Paris districts 14-20

This restaurant was a meeting point of the Groupe des Six.

At this courtyard was the studio of the poet Blaise Cendrars. Under the name lyre et palette, gatherings of artists, poets and musicians took place in which Satie and Cocteau participated. In June 1917 three young composers appeared:  Georges Auric, Louis Durey and Arthur Honegger; Satie called them  ‘Les Nouvaux Jeunes’. Francis Poulenc, Germaine Tailleferre and finally Darius Milhaud  joined the group, which after 1920 became known as ‘Groupe des Six’.

Blaise Cendrars wrote the libretto of Milhauds’s ballet La création du monde.

Former Hôtel Versailles. Edgar Varèse stayed here in 1958, working on the tapes for his new composition Déserts. The riotous première at December 2^nd  in the Theâtre des Champs-Élisées was comparable to that of Stravinsky’s Sacre in 1913, in the same hall.

House of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů from 1925 until 1929.

Graves of the composers Georges Auric, Emmanuel Chabrier, Henri Dutilleux, Louise Farrenc, Paul Le Flem, César Franck (by Rodin), Vincent d’Indy, Camille Saint-Saëns and Louis Vierne.  Also the opéra architect Charles Garnier, the organ maker Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and the pianist Clara Haskil.

House of the composer and female member of the Groupe des Six, Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983).

House of the singer-songwriter Georges Brassens (1921-1981). He lived here from 1944 to 1966 with Marcel and Jeanne Planche, by chance in the same small alley where a collaborator of his, Pierre Nicolas, had been born (second plaque). In 1994 a bronze relief was added. In 1966 Brassens moved to 41 rue Santos-Dumont (15).

The organ maker Aristide Cavaillé-Coll had his house and factory here from 1866.

House of the Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev from 1929 until his definitive move to the Soviet Union in 1936. The first version of Romeo and Juliet was written here. His daily walk to the Dôme des Invalides lasted 26 minutes and 17 to 35 seconds, as he had scrupulously calculated.

The American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) lived here between 1921 and 1924. This was his last Paris home; before he lived at 207 bd. Raspail and Villa Alesia, all on Montparnasse.

Monument of Hungary’s greatest composer Béla Bartók who loved Paris since his first visit in 1905.

Grave of the originally Polish-Jewish composer Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986), who lived in Paris from 1919. He was influenced by the Groupe des Six and by Stravinsky; the latter was the subject of his admiration, of a biography and of his composition Stèle on occasion of Stravinsky’s death in 1972.

At the building of the French Broadcasting Company a new concert hall was opened in 2013, Salle Messiaen. It also houses a museum about its history – largely musical history.

The former Trocadéro opened in 1878. In the same year and in 1889, Rimsky-Korsakov presented works by himself and his Russian colleagues; – a revelation to the French public. In 1900 Gustav Mahler appeared with the Vienna PO and Fauré performed the final version of his Requiem.  

The Chaillot palace was built in 1937 on the grounds of the demolished Trocadéro and became the Musée de l’Homme. Its department of ethnomusicology used to house a large collection of instruments, but the  majority of it was moved in 2006 to the Musée du Quai Branly (>fp2).

Graves of the composers Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, Jacques Ibert and André Messager.

House of Winnaretta Singer, princesse Edmond de Polignac, a great music lover who lived here from 1893 until 1940. She had the disposal of two concert rooms and a Cavaillé-Coll organ. At musical evenings her favourite music was performed, especially ancient music – Rameau, Monteverdi, Bach – and music by contemporary composers. In 1927 Stravinsky accompanied at the piano the speaker and singers in Oedipus Rex on the eve of the première at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt. His Renard was commissioned by the princess and various works by Fauré, Ravel, Falla, Poulenc and Kurt Weill were dedicated to her.

Last house of the famous singer Maria Callas. She was born in New York in 1923 as Maria Kalogeropoulos, studied in Athens and lived in Milan and from 1965 in Paris, where she died in 1977.

The Russian opera singer Fyodor Ivaovich Shalyapin [Féodor Chaliapine in French] was born in Kazan in 1873 and became the best known singer of Russia, with Boris Godunov as his star role. He left his homeland in 1921 and died in this house in 1938.  

Last house of the composer Jacques Ibert (1890-1962).

N.B. Shalyapin and Ibert are still neighbours, being buried at the same cemetery {>1723)!

