The Fontainebleau Schools were founded in 1921, and consist of two schools: ''The American Conservatory'', and the ''School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau''.

History

When the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

entered the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the commander of its army, General Pershing, decided the quality of US military band music needed improvement.

Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a Prussian-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Aa ...

, then conductor of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

, was asked to organize a school in Chaumont, where US troops were headquartered, led by composer and teacher .

The American Conservatory

The conservatory was created during World War I when the US sought to build a music school to improve the U.S. military bands, headquartered in France. After the war, Damrosch and Casadesus decided to continue this successful operation. With the full support of French authorities, as well as that of composer and organist

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...

, who became its first director, the American Conservatory, was granted permission to open in the Louis XV wing of the

Chateau of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the French monarchs, includ ...

. The American Conservatory (Fr. ''Conservatoire américain de Fontainebleau'') intended to offer the best of French musical education to young, promising musicians. Since 1921, the teaching staff has included renowned faculty such as: the

trio Pasquier Pierre Pasquier (14 September 1902 – 1986) was a French violist. Born in Tours, Pasquier was a student of Maurice Vieux. He obtained his first prize in viola in 1922. He founded the Trio Pasquier with his brothers Jean and Étienne, as soon ...

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré (; 3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Early life and education Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré ...

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

and

Gaby Casadesus Gaby Casadesus (August 9, 1901 – November 12, 1999) was a French classical pianist and teacher born in Marseille. She was married to the French pianist Robert Casadesus and their son Jean was also a notable pianist. Biography Born Gabrielle l ...

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer of late 20th-century classical music. Among the leading French composers of his time, his work was rooted in the Impressionistic style of Debussy and R ...

, Gilbert Amy, Betsy Jolas,

André Boucourechliev André Boucourechliev (28 July 1925 – 13 November 1997) was a French composer of Bulgarian origin. Born in Sofia, Boucourechliev studied piano at the Conservatory there. Subsequently, he studied in Paris at the École Normale de Musique de Pari ...

, Pierre Amoyal,

Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time,Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his interpreta ...

Mstislav Rostropovitch Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enlarged the cello re ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

Tristan Murail Tristan Murail (born 11 March 1947) is a French composer associated with the " spectral" technique of composition. Among his compositions is the large orchestral work ''Gondwana''. Early life and studies Murail was born in Le Havre, France. His f ...

and

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

, a young composition/harmony professor, was among this distinguished faculty from the beginning. Her energy, knowledge, and her spirit guided the school until 1979. Her close friend

Isidor Philipp Isidor Edmond Philipp (first name sometimes spelled Isidore) (2 September 1863 – 20 February 1958) was a French pianist, composer, and pedagogue of Jewish Hungarian descent. He was born in Budapest and died in Paris. Biography Isidor Philipp ...

headed the piano departments of both the Paris Conservatory and the American Conservatory. His renown in the US helped bring many American composers. The current director presiding over the school is

Diana Ligeti Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

. Under such renowned guidance, the American Conservatory influenced many of the best American musicians such as:

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer who was one of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century. He combined elements of European modernism and American " ...

Kenton Coe Kenton Summers Coe (November 11, 1930 – December 29, 2021) was an American composer. Biography Coe was born in Johnson City, TN, the younger of two sons born to Cleveland Beach Coe (1893-1945) and Margaret Rebecca (Summers) Coe (1893-198 ...

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

, Samuel Dushkin,

Roy Harris Roy Ellsworth Harris (February 12, 1898 – October 1, 1979) was an American composer. He wrote music on American subjects, and is best known for his Symphony No. 3. Life Harris was born in Chandler, Oklahoma on February 12, 1898. His ancestry ...

, Kenneth Lampl, Dee Libbey, Helen Roessing, Louise Talma,

Virgil Thomson Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 – September 30, 1989) was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclassic ...

Beveridge Webster Beveridge Webster (May 13, 1908, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – June 30, 1999, in Hanover, New Hampshire) was an American pianist and educator. Biography Beveridge Webster initially studied with his father, who was director of the Pittsburgh Co ...

, and many others. For a full history of the school, see Leonard, Kendra. ''The Conservatoire Americain: a History'', Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2007

School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau

The ''School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau'' (Fr, ''École des Beaux-Arts at Fontainebleau''), was founded in 1923. It was an expansion of the Conservatoire Américain (American Conservatory), established in the Fontainebleau Chateau in 1921. The School of Fine Arts provided programs in painting, sculpture, and architecture, and architecture flourished with its inspiration from the historic architecture in the region. It adopted the same mission as the music conservatory in the spheres of painting, architecture, and sculpture. Inspired by setting of the Chateau and its magnificent formal gardens, over time, the program has narrowed it focus to exclusively teach architecture. Its faculty has included prestigious international names in architecture, including F. Candela, A. Cuny, B. Doshi,

Sheila Hicks Sheila Hicks (born 1934) is an American artist. She is known for her innovative and experimental weavings and sculptural textile art that incorporate distinctive colors, natural materials, and personal narratives. Since 1964, she has lived and ...

L. Kroll Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organism ...

, R. Licata, R. Péchére, B. Rasica,

Paolo Soleri Paolo Soleri (21 June 1919 – 9 April 2013) was an American architect and urban planner. He established the educational Cosanti Foundation and Arcosanti. Soleri was a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University and a Nati ...

, J. Soltan, A. Van Eyck, Y. Wohlert,

Juan Nakpil Juan Felipe de Jesús Nakpil, KGCR, KSS (born Juan Felipe Nakpil y de Jesús; May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986) known as Juan Nakpil, was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists fo ...

, and I. García. Past directors of the school are

Jacques Carlu Jacques Carlu (7 April 1890 Bonnières-sur-Seine – 3 December 1976 Paris) was a French architect and designer, working mostly in Art Deco style, active in France, Canada, and in the United States. Biography Through the 1910s Carlu studied on ...

, A. Remondet, P. Devinoy, Bernard de la Tour d'Auvergne, Marion Tournon-Branly, and J.L. Nouvian.

References

External links

Official Website

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1921

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

Education in Île-de-France 1921 establishments in France Architecture schools in France Beaux-Arts architecture in France Fontainebleau Seine-et-Marne communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia