Pierre Villette
Encyclopedia
Pierre Villette was a French composer of choral and instrumental music.
Villette was born into a musical family in 1926 at Duclair
, Normandy
. He studied with Maurice Duruflé
before attending the Paris Conservatoire. Pierre Boulez
was a fellow student but their careers followed very different paths. In 1957 Villette was appointed director of the Conservatoire in Besançon
, the capital of the Franche-Comté
region. He was dogged by ill health and had a lung removed while still in his twenties. His bad health forced him to move from mountainous Besançon
to a warmer climate, and he became director of the Academy at Aix en Provence in 1967. He held this position until he retired in 1987, and he continued to live in Provence
until his death in 1998.
Villette's music is a product of a French musical heritage that includes Fauré
and Debussy
as well as Poulenc
and Messiaen
, and a French cultural legacy that includes Catholicism
and the Order of Saint Benedict
. Villette was not interested in the avant-garde direction taken by Boulez's circle, and instead his music drew on influences as eclectic as Gregorian Chant
, medieval music
, jazz
(he composed an orchestral piece titled Blues), and Stravinsky
. His catalogue has eighty-one opus numbers, (full list via this link) and he wrote chamber and orchestral music as well as better-known choral works.
Villette's compositions are performed around the world. His choral music was championed in England
by Dr Donald Hunt in the 1970s when he was director of Worcester Cathedral
Choir, and Villette's Hymne à la Vierge, which is probably his best-known work, has been performed in the annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge
. Choirs in the US, Japan, and Germany are also familiar with Villette's compositions. Strangely, however, he has never been widely performed in his native France, probably because he held regional positions in a country where artistic life is dominated by Paris
.
Villette was born into a musical family in 1926 at Duclair
Duclair
Duclair is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town situated some west of the centre of Rouen at the junction of the D43, D5 and the D982 roads. The Austreberthe River joins the Seine at Duclair,...
, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. He studied with Maurice Duruflé
Maurice Duruflé
Maurice Duruflé was a French composer, organist, and pedagogue.Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haelling...
before attending the Paris Conservatoire. Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
was a fellow student but their careers followed very different paths. In 1957 Villette was appointed director of the Conservatoire in Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, the capital of the Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
region. He was dogged by ill health and had a lung removed while still in his twenties. His bad health forced him to move from mountainous Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
to a warmer climate, and he became director of the Academy at Aix en Provence in 1967. He held this position until he retired in 1987, and he continued to live in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
until his death in 1998.
Villette's music is a product of a French musical heritage that includes Fauré
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...
and Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
as well as Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
and Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
, and a French cultural legacy that includes Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and the Order of Saint Benedict
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
. Villette was not interested in the avant-garde direction taken by Boulez's circle, and instead his music drew on influences as eclectic as Gregorian Chant
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...
, 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...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
(he composed an orchestral piece titled Blues), and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
. His catalogue has eighty-one opus numbers, (full list via this link) and he wrote chamber and orchestral music as well as better-known choral works.
Villette's compositions are performed around the world. His choral music was championed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Dr Donald Hunt in the 1970s when he was director of Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
Choir, and Villette's Hymne à la Vierge, which is probably his best-known work, has been performed in the annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. Choirs in the US, Japan, and Germany are also familiar with Villette's compositions. Strangely, however, he has never been widely performed in his native France, probably because he held regional positions in a country where artistic life is dominated by Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.