House of Camille Saint-Saëns from 1904-1908.

The composer Charles Koechlin (1867-1950) lived here from 1894 to 1902 while studying with Gédalge and Fauré.

Plaque of the writer and composer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose house stood here. Other composers’ houses in Passy were demolished without leaving a trace: François-Joseph Gossec lived at 55 rue de Passy and Goacchino Rossini in a large villa near the Bois de Boulogne (present rue Ingres). Also Niccolo Piccinni lived in Passy; he was buried at a cemetery near rue Lekain / rue de l’Annonciation which has disappeared.

Last house of the pianist and composer of Iberia, Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909). He lived here from 1906.

Last house of Gabriel Fauré, from 1911 until his death in 1924. The house was occupied by descendants until 1983 and many of the composer’s belongings were still there. But the plan for a museum was not realised; his Erard grand landed in the museum of the Conservatoire (now in Cité de la Musique, >1922).   

Concert hall, built by the opera architect Charles Garnier in 1894. The all wooden interior may be inspired by Bayreuth; in any case it was the hall in which Wagner’s Rheingold got its first performance in Paris in 1900.

Formerly here was a theatre belonging to Château Boulainvilliers, the summer residence of Rameau’s patron La Riche de la Pouplinière in the rue des Marronniers.  Rameau, Gossec and Stamitz had worked there. All traces erased.

Last house of the composer of The sorcerer’s apprentice, Paul Dukas (1865-1935). He lived here from 1929.

Graves of Charles Gounod and his father-in-law, the pianist and teacher Pierre Zimmermann.  The parents of Debussy were also buried here.

House of the composer Charles Koechlin during two periods: 1909-17 and 1925-30. During the intervening years he lived in Valmondois (95) and Méry-sur-Oise (95); these addresses couldn’t be traced.

Later address of the music academy École Niedermeyer (>fp3).

Here the great chansonnière Edith Piaf (1915-1963) spent the last ten years of her life. The contrast to the hardship she suffered during her youth is striking (>2011).

The writer Paul Claudel (1868-1955) merits a place in the musical history. During his work at the French embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Darius Milhaud was his secretary and Milhaud became the favourite composer to set to music his plays, cantatas, choral works and songs. Milhaud’s opera Christophe Colomb is based on a play by Claudel. He also wrote the libretto of Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher  by Honegger.

Monument from 1909 of the composer Benjamin Godard (1849-1895), nearby the Villa Jocelyn which refers to his best known composition.

The Debussy monument was erected in 1922 after the design of architect Durkhalter and with sculptures by the Martel brothers. Instead of a portrayal, water had to be an essential ingredient; Debussy’s widow would have preferred a fountain, but that was not realised.

Debussy lived from 1905 until his death in 1918 at 80 avenue du Bois de Boulogne. Today the house is within the guarded Square Foch and not accessible to unauthorized people but it is visible from the Boulevard de l’Amiral-Bruie. Also the pianist Arthur Rubinstein has lived at the square.

Before moving to his last house, Debussy lived here from September 1904 until October 1905. He had left his wife Lilly Texier for the married Emma Bardac; after Emma had divorced from her husband and Claude from Lilly, their daughter ‘Chouchou’ was born (they married not until 1908). Meanwhile his masterpiece La Mer was finished and performed for the first time. A memorable year...

The folklore museum was established in 1968 according to the guidelines of the anthropologist Claude Lévy-Strauss. A collection of folk instruments is partly displayed and the French folk music archive includes 30.000 audio recordings.

Among the guests of this hotel were Gustav Mahler in 1909 and George Gershwin in 1928 (An American in Paris).

Manuel de Falla stayed in 1912 in a small room of this hotel, with a piano – quite unusual, as most hoteliers are not happy with guests with a piano. Also Turina stayed in this hotel.

House of vicomte Charles de Noailles and vicomtesse Marie-Louise from 1923. For a ball in 1932, Poulenc wrote his Aubade for piano and orchestra. Kurt Weill stayed here in 1933, having fled from the Nazis, before finding a house (>Louveciennes, fr2}.

House of the organist and composer Louis Vierne (1870-1937). He lived here from 1921 until his death.

Apartment of Maurice Ravel from 1908 to 1917. Daphnis et Chloë  was written here.

