Western France

Annual folklore festival since 1957 during the week around the 15^th of August. The first two years the focus was on Western France, after that on international peace and friendship. The number of performers has increased up to 450, that of visitors to 300.000. The event takes place in the streets of the town.

The composer Albert Roussel (1869-1937), taking a cure in Royan, died here after a heart attack.

From 1964 until 1977 the ‘International Festival of Contemporary Art of Royan’ was held, with the accent on music. It had the same importance and impact as the festival of Donaueschingen (Germany) as a meeting point of avant-garde composers and a venue for notable premières. An offshoot was established in La Rochelle (17), named Rencontres Internationales d’Art Contemporaine; this festival existed between 1973 and 1984.

Annual festival since 1971 of music on period instruments during the second half of July. Usually there are thirty concerts, besides conferences and workshops.

Organ by François-Henry Clicquot, the grandson of Robert Clicquot, from 1789/90; III/p/44. It was the last instrument by the famous Clicquot dynasty of organ makers.

The composer Clément Janequin (c 1485-1558) was born in the neighbourhood of this church, where he was baptised and probably was a chorister. His programmatic polyphonic songs, e.g. La chasse, Les cris de Paris and particularly La bataille, are favourites among a cappella choirs.

The large collection of mechanical musical instruments is displayed in the museum and can be listened to in the accompanying auditorium.

Institute for the training of makers and repairers of musical instruments except strings. It was established in 1992.

Birthplace of the composer Jean Françaix (1912-1997). He wrote in all genres, except sacred music, but is best known for his sparkling chamber music for wind instruments.

House of the composer Jean Françaix from the year of his marriage, 1937, until his move to Paris in 1952.

Plaque of the reverend Marin Mersenne )1588-1648). He was born in a village near Oizé, studied in Le Mans and became a famous mathematician, scientist and music theorist. With his Traité de l’harmonie universelle and later books on the nature of sound and on musical instruments, he is considered ‘the father of modern acoustics’.

Birthplace of the composer Léo Delibes (1836-1891) in this village, today a part of La Flèche. Delibes is only known for three of his 28 theatre works: the ballets Coppélia and Sylvia, and the opera Lakmé – undisputed masterworks.

Monument of Léo Delibes.

In this monastery of medieval origin, Dom Guéranger established an institute in 1837 which became leading in the research and edition of Gregorian chant. There are legendary recordings of the performances by the monks’ choir; visitors can hear them live during the holy Mass on Sunday 9:45 a.m. and the Vesper at 5 p.m. > www.solesmes.com

Charles Tournemire stayed here between 1929 and 1932 to compose his masterwork L’Orgue mystique, a cycle of 51 Sunday offices, each containing five organ pieces according to the liturgy of the day.

The composer Clément Janequin worked as master of the singing school (psallette) of the cathedral between 1534 and 1549.

The composer Henri Dutilleux (1916-2012) was born in Angers at 2 boulevard Gaston-Dumesnil, but the house was demolished to make space for the modern theatre complex of Le Quai.

The present opera was built in 1871 after its predecessor from 1795 was destroyed by fire; the architect was Botral de Magne. There are c 700 seats. Today there is a cooperation with the opera of Nantes.

The Walloon composer Guillaume Lekeu (1870-1894) lived here from 1893 and died untimely of typhoid fever, after having honoured his last place of residence with the orchestral Fantaisie sur deux airs populairs angevins, but today he is better known for his fine chamber music.

This remarkable 15^th century building, originally the palace of the archdean of the cathedral, became its singing school. Later it housed for some time a museum of sacred art. Its garden is a favourite visiting place for the inhabitants.

The organ of the cathedral was destroyed by an arsonist in 2020.

The opera of Nantes was built in 1788 but was burnt down during a performance of Zémire et Azor by Grétry. After being rebuilt by the same architect Mathurin Crucy, it was reopened in 1813. It has 784 seats. Boieldieu, Massenet and d’Indy appeared as conductors, Liszt gave a recital in 1845.

