Louise-Marie Simon (30 November 1903,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 7 March 1990, Paris),

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

Claude Arrieu, was a prolific

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. She wrote hundreds of works in varying formats, including stage works, concert works, and movie scores. She was also a teacher and worked as a producer and assistant head of sound effects at French Radio.

Biography

Born in Paris, Arrieu was a classically trained musician from an early age. Her mother, Cecile Paul Simon, was also a composer. Arrieu became particularly interested in works by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

, and later,

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 ...

. However,

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, and

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 ...

provided her the most inspiration. Dreaming of a career as a

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, ...

, she entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

in 1924. She became a piano 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 ...

and took classes from

Georges Caussade Georges Paul Alphonse Emilien Caussade (20 November 1873 – 5 August 1936) was a French composer, music theorist, and music educator. Biography Born in Port Louis, Mauritius, he joined the faculty of the Conservatoire de Paris in 1905 as a teac ...

Noël Gallon Noël Jean-Charles André Gallon (; 11 September 1891 – 26 December 1966) was a French composer and music educator. His compositional output includes several choral works and vocal art songs, 10 preludes, a ''Toccata'' for piano, a ''Sona ...

Jean Roger-Ducasse Jean Jules Aimable Roger-Ducasse (Bordeaux, 18 April 1873 – Le Taillan-Médoc (Gironde), 19 July 1954) was a French composer. Biography Jean Roger-Ducasse studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Émile Pessard and André Gedalge, and was the ...

and

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His best-k ...

. In 1932, she received the Prix de Rome for

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 ...

. From this point on, she developed her personal style. She was particularly interested in the evolution of musical language and various technical means available. In 1935, she joined the French Radio Broadcasting Program Service (« Service des programmes de la Radiodiffusion française »), where she was employed to 1947. She participated in the development of a wide range of programming, including Pierre Schaeffer's experimental

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

series, ''La Coquille à planètes'' (1943–1944). In 1949, she won the

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...

of the

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

for her score ''Frédéric Général''. She wrote music in all styles, composing works of "pure music" as well as music for

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, radio, and

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

, contributing her own voice to every situation, dramatic or comic, with a particular taste for

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

and imagery. Her musical gift is typified by its ease of flow and elegance of

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

. Vivacity, clarity of expression, and a natural feel for

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

are her hallmarks. Arrieu composed

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

s for

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

(1932), two pianos (1934), two concertos for

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

(1938 and 1949), for

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

(1946),

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

and strings (1965). She also wrote ''Petite suite en cinq parties'' (1945), ''Concerto for wind quintet and strings'' (1962), ''Suite funambulesque'' ("Tightrope Walker's Suite") (1961), and ''Variations for classical strings'' (1970). Among her important

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

compositions are her ''Trio for Woodwinds'' (1936), ''Sonatina for two violins'' (1937), and ''Clarinet Quartet'' (1964). Her ''Sonatine for flute and piano'' (1946) made a big impression at its first radio performance in 1944 performed by flutist

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. Rampal popularised the flute in the post–World War II years, recovering flute compositions from the Baroque era, and spurring contemporary composers, ...

and pianist H. Moyens. Although Arrieu's instrumental works strongly contributed to her legacy, it is vocal music that distinguishes her career. Voice inspired her to set many poems to music, including those by

Joachim du Bellay Joachim du Bellay (; – 1 January 1560) was a French poet, critic, and a founder of '' La Pléiade''. He notably wrote the manifesto of the group: '' Défense et illustration de la langue française'', which aimed at promoting French as a ...

, Louise Levêque de Vilmorin,

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (; 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the Surrealism, surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littératur ...

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

Jean Tardieu Jean Tardieu (; born in Saint-Germain-de-Joux, Ain, 1 November 1903, died in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, 27 January 1995) was a French artist, musician, poet and dramatic author. Life and career He earned a degree in literature and worked for a p ...

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French Symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools o ...

, and

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

. Examples include ''Chansons bas'' ''for voice and piano'' based on poems by Mallarmé (1937); ''Candide'', radio music on texts by Jean Tardieu based on

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

; and ''À la Libération'', cantata of seven poems on love in war, on poems by Paul Éluard. Her first

opéra bouffe ''Opéra bouffe'' (, plural: ''opéras bouffes'') is a genre of mid- to 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. It ...