Luxurious dance hall, built in 1812 and rebuilt in 1865, with occasional concerts; Maria Callas, Leonard Bernstein and Duke Ellington have appeared here.

House of the composer Jean Roger-Ducasse (1873-1954) during the 1920s.

Last house of the composer Édouard Lalo (1823-1892). His Symphonie espagnole and his Cello concerto are often heard, but his masterpiece was the opera Le roi d’Ys after a Breton legend.

Fauré lived at nr 93 between 1883 and 1886.

Last house of the organist and composer Charles Tournemire (1870-1939); he lived here from 1898. He is best known from his organ works but his oeuvre compasses all genres, including three operas and eight symphonies.

House of the composer Mel (Mélanie) Bonis from after the death of her husband in 1918 until her own death in 1937; she died in her second house in Sarcelles (>fr2).

Former workshop and warehouse of the decors for the opera, built in 1895 by Charles Garnier. Today an annex theatre and workshop of the Odéon. 

The opéra comique has its own venue at the other side of the railway, rue Albert Roussel.

Graves of Jacques Ibert; also the Russian singer Fyodor Shalyapin and Leon Bakst, an important decor painter of the Ballets Russes, were buried here

House of Debussy from 1893 to 1899.

Last house of the composer André Messager (1853-1929).

Last house of Auguste Chapuis (1858-1933), organist at St Roch, teacher at the Conservatoire and composer of a fine piano trio.

Last house of Camille Saint-Saëns, from 1910 until his death. After 1915 he often was on trips abroad; he spent a long time in South America and he died in Algiers.

House of the composer Albert Roussel (1869-1937) between 1920 and 1929. After a naval career which brought him to the Far East, he chose for music in 1894. His works haue a classical basis, but exotic impressionism and energetic rhythms give his music a strong personal touch.

This music school was founded by the pianist Alfred Cortot in 1919, who taught here until his death in 1962.

Between 1880 and 1914, Marguerite de Saint-Marceaux née Jourdain (‘Meg’, 1850-1930) held a salon here. It was an important meeting point of musicians, writers and artists. The visitors included Fauré, Messager and Ravel. The acquaintance of Ravel with the writer Colette finally resulted in L’enfant et les sortilèges (1924).

Gabriel Fauré lived here from 1886 to 1911. His Requiem was composed here.

House of Fauré’s friend. the composer André Messager around 1900.

The first Parisian house of Albert Roussel in 1894, after his retirement from the naval service.

At nr 21 of this street, Stravinsky wrote Perséphoné in 1933.

House of Claude Debussy from 1899 to 1904. From here he moved to the 16^th arrondissement (>1658/59).

At the neighbouring nr 56 is a plaque for the cellist Paul Tortelier.

The concert hall with 500 seats of the École Normale (>1741) became an important venue for contemporary music during the interbellum.

On the grounds of a former livery-stable (Compagnie des Petites-Voitures), four squares’ were built during the 1920s, each named after a composer: Fauré, Debussy and, behind them, Chabrier and Duparc. The entrance is at the rue Légendre opposite nr 26-28.

Albert Roussel’s last Parisian home was at square Fauré. He had the disposal of this address from 1929, but spent most of his time at his villa at the seashore (>fr7).

Also Arthur Honegger lived in the composers’ quarter described in the preceding number. Living at square Chabrier between 1931 and 1936, he composed Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher.

The Italian composer Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) lived here with his mother from 1897 to 1915. He studied with Fauré, worked as pianist and critic and played the harpsichord in an ensemble for ancient music, founded by Henri Casadesus.

He became a friend of Ravel, who lived at nr 19 of this street from 1901 to 1905.

Last house of Charles Gounod, who lived here from 1878 until his death in 1893. A plaque is around the corner at rue Jacques-Bingen.

Last house of the composer Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) from 1883. His salon was visited by most of the important musicians, writers and artists living in Paris. His best known work, Poème for violin and orchestra, was composed here, as was his opera Le roi Arthus.

The last address of the cabaret Le Chat Noir of Rodolphe Salis, 1908-11. Debussy was one of the guests. Earlier addresses of this famous cabaret, not far from here, were mentioned in section fp4.

