Robert Lannoy (18 June 1915 – June 1979) was a French composer, second Prize of 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 ...

in 1946. He was then director of the

Conservatoire de Lille The Conservatoire de Lille is a music school in Lille, France. Founded in 1803, it was originally set out as a music conservatory, later branching out into theatre and dance in the second half of the 20th century. The conservatory took the place ...

for 33 years, until his death.

Life

Born in

Saint-Amand-les-Eaux Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (; former nl, Sint-Amands-aan-de-Skarpe, link=no) is a commune in the Nord department, northern France. It lies on the river Scarpe, 12 km northwest of Valenciennes. In French, the town people are named ''Amandinois ...

, Nord department of France in a family of

carillonneur A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

s, Lannoy was quickly introduced to the bell tradition. He began his musical studies at the Conservatory of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

where he studied

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 ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and

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 ...

with master Fernand Lamy. He was accepted at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

and obtained the supreme awards in the writing classes. He presented himself in vain for the first time for the

in 1938. During his studies at the conservatory, he was also a soldier-musician in the 5th Line Infantry Regiment of

Courbevoie Courbevoie () is a commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is in the suburbs of the city of Paris, from the center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the city limits of Par ...

. Lannoy was taken prisoner at the beginning of the Second World War and remained so for 5 years despite a few escapes. Sent to Czechoslovakia, he escaped but could not resist visiting

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

, the city of

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and was retaken. Sent to Ukraine, in the disciplinary camp of

Rawa Ruska Rava-Ruska (, translit. ''Rava-Rus'ka''; ; , Rave) is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is a border town between Ukraine and Poland. The border checkpoint is situated west of the city, along the international autoroute ...

, he attempted another escape in 1942, which led to his internment at the citadel of

Lemberg Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

. Then sent to Austria in 1943 in a Stalag, he was appointed

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

and organized orchestras, choirs and even a ballet-mime, ''Pygmalion'', played by prisoners in Poland. He was rewarded for these facts by the

médaille de la Résistance The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

, the medal of and the Escapees' Medal. Freed by the American army, he returned to Paris in 1945. At the request of the Americans, he composed the music for the documentary film ''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

'', recounting the return of prisoners after the Second World War and directed by

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as cap ...

. For the radio, and at the request of

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

, he composed ''La légende des pays alliés'' by

Louise de Vilmorin Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

He competed again for the

in 1946 and obtained a second major prize, which earned him the position of director of the

. It was during this period that he married pianist Lola Delwarde, who had a brilliant career as a concert pianist. He conducted many concerts and introduced a whole generation of Lille students to music. Lannoy died in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

in June 1979.

Works

Chamber music

Wind Quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the in ...

- (2 bassoons) - 1936 * Wind Quintet ''Sinfonietta'' - 1946 *

String quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

''Lamento'' * Piece for harp and string quartet - ''Mort de Roger Salengro'' * ''Deux virelais du Moyen âge'' - Soprano, flute, clarinet and viola - 1944 * ''Ballade de l'épinette amoureuse'' - Four female voices, oboe, English horn, Bb clarinet and bassoon - 1937

Voice

Voice and piano

* ''Il pleut doucement sur la ville'' - Concerto grosso - juin 1932 * ''Tristesse de banlieue'' - Concours des Rosatis - 1934 * ''Vision de Saül'' - March 1939 * 2 melodies on a poem by

Francis Carco Francis Carco (born François Carcopino-Tusoli) (1886–1958) was a French author, born at Nouméa, New Caledonia. He was a poet, belonging to the ''Fantaisiste'' school, a novelist, a dramatist, and art critic for ''L'Homme libre'' and ''Gil Blas ...

- 1941 * Song for soprano and piano - text by

Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize i ...

- May 1946 * Vocalise for soprano and piano - June 1951 * ''Aimer'' - voix et piano - poem by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

* ''Chanson de Silvio'' - voice and piano * ''Danièle, fille de Dieu'' - voice and instrumental ensemble - October 1952

Choir

* ''Pierrot gamin'' - choir with 4 mixed voices and piano - text by

Verlaine Verlaine (; wa, Verlinne) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km2 which gives a population density Population d ...

- 1938 * ''Esquisse de soir de bataille'' - choir and orchestra or 2 pianos on a text by

José-Maria de Heredia José-Maria de Heredia (22 November 1842 – 3 October 1905) was a Cuban-born French Parnassian poet. He was the fifteenth member elected for seat 4 of the Académie française in 1894. Biography Early years Heredia was born at Fortuna C ...

- 1939 * ''Pleine nuit'' (esquisse) - choir and orchestra - Courbevoie - 1939 * ''Le soir devant Sybaris'' - choir and orchestra - 1939 * ''Hortense, couches-toi'' - piano and men's choir after

Courteline Georges Courteline born Georges Victor Marcel Moinaux (25 June 1858 – 25 June 1929) was a French dramatist and novelist, a satirist notable for his sharp wit and cynical humor. Biography His family moved from Tours in Indre-et-Loire to Pari ...

- September 1941 * Arrangements for choir and orchestra of ''L'amour de moy'', ''Marche des soldats de Turenne'', ''Roule donc'', ''J'aimerai bien apprendre au monde'' - Camp de Rawa - Ruska - 1942 * ''Chant des déportés'' (arrangement and orchestration) - 1943 * ''Le jeu de l'amour et du hasard'' - one-act cantata - 1st Second Grand Prix de Rome - June 1946 * ''Les prophéties'' - oratorio for narrator, choir and orchestra (commissioned by the State) - April 1961 * ''Sanctus'' - male voices and organ for the Choral of the XXX -

Wormhout Wormhout (; before 1975: ''Wormhoudt''; vls, Wormout) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Several people in Wormhout still speak West Flemish, a local dialect of Dutch and the traditional language of the region, while French ...

- August 1973 * ''Sanctus'' - mixed choir and

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

Operetta

* ''Farce du mari fondu''

Orchestra

* Concerto grosso - January 1938 - for string orchestra and timpani * Cantilène et danse pastorale - Christmas 1943 - for orchestra ( captivity in Austria) * ''Le Retour'' - January 1945 - Music for Henri Cartier-Bresson's film - Released in Paris on January 24, 1946 at the Champs-Élysées cinema. He made a symphonic suite of it in January 1954. * ''Lamento ukrainien'' - Christmas 1948 - State commission - A version for string quartet and a version for chamber orchestra and timpani. * ''Campanile'' - February 1951 - Prelude for orchestra * ''Le Roman de la rose'' - March 1951 - Ballet mime for chamber orchestra (Mont Cassel) * ''Les Prophéties'' - April 1961 - State commission - Oratorio for narrator, choir and symphony orchestra.

Music for chimes

* ''Ballet des petits canards'' * ''Prélude N°1'' * ''Prélude N°2''

External links

Official website

(Musica et Memoria)

Discography
(

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

)
Biography
(musiques-regenerees.fr) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lannoy, Robert 1915 births 1979 deaths 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians Carillonneurs Conservatoire de Paris alumni French classical composers French male classical composers French prisoners of war in World War II People from Nord (French department) Prix de Rome for composition Recipients of the Resistance Medal