Michel Râteau

Michel Rateau, a French composer, was born in 1938 in Paris. <

Biography

He began studying solfeggio and piano at the age of 5 under Sister Marie-Laurent’s care at Notre Dame de France, school in Vanves. She had noticed the child’s aptitudes and taste for music she wished to develop. At the same age he composed his first work in his parent’s kitchen using objects and devices at hand.

Despite his changing schools he still followed Sister Marie-Laurent’s courses up to the age of 11; then he took private piano courses with Jean Boguet (organist in Dijon) up to the age of 15; afterwards he attended the classes of Jacques Février and Jean Doyen.

Mainly attracted by composition, he began composition studies with Maurice Duruflé and joined his class at the Paris CNSM. (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique – i.e. National Upper Music Academy) in 1959. Then he attended the classes of André Jolivet and Jean Rivier. While attending courses at the Paris CNSM, he passed the Musical Education CAPES (upper national teaching diploma) in 1960 and carried out the National Military Service in the Band of the 93rd Infantry Regiment at Mont Valerien from 1962 to 1964.

He was awarded the First Prize of Harmony in 1963 and the First Prize of Composition in 1966 from Paris CNSM. He presented himself to the Premier Grand Prix de Rome (a French national upper artistic award allowing the prize winner to spend a few years at the Villa Medicis in Rome (Italy) where he can improve the art of his choice: music, painting, architecture, sculpture) and obtained it in 1967.^[1]

He will reside in the Villa Medicis from 1968 to 1971. During his stay, he will conceive a percussion instrument made of a 2m over 2m beam on which are fixed bells (campanas) of various sizes and materials (wood, metal) and cymbals hit on with sticks.

Back to Paris in 1971, he studied particularly sounds emitted by “things” (bird cage, pipes, tanks...) and recorded on magnetic tapes. This will lead to the music of “’La Course’” (The race) ballet for the Paris Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) danced by the Joseph Russillo’s company and to a concert at the town of Paris Museum of Modern Arts within the frame of the A.R.C. (animation, Research, Confrontation) ordered by Maurice Fleuret. During these years, he continued composing works for orchestras.

In 1976, he settled in Rouen (Normandy) and took up again his teaching activities at the Rouen IUFM (Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres – i.e. University Institute for Teachers’ training). He taught also at the Rouen Institute of Musicology from 1980 to 1989 and at the Ecole Normale de Musique of Paris from 1983 to 1990, as a teacher of Harmony and analysis.

In 1982 he started the “Chants du Temps” (Time songs) for orchestra—he finished it in 1988 and which will lead to a conversation with Pierre Boulez about this work.

While teaching full-time, he had “Offrande Lyrique” (Lyrical offering) for violin and orchestra played in concert at the Salle Gaveau in Paris in 1984 by l’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris (The Paris orchestral group) conducted by Jean-Pierre Wallez, with Gaëtane Prouvost as a solo violin – to his greatest joy, Maestros Olivier Messiaen and Henri Dutilleux were attending this concert. The Rouen Chamber Orchestra will play this work again in 1984 conducted by Jean-Pierre Berlingen.

For the 25th anniversary of the Rouen University in 1991 he composed for the Nouvel ensemble Contemporain (The New Contemporary group): “A quatre” for flute, clarinet, violin and piano, created in concert in 1991.

In 1992 Michel Rateau began “Les Chants du Temps” for the piano, his Journal Musical (Musical Diary), “a work in progress of unachievement”. The “Chants du Temps” are returning to a very simple, quite purified, strongly melodic and contrapuntic form of writing, which is contrasting radically with the pioneering pieces he wrote in the years 1960-1970. It consists in a modulable composition in 15 volumes, each volume enclosing twelve books and each books twelve pages of music. Like a collection of poems according to his mood and his preferences, the reader-interpreter will choose pieces to be read or played without restraint.

Part of the “Chants du Temps” (about 45 minutes) were played in concert at The University of Strasboug in April 2005, on the occasion of the Cultural Action Days. The Israelian pianist Gilead Mishory in concerts given in Germany and Japan plays some extracts of this work also.

The “Chants du Temps” have become the sole work Michel Rateau is carrying on and to which he is devoting himself entirely nowadays.

List of works

• “Copeaux de lune” (Moon chips), for two pianos - Paris Biennal, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris - 1966 (Editions Billaudot) - duration : 11 minutes.

