Pierre Wissmer (30 October 1915 – 4 November 1992) was a 20th-century French classical composer of Swiss origin.

Biography

Formed at the

Conservatoire de Musique de Genève A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

, he received the advice of

Robert Casadesus Robert Marcel Casadesus (7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a distinguished musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, ...

before perfecting his mastery of

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tra ...

at the

Schola Cantorum de Paris The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History La Schola was founded ...

with

Daniel-Lesur Daniel Jean-Yves Lesur (19 November 1908 – 2 July 2002) was a French organist and composer. He was the son of the composer Alice Lesur. Biography Born in Paris, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris at age 11, studying solfège with Emile Sch ...

. He also followed the course of conducting of

Charles Münch Charles Munch (; born Charles Münch, 26 September 1891 – 6 November 1968) was an Alsatian French symphonic conductor and violinist. Noted for his mastery of the French orchestral repertoire, he was best known as music director of the Boston ...

at the

École normale de musique de Paris The École Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" (ENMP) is a leading conservatoire located in Paris, Île-de-France, France. At the time of the school's foundation in 1919 by Auguste Mangeot, Alfred Cortot. The term ''école normale'' (Eng ...

. His first piano concerto was created on the radio by Jacqueline Blancard 10 October 1937 under the direction of

Henri Tomasi Henri Tomasi (; 17 August 1901 – 13 January 1971) was a French classical composer and conductor. He was noted for compositions such as ''In Praise of Folly'', ''Nuclear Era'' and ''The Silence of the Sea''. Early years Henri Tomasi was born ...

. In 1938, his first symphony was directed in

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria ...

Hermann Scherchen Hermann Scherchen (21 June 1891 – 12 June 1966) was a German conductor. Life Scherchen was born in Berlin. Originally a violist, he played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens. He conducted in Riga ...

. In 1939, Pierre Wissmer composed ''Le beau dimanche'', one-act

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

on an argument by Pierre Guérin who put him in touch with Stravinski,

Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

, Sauguet, and Cocteau. In 1944, he was appointed professor of

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

at Conservatoire de Genève and head of the Department of chamber music at Radio Geneva. In 1948, he married the pianist Laure-Anne Étienne, a student of

Marguerite Long Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (13 November 1874 – 13 February 1966) was a French pianist, pedagogue, lecturer, and an ambassador of French music. Life Early life: 1874–1900 Marguerite Long was born to Pierre Long and Anne Marie Antoin ...

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

. From 1952 to 1957, he was deputy director of programs at

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

and, from 1957, director of the Schola Cantorum. In 1958 he adopted French citizenship and later was appointed director of the École normale de musique of

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...

(1969–1981). In 1967, he was awarded the Grand Prix musical of the city of Paris. In 1992, he died in Valcros, shortly after his wife.

Works

Incidental music

*1945: ''Marion ou la Belle au Tricorne'', radio opera (Geneva, Radio Suisse Romande, 16 April 1947) *1952: ''Capitaine Bruno'',

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

(Geneva, 9 November) *1958: ''Léonidas ou la Cruauté mentale'',

opéra bouffe Opéra bouffe (, plural: ''opéras bouffes'') is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, inspiring the genre's name. Opéras bouff ...

(Paris, 12 September) *1939: ''Le Beau Dimanche'',

(Geneva, 20 March 1944) *1963: ''Alerte, puits'', ballet (Geneva, 1964) *1967: ''Christina et les chimères'', ballet (French Television, 7 December 1972)

Orchestral music

* 9 Symphonies (1938, 1951, 1955, 1962, 1969, 1977, 1900) * 3 piano concertos (1937, 1948, 1971) *1937: ''Mouvement'', for string orchestra (Geneva, 25 February 1938) *1938: ''Divertissement sur un choral'' for 11 instruments (Geneva, 8 December 1939) *1943: ''Antoine et Cléopâtre'', suite symphonique (Geneva, 2 October 1946) *1952: ''Mandrellina'', overture (Geneva, 16 April 1952) *1957: Concerto for guitar *1960: Concerto for clarinet *1961: Concerto for trumpet *1963: Concerto for oboe *1966: ''Concerto valcrosiano'' *1966: ''Concertino-Croisière'' for flute, string orchestra and piano *1972: ''Triptyque romand'' *1974: ''Dialogue'' for bassoon (or cello) and orchestra *1982: ''Symphonietta concertante'', for flute, harp and orchestra

Chamber music

* 3 String quartets (1937, 1949, 1972) *1938: Sérénade for oboe, clarinet and bassoon *1941: Sonatine for clarinet and piano *1946: Sonatine for violon and piano *1949: Sonate for piano *1956: Quartet for saxophones *1961: ''Quadrige'' for flute, violin, cello and piano *1962: Sonate for flute and guitar *1964: Quintette à vent *1973: “Réflexions” for organ *1975: ''Variations sur un Noël imaginaire'' for organ (also for orchestra, 1975) *1978: ''Trio adelfiano'', for flute, cello and piano

Vocal music

*1942: ''Naïades'' pour récitant, soloists, choir and orchestra (Geneva, 21 January) *1962: ''Hérétique et relapse'', one-act mystery *1965: ''Le Quatrième Mage'', oratorio (Paris, 14 October 1969) *1971: ''Cantique en l'ounour dou grand saintlouis, rei de franco et patroun de vaucros de cuers'', pour choir with piano or organ *1951: ''Chants de Mars'': 7 chœurs a cappella pour 3 voix d'enfants sur des poésies de René de Obaldia.(Paris 1951)

Selected discography

Pierre Wissmer left a work that is both abundant and diverse with respect to both instrumental music,

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

, concert music and music for symphonic orchestra, vocal or choral music, opera or musical theatre, incidental music, ballets, music for radio or television and

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

. * ''Trio adelfiano'' for flute, cello and piano/''Quadrige'' for flute, violin, cello and piano, with Geneviève Ibanez (piano), Anne Werner-Fuchs (violin), Frédéric Werner (flute), Jean Barthe and Alex Descharnes (cellos), CD, Marcal Classics, MA 060201 * ''Chanson de l'Orpailler''. Complete works for and with guitar. With Philippe Rayer and Michel Guzard (guitares), CD, Quantum, QM 7016 * ''Askok'' for guitar and

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

. With Patric Ruby (guitar) and Robin Troman (recorder), CD, Quantum, QM 7031 * ''Trois silhouettes''. With Mireille Saumal (piano). CD, Marcal, MA 040302

Bibliography

External links

Official site

*Sound recordings of works of the composer from the archives of

SRG SSR The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (german: Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft; french: Société suisse de radiodiffusion et télévision; it, Società svizzera di radiotelevisione; rm, Societad Svizra da Radio e Televisiun; SRG ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wissmer, Pierre Swiss classical composers French male classical composers French opera composers Male opera composers French ballet composers École Normale de Musique de Paris alumni 1915 births Musicians from Geneva 1992 deaths 20th-century French male musicians Swiss emigrants to France