Jean Cras
Jean Cras (born May 22, 1879 in Brest , † September 14, 1932 ibid) was a French composer and rear admiral .
His father, chief surgeon of the French Navy, and his mother were passionate music lovers; It was in this atmosphere that Cras began playing the piano at an early age. At the age of 13 he presented his first composition, which he performed publicly on the piano. From the age of 17 he attended the naval school . Cras spent his leisure hours making music and composing. In 1899 he had already composed a mass, several motets and the Trio Voyage Symphonique .
At the turn of the century, a close and long-lasting friendship began with the composer Henri Duparc , who recommended Beethoven's string quartets for analytical study. In his military career, Cras was a teacher at the naval school. Here he devised a protractor as a navigation aid ( Règle Cras ), which was in use on every ship until the introduction of satellite navigation. During the First World War he was the commander of a torpedo boat. He was named a first class officer by Admiral Auguste Boué de Lapeyrère and was promoted to naval staff.
In the meantime he has completed his opera Polyphème (libretto by Albert Samain), which was premiered on December 22, 1922 at the Opéra-Comique . During his time as the commander of various ships, he always took a piano on board in order, as he put it, to obey an inner voice that inspired him to compose.
In February 1932, his daughter Collette Cras, who later became the wife of the composer Alexandre Tansman , performed the concerto for piano and orchestra dedicated to her.
From 1931 Cras was in the rank of rear admiral the responsible major general of the war port of Brest, a position he held until his sudden death after a short illness in September 1932.
Works
In addition to piano music, Cras created choral works, organ music, orchestral works, trios, string quartets and other chamber music in various formations.
literature
- Paul-André Bempéchat: Jean Cras, Polymath of Music and Letters . Ashgate, Farnham (UK) 2009, ISBN 978-0-7546-0683-3 .
- Auguste Thomazi: Trois marins compositeurs, Albert Roussel, Antoine Mariotte, Jean Cras. Bellenand, Paris 1948, OCLC 459800549 .
Web links
- Musica et Mémoria: Jean Cras
- Letters from Henri Duparc in the BnF
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cras, Jean |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French composer and admiral |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 22, 1879 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brest (Finistère) |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 14, 1932 |
| Place of death | Brest (Finistère) |