Pierre Sancan (24 October 1916 – 20 October 2008) was a French composer, pianist, teacher and conductor. Along with

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

and

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 ...

, he was a major figure among French musicians in the mid-twentieth-century transition between modern and contemporary eras; but outside France his name is almost unknown.

Life

Born in

Mazamet Mazamet (; Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Masamet'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in southern France. It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolit ...

in the South of France, Sancan began in musical studies in Morocco and Toulouse before entering 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 ...

where he studied with Jean Gallon, conducting with Charles Munch and

Roger Désormière Roger Désormière () (13 September 1898 – 25 October 1963) was a French conducting, conductor. He was an enthusiastic champion of contemporary composers, but also conducted performances of early eighteenth century French music. Life and career ...

, piano with Yves Nat, and composition with Henri Busser. In 1943, he won the Conservatoire's

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

for composition, with his cantata ''La Légende de Icare'', but did not assume a regular teaching post there until 1956 when his former teacher Yves Nat retired. Sancan held this job until his own retirement in 1985. He lived another 23 years, to the age of 91, but his later years were compromised by

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. He died in

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 ...

Achievements

As a pianist, Sancan was most prominently seen in his role as accompanist to the great cellist André Navarra. His recordings of Ravel's two piano concertos with conductor Pierre Dervaux and Mozart's 4-hand concertos with Jean-Bernard Pommier were highly praised upon their release in the 1960s. As a piano teacher, Sancan helped to train the successful pianists Olivier Cazal, Michel Béroff, Selman Ada, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Emile Naoumoff, Géry Moutier, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Daniel Varsano,

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (born 17 October 1962) is a French classical pianist. Education Bavouzet was born in Lannion, France and grew up in Metz. He started his music studies there, encountering composers including Iannis Xenakis, Olivier Messia ...

, Jacques Rouvier, Kristin Merscher, Eric Larsen, Jean-Marc Savelli, and Jean-Philippe Collard who has recorded Sancan's Piano Concerto. Sancan's Sonatine for flute and piano (1946) is his best-known work, and has been a popular staple for flute players since its publication, but little else of his oeuvre is well known. Sancan also composed a Violin Concerto, at least three ballets, a Symphony for Strings (1961), and an opera, ''Ondine'' (1962). Some of his shorter piano pieces, such as ''Boîte à musique'' and the ''Toccata'', have caught on as encore pieces. Sancan sought to reconcile contemporary performance techniques with the harmonic language of Debussy, a composer of whom Sancan was an expert interpreter.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Misfortunes of Sophie ''The Misfortunes of Sophie'' (French: ''Les Malheurs de Sophie'') is a 1946 French comedy drama film directed by Jacqueline Audry and starring Madeleine Rousset, Marguerite Moreno and Michel Auclair.Palmer & Michael p.69 The film is based on th ...

'' (1946) * Olivia (1951)

Sources

Pierre Sancan (1916-2008)

External links

* * 1916 births 2008 deaths 20th-century French male classical pianists 20th-century French classical pianists 20th-century French composers 20th-century French conductors (music) Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni French ballet composers French male classical composers French male conductors (music) People from Mazamet Prix de Rome for composition {{france-composer-stub