Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (; 15 June 1864 – 22 November 1955) was a French composer and conductor. His compositions included five

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

, three

violin sonata A violin sonata is a musical composition for violin, often accompanied by a keyboard instrument and in earlier periods with a bass instrument doubling the keyboard bass line. The violin sonata developed from a simple baroque form with no fixed for ...

cello sonata A cello sonata is usually a sonata written for solo cello with piano accompaniment. The most famous Romantic-era cello sonatas are those written by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven. Some of the earliest cello sonatas were written in the 1 ...

s, six

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

s, a

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of musi ...

and

string trio A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cel ...

(both in A minor), stage works, a number of

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

works and other music, often alluding to his Breton heritage. Ropartz also published poetry.

Life

Ropartz was born in

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor (, ; ; br, Aodoù-an-Arvor, ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord ( br, Aodoù-an-Hanternoz, link=no, ), are a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

. He studied initially at

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departm ...

. In 1885 he entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as 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 ...

, studying under

Théodore Dubois Clément François Théodore Dubois (24 August 1837 – 11 June 1924) was a French Romantic composer, organist, and music teacher. After study at the Paris Conservatoire, Dubois won France's premier musical prize, the Prix de Rome in 1861. He bec ...

, then Jules Massenet, where he became a close friend of the young Georges Enesco. He later studied the organ under

César Franck César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in modern-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of his birth was p ...

. He was appointed director of the Nancy Conservatory (at the time a branch of the Paris Conservatory) from 1894 to 1919, where he established classes in viola in 1894, trumpet in 1895, harp and organ in 1897, then trombone in 1900. He also founded the season of symphonic concerts with the newly created orchestra of the Conservatory, ancestor of the

Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy The Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy is a French symphony orchestra based in the city of Nancy in the province of Lorraine, France. The orchestra consists of 66 musicians giving approximately 20 performances a year, mainly in the Opéra ...

. Ropartz was associated with the Breton cultural renaissance of the era, setting to music the words of Breton writers such as

Anatole Le Braz Anatole le Braz, the "Bard of Brittany" (2 April 1859 – 20 March 1926), was a Breton poet, folklore collector and translator. He was highly regarded amongst both European and American scholars, and known for his warmth and charm. Biography Le B ...

and

Charles Le Goffic Charles Le Goffic (14 July 1863 – 12 February 1932) was a Breton poet, novelist and historian whose influence was especially strong in his native Brittany. He was a member of the Académie française. Biography Born in Lannion, northern Bri ...

. He also supported Breton regional autonomy, joining the Breton Regionalist Union in 1898. He also was the Honorary President of the Association des Compositeurs Bretons that was founded in 1912. In the early stages of World War I his friend and fellow composer

Albéric Magnard Lucien Denis Gabriel Albéric Magnard (; 9 June 1865 – 3 September 1914) was a French composer, sometimes referred to as a "French Bruckner", though there are significant differences between the two composers. Magnard became a national hero in ...

was killed defending his house from German invaders. His house was destroyed, along with several musical manuscripts. Ropartz reconstituted from memory the orchestration of Magnard's opera '' Guercoeur'', which had been lost in the fire. From 1919 to 1929 Ropartz was director of the Strasbourg Conservatory, which he moved into the building of the former parliament of Alsace-Lorraine. At the same time he undertook the direction of the

Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg The Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra) is a French orchestra based in Strasbourg. It is one of the two permanent orchestras of the Opéra national du Rhin (the other being the Orchestre symphonique de Mulh ...

, influencing young students like Charles Munch. Elected in 1949 as a member of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

(5th section, musical composition), he succeeded Georges Hüe. Ropartz also served as a juror with

Florence Meyer Blumenthal Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875–1930) was an American philanthropist who founded the ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-American Florence Blumenthal Foundation),'' which awarded the Prix Blumenthal from 1919-1954 to paint ...

in awarding the

Prix Blumenthal The Prix Blumenthal (or ''Blumenthal Prize'') was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875–1930) – and the foundation she created, ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-Ame ...

, a grant given between 1919 and 1954 to young French painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians. He retired in 1929 and withdrew to his manor in Lanloup, Brittany. He continued to compose until 1953, when he became blind. He died in Lanloup in 1955.

Style

His musical style was influenced by

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 infl ...

and

. However he self-identified as a Celtic Breton, writing that he was the son of a country "where the goblins populate the moor and dance by the moony nights around the

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be fou ...

s; where the fairies and the enchanters - Viviane and Merlin - have as a field the forest of

Brocéliande Brocéliande, earlier known as Brécheliant and Brécilien, is a legendary enchanted forest that had a reputation in the medieval European imagination as a place of magic and mystery. Brocéliande is featured in several medieval texts, mostly ...

; where the spirits of the unburied dead appear all white above the waters of the Bay of the Departed." Shortly after Ropartz died, René Dumesnil wrote in ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'': "There is with Ropartz a science of folklore and its proper use, which one admires; but more often than the direct use of popular motifs it is an inspiration drawn from the same soil which nourishes the work, like sap in trees."''"Il y a chez Ropartz une science du folklore et de son utilisation juste qu'on admire ; mais plus souvent que l'emploi direct de motifs populaires c'est une inspiration puisée dans le terroir même qui nourrit l'œuvre, comme la sève les arbres."''

