Yves Marie-Édouard Devernay (
Tourcoing
Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a Communes of France, commune within the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), ...
9 May 1937 – Tourcoing 10 December 1990) was a 20th-century French
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
,
improviser
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
and
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 ...
.
Biography
First a pupil of
Jeanne Joulain
Jeanne Angèle Desirée Yvonne Joulain (22 July 1920 – 1 February 2010) was a French organist, concertist and music educator.
Biography
Born in Amiens, Joulain's first contact with music was made thanks to her musician parents. Her father, a t ...
at the
Roubaix
Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th century ...
conservatory, in 1958 he joined
Rolande Falcinelli
Rolande Roberte Ginabat-Falcinelli (18 February 1920 – 11 June 2006) was a French organist, pianist, composer, and music educator.
Biography
Rolande Falcinelli (born Ginabat), the grandniece of Marcel Falcinelli and granddaughter of Louis N ...
's class 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 ...
, after spending one year in the
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 ...
Conservatory. Laureate of the Organ Prize in 1961, he also studied briefly with
Marie-Claire Alain
Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the world ...
and won several international competitions, including the in 1971, tied with
Daniel Roth.
A professor of organ at the conservatories of Roubaix and Valenciennes, he was also a virtuoso organist with a great technique combined with an undeniable talent for improvisation. Appointed in 1985 co-titular of the organs of
Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...
alongside
Olivier Latry
Olivier Jean-Claude Latry (born 22 February 1962) is a French organist, improviser, and composer. He is professor of organ in the Conservatoire de Paris.
He became interested in the organ after listening to recordings by Pierre Cochereau. His ...
,
Philippe Lefèbvre and
Jean-Pierre Leguay
Jean-Pierre Leguay (born 4 July 1939 in Dijon) is a French organist, composer and improviser. He studied with André Marchal, Gaston Litaize, Rolande Falcinelli (organ), Simone Plé-Caussade (counterpoint), and Olivier Messiaen (composition), ...
, following
Pierre Cochereau
Pierre Eugène Charles Cochereau (9 July 1924 – 6 March 1984) was a French organist, improviser, composer, and pedagogue.
Cochereau was titular organist of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1955 to his death in 1984 and was responsible ...
's death, He was also titular organist of the from 1965.
He died of a heart attack in 1990.
On 10 December 2010, a plaque was affixed at the entrance of the cemetery of the town of
Mouvaux
Mouvaux (; nl, Mouvouw) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Population
Heraldry
Twin towns – sister cities
Mouvaux is twinned with:
* Buckingham, England, United Ki ...
, where he rests.
La Voix du Nord
/ref>
During 40 years, his uncle Édouard Devernay played the organ of the Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church in Trouville-sur-Mer
Trouville-sur-Mer (, literally ''Trouville on Sea''), commonly referred to as Trouville, is a city of 4,603 inhabitants in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Trouville-sur-Mer borders Deauville across the Ri ...
(Calvados
Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears.
History In France
Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...
) from 1912 to 1952).
Works
* Several pieces for choir and organ
* 2 concertos for organ and orchestra
* ''Ballade'' for oboe and organ
* ''Dialogue'' for piano and organ
Bibliography
* ''In Mémoriam Yves Devernay (1937-1990)'', 98 pages, published by his friends
* Étienne Delahaye, ''À Saint-Christophe de Tourcoing avec Yves Devernay''. ''L'Orgue'', n° 290, 2010 – II.
* Étienne Delahaye, ''Yves Devernay (1937-1990). La passion au bout des doigts.'' ''Orgues Nouvelles'', n°.23, winter 2014
Discography
* Hommage à Yves Devernay - Inauguration du Grand Orgue de Notre-Dame de Paris 4 December 1992. - CD Réf.: JM 003 - ADD
1. Improvisation "néo-classique" (sortie de vêpres 24 janvier 1988); 2. O. Messiaen (1908-1992): ''Transports de joie'' (sortie de messe 11 mars 1990); 3. Improvisation : paraphrase sur un thème de ''Nabucco'' de Verdi (private concert 31 March 1987); 4. F. Liszt (1811-1886): ''Prélude et fugue sur B.A.C.H.'' (sortie de messe 20 mars 1988).
Production : Visual Communication.
* Yves Devernay aux grandes orgues de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris - CD Réf.: 16 214 Mitra Digital
C.-M. Widor : ''Allegro'' extract of the ''Fifth Symphony''; E. Devernay: ''Le Miracle de la Tempête''; M. Duruflé: ''Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain''; J. Guillou: ''Sinfonietta''; J. Langlais: ''Nazard'', extract of the ''Suite française''; M. Dupré: ''Variations sur un noël''; E. Gigout: ''Toccata''.
* Yves Devernay - Improvisations à Notre-Dame de Paris - CD Réf.: D2892 SM 63) Studio SM
Improvisations au cours d’offices (entrées, offertoires, communions, sorties, versets de vêpres)
References
External links
Musica et Memoria
Obituaires, Yves Devernay.
Détails biographiques et photos.
Site de Notre-Dame de Paris
Détails biographiques et photos.
* .
* , march 15th of 1992 by Pierre Pincemaille
Pierre-Marie François Pincemaille (8 December 1956 – 12 January 2018) was a French organist, improviser, and pedagogue. He was known for his organ improvisations, both in concert and on CD and for his recordings of Charles-Marie Widor's ...
in the Basilique du Saint-Cordon in 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 ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devernay, Yves
French classical organists
French male organists
Cathedral organists
Conservatoire de Paris alumni
People from Tourcoing
1937 births
1990 deaths
20th-century organists
20th-century French male musicians
20th-century classical musicians
Male classical organists