, ''Cadet Roussel'' with a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by André de la Tourasse after Jean Limozin, was presented at the Opéra de Marseille on 2 October 1953. In 1960, ''La Princesse de Babylone'', an opéra bouffe after the work of Voltaire adapted by Pierre Dominica, was praised for its lyrical originality and spectacle. Noteworthy

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 ...

s include: ''Les Gueux au paradis'' (1946), ''Crèvecoeur'' (1955), ''Niok l'éléphant'' (1957), ''Marchands de rien'' (1958), ''Le Tombeur'' (1958), and ''Julie Charles'' (for

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, 1974). Pierre Schaeffer wrote: "Claude Arrieu is part of her time by virtue of a presence, an instinct of efficiency, a bold fidelity. Whatever the means, concertos or songs, music for official events, concerts for the elite or for a crowd of spectators, she delivered emotion through an impeccable technique and a spiritual vigilance, finding the path to the heart."

Notable Compositions

Trio en Ut / Reed Trio (1936) 1. Allegretto ritmico. 2. Pastorale et Scherzo. 3. Allegrement. 9 mins. Ob, cl, bn Arrieu was thirty-three when she wrote this reed trio. The work was commissioned by the ensemble, Trio D’Anches de Paris. Her trio shows the care she took with the part-writing, making sure to share material equally between the three instruments. The opening ''Allegretto ritmico'' is a swaggering pseudo-march, with contrasting, nostalgic episodes. The ''Pastorale et Scherzo'' is tender and swaying, sometimes faster and cheeky, and includes its own middle section. The ''Allègrement'' emulates a more militaristic sound. Her composition is mischievous, producing teasingly foiled expectations in a mildly anarchic manner. It's one of two works she composed for reed trio, the other being ''Suite en Trio'' (1980). Published by Amphion Editions. The Ambache CD recording is on ''Liberté, Egalité, Sororité''. It can be bought on Ambache Recordings Liberté, Egalité, Sororitéhttp://womenofnote.co.uk/recordings/: . Wind Dixtuor. 1967 Wind Dixtuor, 1967 (rev. 1989) 1. Allegretto moderato. 2. Moderato - Allegro scherzando - Andante - Tempo primo. 3. Andante - Allegro scherzando. 4. Cantabile 5. Allegro Risoluto 2 fl, ob, 2 cl, 2 bn, hn, tpt, tbn Arrieu’s ''Dixtuor pour Instruments à Vent'' is scored for two flutes, oboe, two clarinets, two bassoons, horn, trumpet, and trombone, and very well may be the only published piece written for that combination of instruments. Composed in 1967, the work exhibits musical flow and elegance of structure that typified Parisian neo-classicism. A wide variety of textures are explored within the five movements and show Arrieu’s ability to create new and interesting tone colors with only a handful of instruments.

Works List

Opera *''Noé'', 1931–1934 (imagerie musicale, 3 acts, A. Obey), f.p. Strasbourg Opéra, 29 January 1950 *''Cadet Roussel'', 1938–1939 (opéra bouffe, 5 acts, André de la Tourasse after Jean Limozin), f.p. Marseilles, Opéra, 2 October 1953 *''La Coquille à planètes'' (opéra radiophonique, Pierre Schaeffer), RTF (

Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (; RTF; "French Radio and Television Broadcasting") was the French national public broadcaster television organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "''Radiodiffusion Française''" ...

), 1944 *''Le deux rendez-vous'', 1948 (opéra comique, P. Bertin after G. de Nerval), RTF, 22 June 1951 *''Le chapeau à musique'' (opéra enfantine, 2 acts, Tourasse and P. Dumaine), RTF, 1953 *''La princesse de Babylone'', 1953–1955 (opéra bouffe, 3 acts, P. Dominique, after Voltaire), Rheims, Opéra, 3 March 1960 *''La cabine téléphonique'' (opéra bouffe, 1 act, M. Vaucaire), RTF, 15 March 1959 *''Cymbeline'', 1958–1963 (2 acts, J. Tournier and M. Jacquemont, after Shakespeare), ORTF, 31 March 1974 *''Balthazar, ou Le mort–vivant'', 1966 (opéra bouffe, 1 act, Dominique), Unperformed *''Un clavier pour un autre'' (opéra bouffe, 1 act, J. Tardieu), Avignon, Opéra, 3 April 1971 *''Barbarine'', 1972 (3 acts, after A. de Musset), incomplete *''Les amours de Don Perlimpin et Belise en son jardin'' (imaginaire lyrique, 4 tableaux, after F. Garcia Lorca), Tours, Grand Théâtre, 1 March 1980 Chamber Music * ''Cinq mouvements'', 1964 (clarinet quartet: E-flat, two B-flat, and bass), premiered by the Belgian Clarinet Quartet in Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany * ''Concerto en ut'', 1938 (2 pianos and orchestra) * ''Deux pieces'', 1966 (string quintet, harp, horn, and percussion), premiered at ORTF under the direction of Freddy Alberti * ''Fantaisie lyrique'', 1959 (

ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , ) or ondes musicales () is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a lateral-vibrato Keyboard instrument, keyboard or by moving a ring tied to a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. D ...

and piano), contest piece for the Paris Conservatory * ''Impromptu II'', 1985 (oboe and piano) * ''Passe-pied'', 1966 (cello and piano) * ''Quintette en ut'', 1952 (wind quintet), premiered by the French Wind Quintet in Sarrebrück, Germany, 1952 * ''Suite en trio'', 1955 (bamboo pipes: soprano, alto in A or G, and bass) * Suite en trio, 1980 (flute, oboe, clarinet) * ''Suite en quatre'', 1980 (flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon), premiered by the Soni Ventorum Ensemble in Washington, U.S., 19 January 1980 * ''Trio en Ut, por Hautbois, Clarinette et Bassoon'' (oboe, clarinet, bassoon) Vocal Music * ''A traduire en esthionen'', 1947 (René Chalupt) * ''Ah! Si j'étais un oiseau'', 1946 (choir: three equal parts, Samivel) * ''Attributs'', 1947 (René Chalupt) * ''Chanson de Marianne'', 1947 (soprano and/or baritone and piano, Max Jacob) * ''Dix Chansons: Folklore de France'', 1957 (unison choir, flute, oboe, clarinet, percussion, and strings) * ''Rondeaux de Clément Marot'', 1950 (choir: three equal parts) * ''Rue des Ormeaux'', 1953 (music for radio, Claude Roy) Teaching Pieces * ''Caprice'', 1976 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Cerf-volant'', 1976 (piano) * ''Conte d'hiver'', 1976 (bass trombone and piano) * ''Escapade'', 1976 (piano) * ''Intermède'', 1966 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Introduction'', scherzo et choral, 1986 (tenor trombone and piano) * ''La fête'', 1976 (clarinet and piano) * ''La poupée casée'', 1976 (piano) * ''Le cœur volant'', 1976 (horn and piano) * ''Lectures pour piano'', 1968 (piano) ** Volume 1: I. Nonchalance, II. L'hiver est fini, III. Bavardes, IV. Carnet de bal ** Volume 2: V. Ingénue, VI. Capricieuse, VII. Malicieuse, VIII. Péronelle * ''L'enfant sage'', 1976 (piano) * ''L'étourdi'', 1979 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Manu militari'', 1979 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Ménétrier'', 1965 (B-flat or C trumpet or cornet and piano) * ''Nocturne'', 1976 (oboe and piano) * ''Nostalgie'', 1980 (flute and piano) * ''Pauvre Pierre'', 1976 (flute and piano) * ''Petit choral'', 1980 (clarinet and piano) * ''Petit récit'', 1976 (piano) * ''Prélude pastoral'', 1976 (piano) * ''Promenade mélancolique'', 1976 (piano) * ''Questionnaire'', 1976 (piano) * ''Retour au village'', 1986 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Rêverie'', 1979 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Sonatine for flute and piano'' 1946 (flute and piano) premiered in 1944 by Jean-Pierre Rampal accompanied by Herman Moyens * ''Six-huit'', 1965 (Bb or C trumpet and piano) * ''Trois duos faciles'', 1977 (two flutes) * ''Trois duos faciles'', 1977 (flute and bassoon) * ''Trois duos faciles'', 1977 (two oboes) * ''Un jour d'été'', 1976 (clarinet and piano) * ''Valse'', 1948 (piano) * ''Voyage en hiver'', 1976 (flute and piano)

References

Sources

*Sadie, Stanley (Ed.)

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as far south as Germany and Korea. Euro ...

(1994). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, vol. 1, A-D, chpt: "Arrieu, Claude" by Richard Langham Smith, New York: MacMillan. .
IMDb: Claude Arrieu - Filmography
* Fr.Wikipedia: Claude Arrieu
Editions Billaudot: Claude Arrieu

External links

Radio France
oxfordmusiconline.com
Nearly Complete Catalogue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrieu, Claude 1903 births 1990 deaths 20th-century French classical composers French women opera composers French film score composers French women film score composers French opera composers 20th-century French women composers Pseudonyms