A creative centre with concerts, theatre performances and exhibitions was dedicated to the poet, jazz musician, singer and ‘bohémien’, Boris Vian (1920-1959).   cf. www.borisvian.org

Graves of Adolphe Adam, Hector Berlioz with Harriet Smithson and Marie Récio, Lili and Nadia Boulanger, Léo Delibes, Fromental Halévy, André Jolivet, Victor Massé, Sigismond Neukomm, Jacques Offenbach, Henri Sauguet, Fernando Sor, Ambroise Thomas, Pauline Viardot. Also the instrument maker Sax, the dancers Nijinsky and Taglioni, the poet Heine and the ‘Dame aux Camélias’.

 Last house of the composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992). He lived here from 1962.

Graves of Arthur Honegger and Désiré Émile Inghelbrecht.

Monument of the singer Dalida, born in Cairo in 1933 as Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti. In 1954 she became ‘Miss Egypt’ and then moved to France. She committed suicide in 1987, leaving a note: Life is intolerable, forgive me. Dalida’s popularity equals that of Edith Piaf.

From 1890 until 1898, Erik Satie lived in this picturesque street of old Montmartre.

In the 1990s Satie was a close friend of the painter Suzanne Valadon; living at nr 12, she was almost his neighbour. Also the painter Auguste Renoir has lived in the 17^th century building from 1875 to 1877 and was frequently visited by Emmanuel Chabrier.

The studio of Valadon has been preserved and is a part of the Montmartre museum, which demonstrates the history and culture of the quarter and is very worth visiting.

One room is devoted to the composer Gustave Charpentier.

Last house of the conductor and composer Désiré Émile Inghelbrecht (1880-1965), who lived here since 1936. His set of piano pieces La Nursery – later orchestrated – is a charming evocation of child life.

On this spot was the Conservatoire populaire Mimi Pinson, established by Gustave Charpentier in 1902, to secure music and dance education for poor girls.  Mimi Pinson was the legendary figure in the novel Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Murger from 1848. She returns in the operas  La Bohème by Puccini and Leoncavallo, in La cocarde de Mimi Pinson by Henri Goublier and in musicals and movies. And in the Montmartre museum (>1824).

Hector Berlioz lived from 1834 until 1837 in a rural hermitage which stood here. Harold in Italy and the opera Benvenuto Cellini were written here. The house was demolished, but the plaque from 1908 returned on the present building from 1927.

The Conservatoire – in full: Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris – moved in 1990 to its new building. It forms part of the ‘Music City’ which was raised according to ideas of the architect Christian de Portzamparc in the Parc de la Villette, on the grounds of a former slaughterhouse.  

The last buildings of the Cité de la Musique were realised between 1995 and 2015.

The collection of instruments of the Conservatoire moved to the new Museum.  From the stock of c 3000 pieces – European as well as non-European – 900 are displayed in a beautiful setting and many can be listened to by earphones. Opening times from 12 to 6pm. Lectures and performances are in the amphitheatre.  At the annex atelier de gamelan, people of all ages can learn to play in a Javanese gamelan ensemble.

The Médiathéque presents a large collection of scores, books and recordings.

The Philharmonie houses the Salle Pierre Boulez, a concert hall with 2400 seats after the design of Jean Nouvel. There are two smaller concert halls.

Olivier Messiaen lived here from 1938 to 1962, interrupted by his military service and imprisonment in Görlitz, Germany, where he composed the Quatuor sur le fin du temps. Visions de l Amen, Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jésus and the Turangalîla  symphony were written after his return to Paris.

Birthplace of the famous chansonnière Edith Piaf (1915-1963), born as Edith Giovanna Gassion.

Monument of Edith Piaf before a café with an exhibition about the singer.

The largest cemetery of France,

Graves of the composers Auber, Bizet, Boieldieu, G. Charpentier, Chausson, Cherubini, Chopin, Dukas, Duparc, Enescu, Françaix, Gossec, Goublier, Grétry, Guiraud, Hahn, Heller, Hérold, Lalo, Lecocq, LeSueur, Méhul, Paër, Pierné, Pleyel, Poulenc, Reicha, Spontini. Cenotaphs of Bellini and Rossini.   Other graves: Liszt’s mistress d’Agoult, the piano maker Érard, the violinist Kreutzer, the singer Patti, the film- and musical composer Michel Legrand, the singers Piaf and Montand, the pop musician Jim Morrison.   Plaque of Maria Callas (ashes dispersed in Greece).  From the graves of Chopin, Grétry and Spontini, the hearts were taken out and moved to their native countries.