Élisabeth Brasseur (8 January 1896 – 23 November 1972) was a French choral conductor. In 1920 she founded a

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

which has borne her name since 1943.

Biography

Marie Josèphe Jeanne Élisabeth Brasseur was born in

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

, to Jean Marie Joseph Brasseur, transport entrepreneur, and Marguerite Maria Grosjean. Élisabeth taste for music came from her maternal line: her grandfather Ernest Grosjean was

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 ...

of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Verdun and it was with him that she started studying music. She continued her singing and piano studies at the . In 1920, Brasseur founded the women's Choir of the , which later became mixed and took the name in 1943. This was to become one of the most famous choir formations of the post-war period. Under the direction of

André Cluytens Augustin Zulma Alphonse "André" Cluytens (, ; 26 March 19053 June 1967)Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009. was a Belgian-born French conducting, conductor who was active in the conce ...

, she directed the choir of the Aix-en-Provence Festival in a production of '' Mireille'' by

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

. With Pierre Dervaux, she directed the Chœur du Conservatoire de Paris in a production of ''

Dido and Æneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was c ...

'' by

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...

at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1960, which was recorded on disc.on Amazon
/ref> For her long contribution to choral music, the city of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, where she remained until her death on 23 November 1972, aged 77, named a place in her honour, Place Élisabeth-Brasseur, the location of the Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc church where she founded her first choir.

Recordings

See the recordings with the in the dedicated article. *

: '' Mireille'', choirs of the Aix-en-Provence Festival, choral conductor: Elisabeth Brasseur, Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, dir.

(Grand Prix du disque of the Académie Charles-Cros). *

: ''

'', Orchestre de la société des concerts du conservatoire, dir. Pierre Dervaux, Choir of the Conservatoire de Paris directed by Élisabeth Brasseur, Aix-en-Provence Festival, ed. Walhall; 1960. *

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of ...

: '' Hippolyte et Aricie'', Orchestre de la société des concerts du conservatoire, dir. Jacques Jouineau, artistic direction Gabriel Dussurget, choirs Elisabeth Brasseur, dir. Élisabeth Brasseur. Cour d'honneur du Palais Soubise Festival du Marais 1964.

References

Bibliography

External links

Website of the choir Élisabeth Brasseur

Chœurs Élisabeth Brasseur

"Élisabeth Brasseur"
in ''Encyclopédie Larousse''
Chœur Elisabeth Brasseur, Concert Mozart and Vivaldi on 19 June 2013
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Brasseur, Elisabeth 1896 births 1972 deaths 20th-century French conductors (music) French choral conductors French women conductors (music) People from Verdun