Coordinates: 48°53′20″N 2°23′27″E

Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris (French: [kɔ̃sɛʁvatwaʁ də
paʁi]), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college Conservatoire de Paris
of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire national supérieur de
Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de musique et de danse de Paris
Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue (CNSDMP)
Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France.
The Conservatoire offers instruction in music and dance,
drawing on the traditions of the 'French School'.

Formerly the conservatory also included drama, but in 1946

that division was moved into a separate school, the
Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique
(CNSAD), for acting, theatre and drama. Today the
conservatories operate under the auspices of the Ministry of
Culture and Communication and are associate members of
Current home of the CNSMDP
PSL University.[2] The CNSMDP is also associated with the
Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse Type Grande école
de Lyon (CNSMDL). Established 1795
Affiliation PSL University
Director Émilie Delorme[1]
Contents Address 209 avenue Jean-
History Jaurès, Paris, Île-de-
École Royale de Chant France, 75019,
Institut National de Musique France
Founding of the Conservatoire Campus Urban
Paris Conservatoire Traditions for Flute Website www
Salle des Concerts du Conservatoire .conservatoiredeparis
Library .fr/en/accueil/ (http://
Bourbon Restoration www.conservatoirede
Instrument museum paris.fr/en/accueil/)
Franco-Prussian War and the Third Republic
Gabriel Fauré
The modern era
CNSAD
CNSMDP
Notable people
See also
Notes
Bibliography
External links
History

École Royale de Chant

On 3 December 1783 Papillon de la Ferté, intendant of the
Menus-Plaisirs du Roi, proposed that Niccolò Piccinni
should be appointed director of a future École Royale de
Chant (Royal School of Singing). The school was instituted
by a decree of 3 January 1784 and opened on 1 April with
the composer François-Joseph Gossec as the provisional
director. Piccinni refused the directorship, but did join the Former Conservatoire building (until
faculty as a professor of singing. The new school was located 1911) in the 9th arrondissement of
in buildings adjacent to the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs at the Paris, which now houses the CNSAD
junction of the rue Bergère and the rue du Faubourg (48.873074°N 2.347001°E)

Poissonnière.[3][4] In June, a class in dramatic declamation

was added, and the name was modified to École Royale de Chant et de Déclamation.[5]

Institut National de Musique

In 1792, Bernard Sarrette created the École Gratuite de la Garde
Nationale, which in the following year became the Institut National
de Musique. The latter was also installed in the facilities of the
former Menus-Plaisirs on the rue Bergère[3] and was responsible
for the training of musicians for the National Guard bands, which
were in great demand for the enormous, popular outdoor
gatherings put on by the revolutionary government after the Reign
of Terror.[4]

Founding of the Conservatoire

On 3 August 1795, the government combined the École Royale with
the Institut National de Musique, creating the Conservatoire de
Musique under the direction of Sarrette. The combined
organization remained in the facilities on the rue Bergère. The first Site plan (1836) of the
351 pupils commenced their studies in October 1796.[4][6] Menus-Plaisirs, the Concert
Hall, and the Conservatoire
By 1800, the staff of the Conservatory included some of the most
important names in music in Paris, including, besides Gossec, the
composers Luigi Cherubini, Jean-François Le Sueur, Étienne Méhul, and Pierre-Alexandre
Monsigny, as well as the violinists Pierre Baillot, Rodolphe Kreutzer, and Pierre Rode.[4]

Paris Conservatoire Traditions for Flute

The tradition of the final or exit examination, the concours, has required students, at the end of
their course of study, to perform in public a prepared set of musical pieces for a jury consisting
of the professors and internationally renowned professionals on the particular instrument, the
composer of the solo de concours, and the Director. Behind closed doors, the candidates would
be given additional tasks to perform such as sight-reading. In the 20th century, the candidates
were judged against a standard, and those who demonstrated outstanding mastery and artistry
receive the Premier Prix, the equivalent of a diploma with high honor. Those who earned
Deuxieme Prix, also received a diploma but could elect to remain to try again a year later for the
top prize. Two lesser levels of distinction existed, the Premier Accessit and Deuxieme Accessit,
equivalent to Honorable Mentions but without a diploma. Historically, students who failed to
pass the exam on the first attempt would return for another one to two years additional study
and try a second time. A student failing to earn either level diploma after two additional
attempts would be terminated from the program.[7]

