Claude Rostand (3 December 1912 – 9 October 1970) was a French musicologist, musicographer and

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

Biography

While studying literature and law at the Sorbonne, Rostand studied piano,

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

and

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

in private at the Conservatoire de Paris with

Jacques Février Jacques Février (26 July 1900 – 2 September 1979) was a French pianist and teacher. Life and career Jacques Février was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the son of the composer Henry Février. He studied with Édouard Risler and Marguerit ...

, Norbert Dufourcq, Édouard Mignan and

Marc Vaubourgoin Jean Joseph Marc Vaubourgoin (19 March 1907 in Caudéran (today a western neighbourhood of Bordeaux) – 1 April 1983 in the 10th arrondissement of Paris) was a 20th-century French composer. Biography Marc Vaubourgoin's father, Julien Fernand ...

. A humanist, known for his great erudition, he entered as a music critic for the newspaper '' Le Monde'', the ''

Figaro littéraire ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...

'' and the magazine ''Carrefour''. He was also a French correspondent for the magazines ''Melos'' and ''Musical America'' as well as '' The New York Times''. A lecturer by the Jeunesses musicales de France, he participated in numerous programs at the ORTF and worked for various German radio stations. He gave a series of radio lectures under the title "Éphémérides de la musique contemporaine". In 1958, he organized concerts of contemporary music at the

Théâtre national populaire The Théâtre national populaire (French for ''People's National Theater'') is a theatre now at Villeurbanne, France. It was founded in 1920 by Firmin Gémier in Paris. Today, the TNP has a company of ten resident actors and the building is ...

under the name "Musique d’aujourd’hui". In 1961 he became vice-president of the ISCM ( International Society for Contemporary Music). In 1966, he directed a film on

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...

for Baden-Baden television. Open to all kinds of music, Claude Rostand was particularly interested in the study of the 1800s and the avant-garde music of the 1900s.

Writings

*1945: ''L’œuvre de

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 ...

'' *1945: ''Petit guide de l’auditeur de musique: les chefs-d’œuvre du piano'' *1952: ''Petit guide de l’auditeur de musique: les chefs-d’œuvre de la musique de chambre'' *1952: ''La Musique française contemporaine'' *1952: ''Avec Darius Milhaud: Entretiens avec Claude Rostand'' *1954: ''Avec

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

: Entretiens avec Claude Rostand'' *1954–5: '' Brahms'' *1957: ''L'oeuvre de

Pierre-Octave Ferroud Pierre-Octave Calixte Ferroud (6 January 1900 – 17 August 1936)K.S. (2003). was a French composer of classical music. Life Ferroud was born in Chasselay, Rhône, near Lyon. He went to Lyon, to Strasbourg (for military service from 1920-2) w ...

: catalogue'' *1957: ''

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

'' *1959: ''Avec Igor Markevitch: Entretiens avec Claude Rostand'' *1960: '' Liszt'', Éditions du Seuil, series ''Solfèges'', #15 *1960: '' La musique allemande'' *1964: ''

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

: l’homme et son œuvre'' *1967: ''

Hugo Wolf Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf (13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Ro ...

'' *1969: '' Anton Webern'' *1970: ''Dictionnaire de la musique contemporaine'' In addition, Claude Rostand participated in several collective publications: *1960–1963: ''Histoire de la musique'' dein the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade *1963: ''Stravinski'', collective work *1965–66: ''La musique sérielle d'aujourd'hui'', in an investigation led by André Boucourechliev *1970: ''Schumann'', collective work.

Prix Claude Rostand

Every year, the professional syndicate of theater, music and dance critics presents its Grands Prix, which distinguishes the shows and artistic personalities that marked the season. The "Prix Claude-Rostand" rewards a lyrical production.

Bibliography

* Yvonne Tiénot. "Rostand, Claude." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 29 Jun. 2011
ISCM
site de l’''International Society for Contemporary Music''.

Biography

Writings

Prix Claude Rostand

Bibliography

External links