Compositions

Orchestral

* Symphonies: ** Symphony No. 1 «Sur un choral Breton» (1894/5) ** Symphony No. 2 in F minor (1900) ** Symphony No. 3 in E major for orchestra, choir and soloists (1905/6) ** Symphony No. 4 in C major (1910) ** Symphony No. 5 in G major (1945) * ''La Cloche des morts'' (1887) * ''Lamento'' for oboe and orchestra (1887) * ''Les Landes'' (1888) * ''Marche de fête'' (1888) * ''Cinq pièces brèves'' (1889) * ''Carnaval'' (1889) * ''Dimanche breton'', suite in 4 movements (1893) * Fantaisie en ré majeur (1897) * ''À Marie endormie'' (1912) * ''La Chasse du prince Arthur'' (1912) * ''Sons de cloches'' (1913) * ''Soir sur les chaumes'' (1913) * ''Rapsodie'' for cello and orchestra (1928) * ''Sérénade champêtre'' (1932) * ''Bourrées bourbonnaises'' (1939) * ''Petite symphonie en mi bémol majeur'' (1943) * ''Pastorales (1950)

Stage

* ''Fethlene'' (1887) * ''Pêcheur d'Islande'' (1893) * '' Le Pays'' (1912)

Chamber music

* six string quartets (1893 to 1949) * ''Andante et allegro'', for trumpet and piano (1903) * two cello sonatas (1904, 1919) * three violin sonatas (1907, 1917, 1927) * ''Pièce'' in E flat minor, for trombone and piano (1908) * ''Fantaisie brève sur le nom de Magnard'', for string quartet (1892) * Piano Trio in A minor (1918) * Two pieces for wind quintet (1924) * ''Prélude, Marine et Chansons'', for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp (1928) * Trio in A minor, for strings (1934–35) * ''Entratta et Scherzetto'', for wind trio (1936)

Sacred music

* ''Kyrie solennel'', for 4 soloists, choir and organ (1886) * ''Offertoire pascal'', for organ (1889) * ''Psaume 136: 'Super flumina Babylonis, for choir and orchestra (1897) * ''Cinq Motets'', for 4 mixed voices à cappella (1900) * ''Messe brève en l'honneur de Sainte Anne'', for three equal voices and organ (1921) * ''Messe en l'honneur de Sainte Odile'', for mixed chorus and organ (1923) * ''Messe 'Te Deum laudamus, for 3 mixed voices and organ (1926) * Requiem, for soloists, choir and orchestra (1938) * ''Salve Regina'', for mixed chorus and organ (1941) * ''Psaume 129: 'De profundis, for soloist, choir and orchestra (1942)

Vocal music

Voice and orchestra

* ''Trois Prières'' * ''La Fleur d'or'' * ''Sous bois''

Voice and piano

* ''Berceuse'' (1894) * ''4 Poèmes de l'intermezzo'' (1899) * ''Veilles de départ'' (1902) * ''Odelettes'' (1914) * ''Les Heures propices'' (1927) * ''La Mer'' * ''Amour d'hiver'' * ''Lied'' * ''Le Petit enfant'' * ''Sous bois'' * ''Rondel pour Jeanne'' * ''Rondel de miséricorde'' * ''Rondeau pour un délaissé de s'amye''

Choir

* ''Les Fileuses de Bretagne'', women's choir * ''Kyrie'' * ''Les vêpres sonnent'' (1927) * ''Nocturne'' (1926) * ''Dimanche'' (1911) * ''Le Miracle de saint Nicolas'' (1905)

Piano music

* ''Ouverture, variations et final'' (1904) * ''Choral varié'' (1904) * ''Nocturne No. 1'' (1911) * ''Dans l'ombre de la montagne'' (1913) * ''Nocturne No. 2'' (1916) * ''Nocturne No. 3'' (1916) * ''Scherzo'' (1916) * ''Musiques au jardin'' (1917) * ''Croquis d'été'' (1918) * ''Croquis d'automne'' (1929) * ''Jeunes filles'' (1929) * ''À la mémoire de Paul Dukas'' (1936)

Organ music

* ''Trois Pièces: Sur un thème Breton, Intermède, Fugue en mi mineur'' (1894) * ''Vêpres du commun des saints'' (1896) * ''6 Pièces pour grand orgue: Prélude funèbre, Prière, Sortie, Thème varié, Prière pour les trépasses, Fantasie'' (1896–1901) * ''Introduction et allegro moderato'' (1917) * ''Rapsodie sur deux Noëls populaires'' (1919) * ''Trois Méditations'' (1919) * ''Au pied de l'autel'' (100 pieces for harmonium) (1919)

Literary works

Ropartz was also a writer of literary works, notably poetry. In his youth he published three collections of verse influenced by the Symbolist movement. In 1889 he published with

Louis Tiercelin Louis Tiercelin (Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Il ...

''Le Parnasse Breton contemporain'', an anthology of Breton poetry of the second half of the 19th century. He also participated in ''la Revue l'Hermine'', which Tiercelin founded a short while later, in 1890.

Poems

* ''Adagiettos'' (1888) * ''Modes mineurs'' (1889) * ''Les Muances'' (1892)

References

External links

Association Guy Ropartz
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ropartz, Guy 1864 births 1955 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) 19th-century French composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century French composers 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French male musicians Breton musicians Conservatoire de Paris alumni French classical composers French male classical composers French male conductors (music) French male poets French opera composers French poets Male opera composers Members of the Académie des beaux-arts People from Guingamp Prix Blumenthal String quartet composers