Marcel Pérès (born 15 July 1956, Oran,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

) is a French

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

, composer,

choral director Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or 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 duti ...

and singer, and the founder of the

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classic ...

group

Ensemble Organum Ensemble Organum is a group performing early music, co-founded in 1982 by Marcel Pérès and based in France. Its members have changed, but have included at one time or another, Josep Cabré, Josep Benet, Gérard Lesne, Antoine Sicot, Malcolm Bo ...

. He is an authority on Gregorian and pre-Gregorian chant. Pérès was born into an Algerian family of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

origin which was repatriated to France. He grew up in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, where he sang at the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

and was organist at the Anglican church. He trained in organ and composition at the Nice conservatoire, before continuing his studies in

church music Church music is Christian music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclesiastical liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. History Early Christian music The on ...

at the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, t ...

and at English cathedrals. He worked at the

Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal The Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal is a professional early music vocal ensemble based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History The group was co-founded in 1974 by the organ and harpsichord players Christopher Jackson, Réjean Poirier and ...

(Montreal early music studio) and for the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

. In 1979 he returned to France where he studied

medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the first and longest major era of Western classical music and followed by the Renaissance ...

under Michel Huglo at the

École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...

. In 1984 Peres became director of ARIMM, the ''Atelier pour la Recherche sur l’Interprétation des Musiques Médiévales'' (or "Workshop for Research on the Performance of Medieval Music") with the support of the Fondation Royaumont, created by the Goüin family. In 1994 the ''Atelier'' became CERIMM, the ''Centre Européen pour la Recherche sur l'Interprétation des Musiques Médiévales'' (or "European Centre for Research on the Performance of Medieval Music"). In 2001 Pérès and his group Ensemble Organum moved to

Moissac Moissac () is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Garonne and Tarn at the Canal de Garonne. Route nationale N113 was constructed through ...

where he founded CIRMA, the ''Centre itinérant de recherche sur les musiques anciennes'' (or "Itinerant Centre for Research into Ancient Music"). He was musical director of

Kaj Munk Kaj Harald Leininger Munk (commonly called Kaj Munk) (13 January 1898 – 4 January 1944) was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World War II. He i ...

's play, ''Ordet,'' at the

Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the France, French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Je ...

in 2008. Pérès' compositions include ''Le Livre des morts égyptiens'' ("The Egyptian Book of the Dead"), written in 1979, and ''Mysteria Apocalypsis''.

Awards

In 1990 he was awarded the

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially re ...

Prize by the Italian government, and Since 1996 he has been a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2013 he received a title of Honorary Citizen of

Jarosław Jarosław (; uk, Ярослав, Yaroslav, ; yi, יאַרעסלאָוו, Yareslov; german: Jaroslau) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 38,970 inhabitants, as of 30 June 2014. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), previ ...

Ensemble Organum

In 1982 Peres founded Ensemble Organum, a group specialising in "pre- and para-Gregorian" chant. The group has been based at three medieval monastic sites. * Sénanque Abbey, an active

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

community. *

Royaumont Abbey Royaumont Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, located near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, approximately 30 km north of Paris, France. History It was built between 1228 and 1235 with the support of Louis IX. Several members of the French ...

, a former Cistercian monastery near Asnières-sur-Oise, which is run as a cultural centre. *

Moissac Abbey Moissac Abbey was a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Moissac, Tarn-et-Garonne in south-western France. A number of its medieval buildings survive including the abbey church, which has a famous and important Romanesque sculpture around th ...

, a former

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

monastery

References

External links

CIRMA and Ensemble Organum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peres, Marcel 1956 births Living people 20th-century French composers 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French male musicians 20th-century organists 20th-century French musicologists 21st-century French composers 21st-century French conductors (music) 21st-century French male musicians 21st-century organists 21st-century French musicologists French male composers French choral conductors French male conductors (music) French classical organists French male organists École pratique des hautes études alumni Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres People from Oran Male classical organists