the Orchester National de la Radiodiffusion et Télévision Française . He recorded numerous works by Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel and was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for his recordings . After performing worldwide as a concert pianist, he later turned to composition and teaching. He taught at the École Normal de Musique in Paris and gave master classes in Europe, the USA and Japan and was awarded the Grand Prix Musical de la SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) and the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris .

Damase's extensive compositional work includes operas, ballets and film music, chamber music, instrumental concerts, pieces for solo instruments and vocal music.

Jean-Michel Damase died on April 21, 2013 at the age of 85. His grave is in the Valmondois cemetery ( Département Val-d'Oise ).

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Obituary for Jean-Michel Damase in Artsjournal ( Memento of the original from April 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.artsjournal.com
  2. ↑ Death report concerning Jean-Michel Damase in Radiofrance ( Memento of the original from May 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / sites.radiofrance.fr
personal data
SURNAME Damase, Jean-Michel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French composer and pianist
DATE OF BIRTH January 27, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Bordeaux
DATE OF DEATH April 21, 2013