Pierre Jamet Quintet – Suzanne Demarquez – Interlude et Tarantelle – ORTF Studio Recording – 1952
The music of Suzanne Demarquez this weekend. Her Interlude et Tarantelle for Harp, flute and strings played by the Pierre Jamet Quintet, featuring Pierre Jamet, Harp. It was a studio broadcast recording made circa 1952 by ORTF in Paris.
Suzanne Demarquez , born on July 5, 1891 and died on October 23, 1965. She has in her catalog, without opus number, works for chamber music such as Rapsodie lyrique for violin and piano, Sonatina for flute and piano or Quatre pièces breves for flute, cello and drums; for piano, like Barcarolle for two pianos; vocal works such as La coupe inspirée , on six 18th century Turkish poems and Le diadème de Flore, on five poems by Gérard d’Houville; and two pieces for single harp. She has always tried to express herself with an independent and personal language, but based on a solid form and construction. Although she was primarily attracted to pure music, her love of reading and traveling led her to embody her memories and impressions in music.
Demarquez became known above all for her studies of works by Henry Purcell, André Jolivet, Manuel de Falla and Héctor Berlioz. The description of each one of them, the connection of the story with the description of the context, anecdotes, quotes, the artist’s environment and the analysis of his works, made these books a true musicological reference.
Pierre Jamet is considered to be one of the greatest French Harp Virtuosos and teachers. In 1906, he entered the Paris Conservatory in the class of Madame Tassu-Sponecer. He then switched from the chromatique harp (Pleyel) to the Pedal Harp (Erard) with Alphonse Hasselmans. This teacher imposed a very severe discipline and Pierre Jamet had a great admiration for Hasselmans. He won his First Prize in 1912.
In 1913, he was named to the Theatre des Champs-Ellysées, in the Orchestra under the direction of Inghelbrecht. From 1917, he began working as a soloist. Claude Debussy wanted to hear his newly composed Sonate for Flute, Viola and Harp, written for the Erard Harp. He encouraged Pierre Jamet to put the work together and the World première took place on March 9, 1917. In 1920, Pierre Jamet was named harpist to the Concerts Lamoureux and two years later, he made his recital debut in Paris. This year also marked the creation of the Instrumental Quintet of Paris which would become the Pierre Jamet Quintet in 1945 (Flute, string trio and harp) for which many composers (Jean Françaix, Germaine Tailleferre, to name only two) wrote works.
Between 1922 and 1940, he lead a worldwide career as a soloist and chambrist throughout the World (soliste et musique de chambre). He was the professor of Harp at the Paris National Conservatory from 1948 to 1963 and founded, in 1962 International Association of Harpists and Friends of the Harp and served as the President of this association. He enjoyed teaching and because of his work, the French school of harp playing continues to be practiced through the School of Harp he founded in 1964Il aime enseigner et grâce à lui, la musique française pour harpe garde son rayonnement à travers l’école de harpe qu’il a fondé en 1964 (the Summer Harp Academy of Gargilesse), the Festival de Gargilesse which takes place each Summer since 1968 and the International Harp Competition founded by Pierre Jamet in 1977 (Concours Marie-Antoinette Cazala) which took place trienially until 1991.
Enjoy.
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