Constant Pierre (24 August 1855 – 12 February 1918) was a French musicologist.Robert 2001

Early life and career as a bassoonist

Born Constant-Victor-Désiré Pierre in

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is home to many of the city's wealthiest residents. Passy was a commune on the outskirts of Paris. In 1658, hot springs were discovered around whic ...

, near Paris, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1878 and studied

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed 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 virtuo ...

, winning certificates of merit in 1880 (second) and 1881 (first). From 1878 to 1879 he played with the orchestras of the Folies Bergère, the Skating-Théâtre, and the Théâtre-Lyrique (at the Ventadour and the Gaîté). From 1881 to 1882 he played with the orchestras of the Folies-Dramatiques and the Théâtre de la Renaissance. Subsequently, he played with the orchestras of the

Opéra Comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

, the Théâtre de l'Odéon, and the Comédie-Française, among others.Pierre 1900
p. 879

Administrator and journalist

Pierre was a clerk in the Ministry of War from 1876 to 1880, and at the Paris Conservatory, beginning in 1881. He was an assistant secretary at the Conservatory from 1900 to 1910.Pierre 1900
p. 454
He also wrote for a number of music journals, including '' Le monde musical'', where he was also an editor, and received an award from the Société des Compositeurs in 1889 and the Bordin prize of the Institut de France in 1900 and 1905.

Musicologist

As a musicologist he published studies on the music of the French Revolution and the history of the Paris Conservatory up to 1900, which are still important sources of information concerning these subjects due to their thoroughness and accuracy. He died in Paris.

List of publications

* 1887: ''La ‘Marseillaise’: comparaison des différentes versions''. Paris: Lacombe. . * 1889: ''Histoire de l’orchestre de l’Opéra'' (manuscript in the Bibliothèque de l'Opéra) * 1890: ''La facture instrumentale à l’Exposition universelle de 1889''. Paris: Librairie de l'Art indépendant. . * 1893: ''Les facteurs d’instruments de musique, les luthiers et la facture instrumentale''. Paris: Sagot
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at the Internet Archive. * 1894: ''Le magasin de décors de l’Opéra rue Richer: son histoire (1781–1894)''. Paris: Bibliothèque de la Revue dramatique et musicale
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at Gallica. * 1894: "La musique à la fête du 14 juillet 1794", ''Revue dramatique et musicale'', vol. ii (1894), pp. 608–613. * 1895: ''B. Sarrette et les origines du Conservatoire national de musique et de déclamation''. Paris: Delalain Frères
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at Google Books. * 1895: ''L’école de chant de l’Opéra, 1672–1807''. Paris. . * 1895: ''Le Magasin de musique à l’usage des fêtes nationales et du Conservatoire''. Paris: Fischbacher
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at the Internet Archive. * 1898: ''Sur quelques hymnes et faits de la Révolution''. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale
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at Gallica. * 1899: "L'Hymne à l'Etre suprême enseigné au peuple par l'Institut national de musique", ''La Révolution française: revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine'', vol. xliii (1899), pp. 54–64. * 1899: ''Musique des fetes et ceremonies de la revolution francaise: Oeuvres de Gossec, Cherubini, Lesueur, Mehul, Catel, etc''. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale
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at the Internet Archive. * 1899: ''Notes inédites sur la musique de la Chapelle Royale (1532–1790)''. Paris: Bureau d'édition de la Schola cantorum. . * 1899: ''Histoire du Concert spirituel 1725–1790'' (manuscript at the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

). Published 1975, Paris: Société française de musicologie. . Internet resource: . * 1900: ''Le Conservatoire national de musique et de déclamation. Documents historiques et administratifs''. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale. 1031 pages
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at Google Books. * 1903: "Le Conservatoire National de Musique", ''Revue d'histoire et de critique musicales'', vol. iii (1903), pp. 313–334. * 1904: ''Les hymnes et chansons de la Révolution: aperçu général et catalogue avec notices''. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale
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at Gallica. * 1904: "Notes sur les chansons de la période révolutionnaire", ''Revue d'histoire et de critique musicales'', vol. iv (1904), pp. 179–186.

References

Notes Sources * Pierre, Constant, editor (1900). ''Le Conservatoire national de musique et de déclamation. Documents historiques et administratifs''. Paris: Imprimerie National. 1031 pages
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at Google Books. * Robert, Frédéric; Gribenski, Jean (2001). "Pierre, Constant (-Victor-Désiré)" in Sadie 2001. * Sadie, Stanley, editor; John Tyrell; executive editor (2001). '' The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. (hardcover). (eBook). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre, Constant 1855 births 1918 deaths Writers from Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni 19th-century French musicologists 20th-century French musicologists French male writers