Salle des Concerts du Conservatoire

A concert hall, designed by the architect François-Jacques
Delannoy,[8] was inaugurated on 7 July 1811.[9] The hall, which
still exists today, was in the shape of a U (with the orchestra at
the straight end). It held an audience of 1055.[10] The acoustics
were generally regarded as superb. The French composer and
conductor Antoine Elwart described it as the Stradivarius of
concert halls.[11]
A concert in March 1843
In 1828 François Habeneck, a professor of violin and head of
the Conservatory's orchestra, founded the Société des Concerts
du Conservatoire (forerunner of the Orchestre de Paris). The Society held concerts in the hall
almost continuously until 1945, when it moved to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.[12] The
French composer Hector Berlioz premiered his Symphonie Fantastique in the conservatory's
hall on 5 December 1830 with an orchestra of more than a hundred players.[9]

Library

The original library was created by Sarrette in 1801.[13]

After the construction of the concert hall, the library
moved to a large room above the entrance vestibule.[14]
In the 1830s, Berlioz became a part-time curator in the
Conservatory library and was the librarian from 1852
until his death in 1869, but never held a teaching
position. He was succeeded as librarian by Félicien
David.[4]

Library, 1895
Bourbon Restoration
Sarrette was dismissed on 28 December 1814, after the Bourbon Restoration, but was reinstated
on 26 May 1815, after Napoleon's return to power during the Hundred Days. However, after
Napoleon's fall, Sarrette was finally compelled to retire on 17 November.[13] The school was
closed in the first two years of the Bourbon Restoration, during the reign of Louis XVIII, but
reopened in April 1816 as the École Royale de Musique, with François-Louis Perne as its
director.[4] In 1819, François Benoist was appointed professor of organ.[10]

Probably the best known director in the 19th century was Luigi Cherubini, who took over on 1
April 1822 and remained in charge until 8 February 1842. Cherubini maintained high standards
and his staff included teachers such as François-Joseph Fétis, Habeneck, Fromental Halévy, Le
Sueur, Ferdinando Paer, and Anton Reicha.[4]

Cherubini was succeeded by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber in 1842.

Under Auber, composition teachers included Adolphe Adam, Halévy,
and Ambroise Thomas; piano teachers, Louise Farrenc, Henri Herz, and
Antoine François Marmontel; violin teachers, Jean-Delphin Alard and
Charles Dancla; and cello teachers, Pierre Chevillard and Auguste
Franchomme.[4]

In 1852, Camille Urso, who studied with Lambert Massart, became the
first female student to win a prize on violin.[15]

Instrument museum Camille Urso

The Conservatory Instrument Museum, founded in 1861, was formed

from the instrument collection of Louis Clapisson.[4][16] The French music historian Gustave
Chouquet became the curator of the museum in 1871 and did much to expand and upgrade the
collection.[16]

Franco-Prussian War and the Third Republic

In the Franco-Prussian War, during the siege of Paris (September 1870 – January 1871), the
Conservatory was used as a hospital. On 13 May 1871, the day after Auber's death, the leaders of
the Paris Commune appointed Francisco Salvador-Daniel as the director – however Daniel was
shot and killed ten days later by the troops of the French Army. He was replaced by Ambroise
Thomas, who remained in the post until 1896. Thomas's rather conservative directorship was
vigorously criticized by many of the students, notably Claude Debussy.[4]

During this period César Franck was ostensibly the organ

teacher, but was actually giving classes in composition. His
classes were attended by several students who were later to
become important composers, including Ernest Chausson,
Guy Ropartz, Guillaume Lekeu, Charles Bordes, and Vincent
d'Indy.[4]

Théodore Dubois succeeded Thomas after the latter's death

in 1896. Professors included Charles-Marie Widor, Gabriel
Fauré, and Charles Lenepveu for composition, Alexandre
Piano class of Charles de Bériot in
Guilmant for organ, Paul Taffanel for flute, and Louis 1895 with Maurice Ravel on the left
Diémer for piano.[4]
Gabriel Fauré
Lenepveu had been expected to succeed Dubois as director,
but after the "Affaire Ravel" in 1905, Ravel's teacher Gabriel
Fauré became director. Le Courrier Musical (15 June 1905)
wrote: "Gabriel Fauré is an independent thinker: that is to
say, there is much we can expect from him, and it is with joy
that we welcome his nomination."[17]

