Noël Jean-Charles André Gallon (; 11 September 1891 – 26 December 1966) was a French

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 def ...

and music educator. His compositional output includes several choral works and vocal art songs, 10 preludes, a ''Toccata'' for

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, a ''Sonata'' for

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

and

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

, a ''Fantasy'' for piano 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: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, an ''Orchestral Suite'', and the lyrical drama ''Paysans et Soldats'' (1911).

Biography

Born 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 ...

' 6th arrondissement, Gallon was the younger brother of composer Jean Gallon with whom he studied

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1910 he won the

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 ...

with the cantata ''Acis et Galathée''. In 1920 he joined the faculty of the conservatoire as a professor of

solfège In music, solfège (British English or American English , ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a mnemonic used in teaching aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, W ...

. He began teaching

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

at the school in 1926. His many notable students include such well-known composers as Claude Arrieu, Tony Aubin, Jocelyne Binet, Gerd Boder, Paul Bonneau, Pierre Dervaux, Maurice Duruflé, Henri Dutilleux, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Lukas Foss, Jean Hubeau, Paul Kuentz,

Paule Maurice Paule Charlotte Marie Jeanne Maurice (29 September 1910 – 18 August 1967) was a French composer. Life and career Maurice was born in Paris to Raoul Auguste Alexandre Maurice and Marguerite Jeanne Lebrun. Registration lists at the Conservato ...

, Xian Xinghai,

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 ...

, Pedro Ipuche Riva, Denise Roger, and René Saorgin. He died in Paris.

References

1891 births 1966 deaths French classical organists 20th-century French classical composers Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni French opera composers French male classical composers Prix de Rome for composition Musicians from Paris Recipients of the Legion of Honour 20th-century French organists 20th-century French male musicians French male classical organists {{France-composer-stub