The Breton composer Paul Ladmirault (1877-1944) was born in Nantes. There is a plaque devoted to him at a house which is not his birthplace. The given address, rue Malherbe, either may refer to his birthplace or to the house with the plaque (needs to be verified).

The manor house of Kerbili castle was the last house of Paul Ladmirault.

Note: Some houses in Brittany don’t have exact addresses which can be identified on GoogleMaps (especially the nrs 5611, 2932, 2941, 2221, 2271 and 3551).

Grave of the composer Paul Ladmirault.

Birthplace of the operetta composer Victor Massé (1822-1884).

In the town of Lorient an ‘Inter-Celtic Festival’ is held.

The annual Festival de Cornouaille (July) is chiefly devoted to Breton folklore, but also classical music is performed.

Igor Stravinsky spent the summer of 1920 here and composed his Concertino. He didn’t like his stay; bad weather, banal tourism and annoying scenery...

The composer Gabriel Pierné spent his holidays here from 1904 until 1925.

The composer Gabriel Pierné spent his holidays from 1925 in the villa Gwel Kaer [Belle Vue] and died here in 1937. His landlady was a singer, who preferred to let it only to musicians.

Favourite place of the organist and composer Charles Tournemire. Inspired by the sea and the landscape, he composed his 2^nd symphony ’Ouessant’ and the musical legend Le sang de la Sirène. Address not known.

Fine organ by the English organ maker Robert Dallam from 1653. Moved here in 1857 from Plestin-les-Grèves and restored in 1986. I/p/15.

Since 1986 annual festival of ancient music (October).

Birthplace of the composer and choral conductor Paul le Flem (1881-1984).

The house hasn’t an exact address; see the map.

Grave of Paul le Flem.

After having worked in the Alsace, Joseph Guy-Ropartz returned to his homeland Brittany in 1929 and lived here until his death in 1955; his descendants still occupy the house. Much of his music draws on Breton folklore and Celtic subjects.

Grave of Joseph Guy-Ropartz.

Birthplace of the composer Joseph Guy-Ropartz (1864-1955).

Large collection of Breton folk music in manuscript, print and recordings.

The opera theatre was opened in 1836 after the design of Charles Millardet; it has 642 seats.

Since 2009 open-air performances are being held every two years on the square before 6000-8000 spectators.

Other festivals in Rennes: Les mercredis du Thabor (June, July in Parc du Thabor); Tombées de la Nuit (July); Les Transmusicales de Rennes (December).

Gabriel Fauré worked here from 1866 until 1870 as organist. He lived at the rue de Nemours (number not known).

House of the theologian Félicité de Lamennais from 1826 to 1836. Among his visitors was Franz Liszt in 1830, who got inspired here to write his Harmonies poétiques et religieuses and probably composed La pensée des morts.

Birthplace of the organist and composer Jean Langlais (1907-1991). He composed mainly sacred music and numerous organ works.

The collection of Marcel Angot consists of 90 musical instruments which are exhibited on the first floor of the town hall, the castle of l’Aigle.

The present opera house was opened in 1963 and is a venue for concerts too.

The opera composer Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1782-1871) was born in Caen. In 1884 a large marble monument by Eugène Delaplanche was erected on the place de la République, later it was moved to the old opera theatre (1838). This was destroyed in 1944 but the sculpture was nearly undamaged. During the transportation it still broke in pieces, only the head was preserved but has vanished...

The composer Charles Koechlin (1867-1950) spent a part of his juvenile years in the summer villa of his parents – then named Villa les Muttes – until 1884, when the house was sold after the death of his father in 1882.

Before leaving Villa Les Muttes in 1884, the mother of Charles Koechlin bought this Alsatian house. It was built in 1878 for an exhibition in Paris and had to be dismantled, transported by train to Villers and assembled on the grounds of the Koechlin family. It would remain Charles’ favourite summer residence. The house was enlarged by his descendants.

Birthplace of the composer Erik Satie (1866-1925). The house has been extended and converted into a informative, fantastic and humorous museum; the entrance of the museum is at the back side, 69 boulevard Charles V.

