|
Ropartz
was born in Guingamp (Côtes-du-Nord) on
June 15th, 1864. He very early developed his artistic gifts in conjunction
with his father, a lawyer and man of great culture. After his father's
death, his brother Yves encouraged him to write poems and novels – because
the young Ropartz first wanted to be writer. But little by little, music
became his first preoccupation, and, in 1885, he left for Paris with the
secret hope of overcoming his meager preparation for the Conservatoire.
He became the pupil of Dubois in harmony and Massenet in composition,
preferring nevertheless to the latter (whose teaching could have led him
to the Prix de Rome) the emblematic figure of César Franck. The influence
of Franck would be predominant in the genesis of such works as the Psalm
136 (1897) or the Four
poems after Heine's Intermezzo (1899) and supported
the development of his own language.
In
1894, he becames director of the Conservatoire and Concerts Symphoniques
of Nancy. A passionate defender of the music of his time and a skilled
orchestra director, he improved the quality of the teaching at the Conservatoire
and lifted the orchestra to the highest national level. During Ropartz’s
tenure at the Conservatoire, his colleague Chausson created there his
Poème, and Magnard, his Symphonies. Ropartz also
played there his Third symphony with choirs as well as his opera
Le Pays (The Country).
A
man to take on every challenge, he also took up this one: restructuring
the Strasburg Conservatoire after the 1918 victory. This exile of almost
thirty years contributed to the nostalgic and dreaming feelings which
are characteristic of his style.
When he retires in 1929, returned to his Breton manor in Lanloup and,
at last, he could work serenely for himself and enrich a corpus including,
inter alia, five symphonies, six string quartets, and more than one hundred
of songs.
Guy
Ropartz died on November 22nd, 1955, day of Saint Caecilia,
patroness of the musicians.
Benoît
Menut, Mathieu Ferey.
© 2002, All rights reserved. Any reproduction is forbidden.
For more information about the composer, please contact the Association
Guy Ropartz.
To be released at the end of 2003 [in French]: Ropartz, by Benoît
Menut and Mathieu Ferey.
|