Fauré appointed forward-thinking representatives (such as

Debussy, Paul Dukas, and André Messager) to the governing Fauré in the Director's Office at the
council, loosened restrictions on repertoire, and added Conservatoire, 1918
conducting and music history to the courses of study.
Widor's composition students during this period included
Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, and Germaine Tailleferre. Other students included Lili
Boulanger and Nadia Boulanger. New to the staff were Alfred Cortot for piano and Eugène
Gigout for organ.[4]

The modern era

The Conservatory moved to facilities at 14 rue de Madrid in
1911.[4]

Henri Rabaud succeeded Fauré in 1920 and served until

April 1941. Notable students were Olivier Messiaen, Jean
Langlais, and Jehan Alain. Staff included Dukas and Jean
Roger-Ducasse for composition, Marcel Dupré for organ,
Marcel Moyse for flute, and Claire Croiza for singing.[4] The CNSMDP new building at the
Cité de la Musique.
Like all institutions in Paris, the Conservatoire was ruled by
Nazi Germany and the collaborationist Vichy government
during the Occupation of France of 1940–1944. Under the regime's antisemitic policies,
Conservatoire administrators alternated between actively collaborating to purge the school of
Jewish students (in the case of Rabaud) or working to conceal and protect Jewish students and
faculty (in the case of Rabaud's successor, Claude Delvincourt).[18]

Delvincourt was director from 1941 until his death in an automobile accident in 1954.
Delvincourt was a progressive administrator, adding classes in harpsichord, saxophone,
percussion, and the Ondes Martenot. Staff included Milhaud for composition and Messiaen for
analysis and aesthetics. In 1946, the dramatic arts were transferred to a separate institution
(CNSAD). Delvincourt was succeeded by Dupré in 1954, Raymond Loucheur in 1956, Raymond
Gallois-Montbrun in 1962, Marc Bleuse in 1984, and Alain Louvier in 1986. Plans to move the
Conservatory of Music and Dance to more modern facilities in the Parc de la Villette were
initiated under Bleuse and completed under Louvier. It opened as part of the Cité de la Musique
in September 1990.[4]

After over two centuries of male directors, Émilie Delorme, for a decade director of the
European Academy of Music (French: Académie européenne de musique) at the Aix-en-
Provence Festival, was appointed as the Conservatoire's first woman director on 14 December
2019.[1][19] Currently, the conservatories train more than 1,200 students in structured
programs, with 350 professors in nine departments.

CNSAD
Heir of the original Paris Conservatoire building, the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art
Dramatique (CNSAD) (National Superior Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts) is the
conservatory for acting, drama, and theatre, known by its acronym CNSAD. It is located in the
original historic building of the Conservatoire de Paris on the rue du Conservatoire at rue
Sainte-Cécile in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Free public performances by students at the
CNSAD are given frequently in the Conservatoire's theatre.

CNSMDP
The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) (National
Superior Conservatory of Paris for Music and Dance) is a separate conservatory for music and
dance. The French government built its new campus in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. It was
designed by Christian de Portzamparc.

The organ on site was built in 1991 by the Austrian Rieger Orgelbau firm. It has 53 stops on 3
manuals and pedals. A larger organ of over 7,000 pipes with 91 stops was made in 2015 by the
same company for the symphony hall of the nearby Philharmonie de Paris.

Notable people
A listing of former students can be found at List of former students of the Conservatoire de
Paris
A listing of former teachers can be found at List of former teachers at the Conservatoire de
Paris

