Soissons
Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...
,
Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
of
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
, and a
tenor saxophonist
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
.
Education
Lacour started musical studies at 10 years old in his home city of Soissons. He joined local orchestras and earned his diploma from the ''Confédération Musicale de France''. He then attended the conservatory in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
where he studied with Marcel Josse. He entered the ''Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique'' in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1950 and studied
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
with
Marcel Mule
Marcel Mule (24 June 1901 – 18 December 2001) was a French classical saxophonist. He was known worldwide as one of the great classical saxophonists, and many pieces were written for him, premiered by him, and arranged by him. Many of these piec ...
and
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
with
Fernand Oubradous
Fernand Oubradous (12 February 1903 – 6 January 1986) was a French bassoonist, conductor and composer. Born in Paris, he studied in his native city with André Bloch André Bloch may refer to:
*André Bloch (composer) (1873–1960), French comp ...
.
Career
After finishing his studies, he became a pop saxophonist and played in four leading groups of that time, performing in leading music halls, cabarets and variety shows (Lido, Moulin-Rouge, Folies Bergère, etc.). He remained a classical saxophonist, however, performing in symphony orchestras in concerts, on the radio, and in the opera. In 1961 he joined the famous Marcel Mule Saxophone Quartet as its tenor saxophonist.'' Sax,
Mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
& Co'',
Jean-Pierre Thiollet
Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist.
Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...
, H & D, 2004, p.141-142 This led to concerts and recording sessions with the
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
History
The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...
under
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...
, the
Orchestre de Paris
The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris.
History
In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Co ...
under
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...
as a soloist. After leaving the Marcel Mule Quartet, he was a member for several years of the ''Ensemble de Saxophones Français''.
His teaching career began in 1975. He taught saxophone in several conservatories around Paris. He became a professor at the ''Ecole Nationale de Musique Edgar Varèse'' in
Gennevilliers
Gennevilliers () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 46,907.
History
On 9 April 1929, one-fifth of the ...
,
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a Departments of France, département in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, Northern France. It covers Paris's western inner Banlieue, suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the e ...
, France and in the same year was named Director of the ''Conservatoire Municipal de
Mantes-la-Ville
Mantes-la-Ville () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.
Mantes-la-Ville is located at the confluence of the Seine and the ...
'',
Yvelines
Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.
He served on the juries at saxophone performance contests. He was a founding member of the ''Association des Saxophonistes de France'', and was later appointed an "emeritus member". He became a technical consultant and instrument tester for the Selmer saxophone firm in Mantes-la-Ville.
In 1992 he ended all other activities to concentrate on composition. His first composition was back in 1963. Many of his later pieces have become standard repertoire and required pieces at saxophone performance competitions worldwide.
Compositions
*1972 ''Hommage to Jacques Ibert'' (
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
and
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
)
*1971 ''Suite en duo pour 2 Saxophones ou 2 hautbois ou 2 clarinettes'' (2 saxophones, 2
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
s, or 2
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
s)
*# Allegro
*# Aria
*# Petite Fugue
*# Largo puis Scherzetto
*''Belle époque''
*''Chanson Modale'' (
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
and
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
)
*''Deux SI, Deux La'' (flute and piano)
*''Divertissement'' (alto saxophone and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
)
*''Double Jeu'' (
soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...
and
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
duet)
*''Juste au cor'' (
French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
and piano)
*''Méditation'' (saxophone ensemble: sopranino ad lib, SSAAATTTBB,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
ad lib)
*''Moments partagés'' (2 clarinets)
*''Noctilène''
*''Pièce Concertante'' (alto or tenor saxophone and orchestra)
*''Quatuor Helios'' (flute quartet or flute plus string trio)
*''Quatuor pour Saxophones'' (
saxophone quartet
A saxophone quartet is a musical ensemble composed of four saxophones, typically soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Different saxophone family members are employed to provide a larger range and a variety of tone colours. Other arrangeme ...
)
*# Elegie
*# Scherzo
*# Rondo Final
* 2000 "Entrelacs" pour Flute and alto Saxophone (A Marianne HUARD et Daniel GREMELLE)
* 2011 "Dualités" pour Alto Saxophone et Piano (À Kenneth Tse)
Teaching literature and study material
*2002 ''28 études-impromptus'' sur les modes à transpositions limitées d'
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 ...
pour trompette
*''24 Easy Atonal Etudes'' for saxophone
*''56 Etudes Récréatives pour Saxophone'' (in 2 volumes)
*''28 Etudes sur les Modes d'Olivier Messiaen'' for saxophone
*''50 Etudes Faciles & Progressives Cahier 1''
*''50 Etudes Faciles & Progressives Cahier 2''
*''100 Dèchiffrages Manuscrits''
*''12 Esquisses''
*''8 études brillantes pour saxophone ''
*''22 Dodecaprices'' pour Bassoon
*''22 Dodécaphonies'' pour Bassoon