Opposite the Satie museum is a ‘Garden of Personalities’. The bust of Honfleur’s most famous son is in the north-eastern corner of this park, nearby the sea shore.

The old centre of Le Havre was entirely destroyed by the English air force in 1944. The birthplace of the composer André Caplet (1878-1925) and the house of Abbé Prévost have disappeared; Prévost was the author of the story of Manon Lescaut and Massenet, the composer of Manon, visited him in 1882.

This house of the composer Arthur Honegger (1892-1955), in the upper town, has survived the catastrophe of 1944. He lived here from 1892 - shortly after his birth - until 1913. His father was a Swiss coffee merchant. The Swiss descent is mentioned on the plaque over the entry: Zürichois d’origine, Havrois de naissance.

Summer house of the composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880). He had it built in 1858, but in 1861 a fire destroyed much of the furnishings. Delibes and Bizet visited him. From 1875 he didn’t live here anymore because of financial and health problems.

Also Mel Bonis and Ludovic Halévy, the librettist of Offenbach, each had a house in Etretat (not extant).

Villa of the composer Albert Roussel from 1921 until his death in 1937. A later inhabitant was a princess de Stourdza.

Grave of Albert Roussel. Also at this cemetery with a fine view on the sea is the grave of the painter Georges Braque.

In the early 19^th century Dieppe became a favourite spot of the beau monde. Rossini was here in 1827, Liszt in 1832, also Meyerbeer stayed in Dieppe and Debussy rented the house ‘Mon Coin’ in 1911. They all left no traces.

The castle of Dieppe is the local museum. It possesses some autographs by Mozart and Liszt, a painting of Roussel and the Indian sculpture Joueur de flute which stood on Roussel’s piano. The Salon Saint-Saëns is a reconstruction of the study of the composer in Paris (> fp2); he had given the objects to his nephew Léon before starting his world tour in 1889 and the latter donated them to the museum.

The Saint-Saëns family presumably originated from this village.

The organ by Jean Joseline from 1543 and Jean-Baptiste Lefèbvre from 1738 was restored in 2006. III/p/45.

The composers Michel Corrette (1709-1795) and Marcel Dupré (1886-1971) were born in Rouen, but left no other traces than street names.

France’s most important organ composer before Grigny was Jehan Titelouze (1562/3-1633). He was organist of the cathedral from 1588 until his death and was buried here. His organ by Crespin Carlier (1606) has made place for a huge instrument by Merklin & Schutze from1860.

The organ of this abbey church was made in 1890 by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and remained unaltered. The disposition, IV/p/66, includes two 32’ stops, which add greatly in the unusually powerful sound.

The opera of Rouen from 1776 was burnt down in 1876, its successor was destroyed in 1944. A new opera house with 1350 seats was built between 1952 and 1962 by J. Maillard and R. Levasseur.

Birthplace of François Adrien Boieldieu (1775-1834), the composer of operas, incl. La dame blanche, and a popular harp concerto.

Monument of Adrien Boieldieu by Jean-Pierre Dantan (1836).

The Boieldieu museum in the Manoir de la Prévôtière in the suburb of Bois-Guilaume doesn’t exist anymore.

Maurice Ravel twice stayed here with madam Fernand-Dreyfus: in 1917, composing Le tombeau de Couperin, and in 1922, making the orchestration of Musorgsky’s Pictures at an exhibition.

Fine organ by Robert Ingoult from 1674, III/p/33. On this organ are the auditions of the International Organ Academy.

Birthplace of the organist and composer Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986). His Requiem (1947) is his finest and most frequently performed work. He moved to Paris in 1919 but his piano remained in Louviers and can be seen in the hall of the music school.

From 1707 this village is a centre of wind instrument making, especially reed instruments. Famous factories include Buffet-Crampon, Leblanc and Marigaux. A collection of instruments has been built up since 1888 and is displayed, together with tools and documents.

La Couture-Boussey is also the birthplace of the ancestors of Jacques Hotteterre (1674-1763), a composer of attractive chamber music for flute and other woodwinds.