See also
École Normale de Musique de Paris
Prix de Rome

Notes
1. Emilie Delorme, première femme nommée à la tête du Conservatoire de Paris (https://www.l
emonde.fr/culture/article/2019/12/14/emilie-delorme-premiere-femme-nommee-a-la-tete-du-
conservatoire-de-paris_6022887_3246.html) [Emilie Delorme, first woman nominated as
head of the Conservatoire de Pari], Le Monde (in French) 14 December 2019. Archived (htt
ps://web.archive.org/web/20191214162224/https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2019/12/1
4/emilie-delorme-premiere-femme-nommee-a-la-tete-du-conservatoire-de-paris_6022887_3
246.html) from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
2. "Associés" (https://www.psl.eu/ecoles-et-instituts?type=associés), PSL website.
3. Prod'homme & Crauzat 1929, pp. 67–74.
4. Simeone 2000, pp. 214–217, "Conservatoire de Musique".
5. Chouquet 1900, p. 391 (https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofmusi01grovuoft#page/391/mo
de/1up).
 de/1up).
6. Pierre 1895, pp. 179–182 (https://books.google.com/books?id=lugsAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA179).
7. Colgin, Melissa. "The Paris Conservatoire Concours Tradition and the Solos de Concours
for Flute 1955-1990." D.M.A. Treatise, University of Texas at Austin, 1992.
8. Brault & Du Bois 1893, p. 53 (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433065881025?urlappend=
%3Bseq=79).
9. Simeone 2000, pp. 183–184, "Salle de l'Ancien Conservatoire".
10. Charlton et al 2001.
11. Holoman 2004, p. 72.
12. Holoman 2004, pp. 3, 85; Pierre 1900, p. 771 (https://books.google.com/books?id=MXAJAQ
AAMAAJ&pg=PA771).
13. Chouquet 1900, p. 392 (https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofmusi01grovuoft#page/392/mo
de/1up).
14. Prod'homme & Crauzat 1929, pp. 120–121.
15. Le Ménestrel (2 August 1903), p. 243 (http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5782991f/f3.imag
e).
16. Fétis 1878, vol. 1, pp. 181–182 (https://books.google.com/books?id=QwYVAAAAQAAJ&pg=
PA181), "Chouquet (Adolphe-Gustave)".
17. Quoted and translated by Simeone 2000, p. 216.
18. Fancourt, Daisy. "The Paris Conservatoire" (http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/resistance-and-exi
le/french-resistance/the-paris-conservatoire/). Music and the Holocaust. Retrieved
15 January 2021.
19. "The Académie – A Thousand and One Stories for a Twenty-Year Adventure" (https://festival
-aix.com/en/festival-daix/academie/academie-thousand-and-one-stories-twenty-year-advent
ure) at the Aix-en-Provence Festival website.

Bibliography
Brault, Élie; Du Bois, Alexandre, editor (1893). Les Architectes par leurs œuvres, volume 3
(at HathiTrust) (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433065881025?urlappend=%3Bseq=7).
Paris: H. Laurens. Notice bibliographique (https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb30156206n),
BnF.
Charlton, David; Trevitt, John; Gosselin, Guy (2001). "Paris. VI. 1789–1870" in The New
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition, edited by Stanley Sadie. London:
Macmillan. ISBN 9781561592395 (hardcover). OCLC 419285866 (https://www.worldcat.org/
oclc/419285866) (eBook).
Chouquet, Gustave (1900). "Conservatoire de Musique" in A Dictionary of Music and
Musicians, edited by George Grove. London: Macmillan. Copy at Wikisource.
Fétis, François-Joseph (1878). Biographie universelle des musiciens, supplement in two
volumes by Arthur Pougin. Paris: Didot. Vols. 1 (https://books.google.com/books?id=QwYVA
AAAQAAJ&pg=PP7) and 2 (https://books.google.com/books?id=vdsuAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP11)
at Google Books.
Holoman, D. Kern (2004). The Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, 1828–1967.
Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520236646.
Pierre, Constant, editor (1895). B. Sarrette et les origines du Conservatoire national de
musique et de déclamation. Paris: Delalain Frères. Copy (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=lugsAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA9) at Google Books.
Pierre, Constant, editor (1900). Le Conservatoire national de musique et de déclamation.
Documents historiques et administratifs. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale. 1031 pages. View (htt
 ps://books.google.com/books?id=MXAJAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR3#v=onepage&q&f=false) at
Google Books.
Prod'homme, Jacques-Gabriel; Crauzat, E. de (1929). Les Menus Plaisirs du Roi. L'école
royale et le Conservatoire de musique. Paris: Delagrave. OCLC 842136603 (https://www.wo
rldcat.org/oclc/842136603).
Simeone, Nigel (2000). Paris – A Musical Gazetteer. New Haven: Yale University Press.
ISBN 9780300080537.

External links
CNSAD website (http://www.cnsad.fr/)
CNSMDP website {English} (http://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/en/accueil/)
Effects of the Bologna Declaration on Professional Music Training in Europe (https://web.arc
hive.org/web/20050930231109/http://aec.cramgo.nl/)
European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) (http://www.aec-music.eu)
Les enseignants – List of teachers and accompanists at the Conservatoire de Paris (https://
web.archive.org/web/20110310114029/http://conservatoiredepa.ecritel.net/fr/enseignants_re
sultats.php)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Conservatoire_de_Paris&oldid=1043583672"

This page was last edited on 10 September 2021, at 21:07 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.