Marcel Pérès
Encyclopedia
Marcel Pérès is a French
musicologist, composer
, choral director and singer, and the founder of the early music
group Ensemble Organum
. He is an authority on Gregorian
and pre-Gregorian chant.
Pérès was born into an Algerian family of Spanish
origin which was repatriated to France. He grew up in Nice
, where he was organist at the Anglican cathedral, and trained in organ and composition at the conservatoire, before continuing his studies in church music
at the Royal School of Church Music
and at English cathedrals. He worked at the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal
(Montreal early music studio) and for the National Film Board of Canada
. In 1979 he returned to France where he studied medieval music
under Michel Huglo at the École pratique des hautes études
.
In 1982 he founded Ensemble Organum at Sénanque Abbey
, a group specialising in "pre- and para-Gregorian" chant. In 1984 he became director of ARIMM, the Atelier pour la Recherche sur l’Interprétation des Musiques Médiévales (or "Workshop for Research on the Performance of Medieval Music") with the support of the Fondation Royaumont, created by the Goüin family, owners of Royaumont Abbey
near Asnières-sur-Oise
in the département of Val-d'Oise
, which in 1994 became CERIMM, the Centre Européen pour la Recherche sur l'Interprétation des Musiques Médiévales (or "European Centre for Research on the Performance of Medieval Music"). In 2001 Ensemble Organum moved to the Abbey of Saint-Pierre in Moissac
where Pérès founded CIRMA, the Centre itinérant de recherche sur les musiques anciennes (or "Itinerant Centre for Research into Ancient Music").
Pérès' compositions include Le Livre des morts égyptiens ("The Egyptian Book of the Dead"), written in 1979, and Mysteria Apocalypsis.
In 1990 he was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci
Prize by the Italian government, and since 1996 he has been a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
. He was musical director of Kaj Munk
's play, Ordet, at the Festival d'Avignon
in 2008.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
musicologist, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, choral director and singer, and the founder of the early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
group Ensemble Organum
Ensemble Organum
Ensemble Organum is a group performing early music, co-founded in 1982 by Marcel Pérès and is based in France. Its members have changed, but have included at one time or another, Josep Cabré, Josep Benet, Gérard Lesne, Antoine Sicot, Malcolm Bothwell...
. He is an authority on Gregorian
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
and pre-Gregorian chant.
Pérès was born into an Algerian family of Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
origin which was repatriated to France. He grew up in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, where he was organist at the Anglican cathedral, and trained in organ and composition at the conservatoire, before continuing his studies in church music
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
at the Royal School of Church Music
Royal School of Church Music
The largest church music organisation in Britain, the Royal School of Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and has 11,000 members worldwide; it was originally named the School of English Church Music. It seeks to enable church music in the present and invest in its future,...
and at English cathedrals. He worked at the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal
Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal
The Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal is an early music vocal ensemble based in Montreal, Canada. Co-founded in 1974 by the organ and harpsichord players Christopher Jackson, Réjean Poirier, and Hélène Dugal, the group became an important part of the Early Music Revival in Montreal during the...
(Montreal early music studio) and for the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
. In 1979 he returned to France where he studied medieval music
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
under Michel Huglo at the École pratique des hautes études
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
.
In 1982 he founded Ensemble Organum at Sénanque Abbey
Sénanque Abbey
Sénanque Abbey is a Cistercian abbey near the village of Gordes in the département of the Vaucluse in Provence, France.-First foundation:...
, a group specialising in "pre- and para-Gregorian" chant. In 1984 he became director of ARIMM, the Atelier pour la Recherche sur l’Interprétation des Musiques Médiévales (or "Workshop for Research on the Performance of Medieval Music") with the support of the Fondation Royaumont, created by the Goüin family, owners of Royaumont Abbey
Royaumont Abbey
Royaumont Abbey was a Cistercian abbey, located near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, approximately 30 km north of Paris, France.-History:It was built between 1228 and 1235 with the support of Louis IX...
near Asnières-sur-Oise
Asnières-sur-Oise
Asnières-sur-Oise is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-Population:-References:** -External links:* * *...
in the département of Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
, which in 1994 became CERIMM, the Centre Européen pour la Recherche sur l'Interprétation des Musiques Médiévales (or "European Centre for Research on the Performance of Medieval Music"). In 2001 Ensemble Organum moved to the Abbey of Saint-Pierre in Moissac
Moissac
Moissac is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is famous world-wide mostly for the artistic heritage handed down by the ancient Saint-Pierre Abbey.-History:...
where Pérès founded CIRMA, the Centre itinérant de recherche sur les musiques anciennes (or "Itinerant Centre for Research into Ancient Music").
Pérès' compositions include Le Livre des morts égyptiens ("The Egyptian Book of the Dead"), written in 1979, and Mysteria Apocalypsis.
In 1990 he was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
Prize by the Italian government, and since 1996 he has been a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
. He was musical director of Kaj Munk
Kaj Munk
Kaj Harald Leininger Munk was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World War II...
's play, Ordet, at the Festival d'Avignon
Festival d'Avignon
The Festival d'Avignon, or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, it is the oldest extant festival in France and one of the world's greatest...
in 2008.