• “Divertimento”, for two pianos - 1st prize of composition, Paris CNSM - 1966 - duration : 13 minutes 30 seconds

• “Voyageur où t’en vas-tu ?” (Traveller, where are you going ?), Cantata on a poem of Rabîndranâth Tagore, for soprano, tenor, baritone, bass and orchestra - Paris Opera Orchestra, Institut de France - 1967 - duration : 25 minutes

• “Divertimento Breve”, for orchestra – RAI Symphonic orchestra , Rome, 1968 - duration : 5 minutes 30 seconds

• “Seuil” (Threshold), for a set of percussions - The RAI (television) percussions, Rome - 1969 - Work retransmitted on France Musique - duration: 10 minutes 30 seconds

• “Concerto”, for orchestra - the RAI (television) orchestra, Rome - 1970 - duration: 12 minutes

• “Sonnant” (Sounding), for Orchestra - order from Radio France - 1971 - duration: 12 minutes

• “Trois musiques pour un citoyen” ( Three musics for a citizen), for orchestra - order from Radio France - 1972 - Editions Billaudot - transcription for two pianos - duration: 18 minutes

• Music on magnetic tape :
  • “La Course” (The Race), music for ballet represented at the Théâtre National Populaire de Paris (TNP) by the Joseph Russillo’s company retransmitted on the television - 1970 - duration: 26 minutes
  • “Cage”, “Tuiles”, “Outils de jardin”, “Tubulure”, “Mécaniques” (Cage, Tiles, Garden tools, Pipe, Mechanics) : musics played in concert at the Museum of Modern Arts of Paris - 1975 -duration: 45 minutes
  • “Enfances” (Childhoods) (15’), “Flûtes” (Flutes) (7’20), “Cloches” (Bells) (5’40), “Tintamarresque et Farce” (Noise and trick) (12’), “Concerto pour guitare” (Concerto for guitar) (25’), “Couvercles” (Covers) (4’30), “Pièces de voitures” (Car spare parts) (5’30), “Eléments de cuisine avec piano” (Kitchen elements with piano) (6’30), “La Bête” (The Beast) (2’40), “Temps-Monde” (Time-World) (13’) - 1973-1976

• “Matinale” (Morning) (3’30), for flute and piano, “Sonnant” (Sounding) (3’10), for trumpet and piano - Instrumental piece ordered by A.Leduc Publisher, 1972

• Piece for Paris CNSM competitive examination :
  • “Fiction” for horn and piano - M.Eschig Publisher - 1974 - duration : 5 minutes
  • “Dialogue avec l’oiseau La” (Dialogue with the A Bird) for flute and piano - M.Eschig Publisher - 1975 - duration : 5 minutes
  • “Nature morte à la contrebasse” (Still-life with contrabass) - Salabert Publisher - 1981 -duration: 5 minutes

• “Comme Union” ( Like Union ) for brass quintet - Order from ARS NOVA, Conducted by Marius Constant - 1979 - duration: 15 minutes

• “Lumen” for strings - Rouen Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jean-Claude Bernède - 1980 - duration: 20 minutes

• “Offrande Lyrique” (Lyrical offering) for violin and orchestra - ordered by the Paris Orchestral Group - 1981 - duration: 18 minutes

• “Chants du Temps” (Time songs) in four books for orchestra - 1982-1988 - duration: 1 hour 50 minutes

• “Audite” for orchestra - 1989 - duration: 11 minutes

• “Intervalle” (Interval) for strings - 1990 - duration : 5 minutes 30 seconds

• “Ephphata” for orchestra - 1990 – duration : 7 minutes

• “Musique Geste Mouvement” (Music Gesture Movement) for two pianos - 1990 - duration: 13 minutes 30 seconds

• “A quatre” (At four) for flute, clarinet, violin and piano - Created in concert by the New Contemporary Group on the 25th anniversary of Rouen University - 1991 - duration: 8 minutes 30 secondes

• “Chants du temps” (Time songs) for strings and wind instruments - 2007 - duration 40 minutes

• “Les Chants du Temps” (Time songs) for piano, « Work in course of unachievement » - started in 1992 - total duration : about 20 hours - 16th volume in progress

References

1. ^ [(http://www.musimem.com/prix-rome-1960-1968.htm]

Persondata
Name	Rateau, Philippe
Alternative names
Short description	French composer
Date of birth	04 September 1938
Place of birth	Paris
Date of death
Place of death