Charles Ravier (5 June 1934 – 5 March 1984) was a 20th-century French composer,

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

and

choral conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

Biography

Born in

Savigny-sur-Grosne Savigny-sur-Grosne (, literally ''Savigny on Grosne'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. The composer and choral conductor Charles Ravier (1934–1984) was born in Savig ...

in Saône-et-Loire, Charles Ravier first studied the violin, then entered the

conservatoire de Lyon 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 in ...

where in won prizes in

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

and

fugue In classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...

. He was interested in

polyphonic music Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice (monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (h ...

, and particularly in the early repertoire of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

in the 17th century. At the end of the 1950s, he formed the Ensemble Polyphonique de la RTF, and performed with this group the music by

Guillaume de Machaut Guillaume de Machaut (, ; also Machau and Machault; – April 1377) was a French composer and poet who was the central figure of the style in late medieval music. His dominance of the genre is such that modern musicologists use his death to ...

Clément Janequin Clément Janequin (c. 1485 – 1558) was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous composers of popular chansons of the entire Renaissance, and along with Claudin de Sermisy, was hugely influential in the development o ...

, Gesualdo,

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string instrument, string player. A composer of both Secular music, secular and Church music, sacred music, and a pioneer ...

among others. Interested in the works of Safford Cape, he chose to have the vocal pieces of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, and mainly the songs of the 16th century, interpreted by one voice per vocal part.''Charles Ravier et le Quatuor Danois''
on Qobuz As a composer he is the author of the pieces ''Les Espaces oubliés'', ''Les chemins de l'imaginaire'', ''L'Apocalypse d'Angers'', and ''Liturgie pour un Dieu mort'' (

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

). He also premiered contemporary works by Girolamo ArrigoGirolamo Arrigo
on musicsalesclassical and

Sylvano Bussotti Sylvano Bussotti (1 October 1931 – 19 September 2021) was an Italian composer of contemporary classical music, also a painter, set and costume designer, opera director and manager, writer and academic teacher. His compositions employ graphic n ...

. He died in Paris as a result of suicide by jumping.

Bibliography

Alain Pâris Alain Pâris (born 22 November 1947) is a French conductor and musicologist. Biography Born in Paris, Alain Pâris was trained as a pianist and has a law degree. He studied conducting with Pierre Dervaux, Paul Paray and Georg Solti and won the ...

, notice "Charles Ravier" i
''Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interprétation musicale''

Éditions Robert Laffont Éditions Robert Laffont () is a book publishing company in France founded in 1941 by (1916–2010). Its publications are distributed in almost all francophone countries, but mainly in France, Canada and in Belgium. Imprints belonging to Édit ...

, series "Bouquin" 1989.

References

External links

Charles Ravier's discography
on Discogs
Charles Ravier, Ensemble Polyphonique Of The French National Radio
on Discogs
CLÉMENT JANEQUIN "Guillot ung jour" Attaingnant , 1540
direction Charles Ravier on YouTube
Charles Ravier
on IdRef
Charles Ravier
on data.bnf.fr {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravier, Charles 1934 births 1984 deaths People from Saône-et-Loire French choral conductors French male conductors (music) 20th-century French composers Suicides by jumping in France 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French male musicians