Jacques Castérède

Jacques Castérède (b. April 10, 1926 Paris) is a French composer.

He studied at Lycée Buffon. He gained his baccaluareat in elementary mathematics, before he entered Paris National Conservatory of Music in 1944 and began studying piano under Armand Ferté, composition under Tony Aubin, analysis under Olivier Messiaen. While at the conservatory, between 1948 and 1953 he obtained 5 first prizes (in piano, chamber music, analysis, composition, and harmony classes). He also won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1953 with his cantata "La boîte de Pandore" ("Pandora's Box"). The following year, he went to Rome where he stayed until 1958, at the Villa Medici. In 1960, he was appointed as a professor of solfege in Paris National Conservatory, then counseller of piano study (Conseilleur aux Etudes) in 1966, and analysis in 1971. In addition, he taught composition at Ecole Normale from 1983 to 1988, analysis from 1988 to 1998. On request from Chinese government, he became a professor of composition at the Central Academy in Beijing. He keeps the position with the request-renewal. He has received numerous awards as a composer, among them the Paris Civil Award in 1991, Charles Cros Award and Record Academy Award in 1995. His very many works, which include symphonies, concertos, ballets, ensemble and chamber music, are performed throughout France, Germany and Italy as well as in America and Canada. His music is essentially melodic, often using modal scales over rich and varied structures.

Main Works

Stage
Chamber Opera 'The Parace of Miracle' la cour des miracles (1954) {sop, msp, alto, btn, orch}
Oratorio 'The book of Job' le livre de Job (1958) {recit, tnr, btn, bss, choir, orch}
Ballet 'basket ball' (1959) {hrp, p, perc, orch}
Ballet 'goal' but (1959)
Orchestral
String Symphony No.1 1ère symphonie pour cordes (1952) {strings}
la folle nuit de n' importe ou (1955) {orch, clvcn, hrp, perc}
A Great Fear la grande peur (1955) {martenot, 2p, child-choir, sop, fl, orch}
Five Symphonic Dances cinq danses symphoniques (1956) {orch, p, hrp}
Music for a Novel of Poe musique pour un conte d' Edgar Poe (1957) {hrp, clsta, xylo, vib, p, recit, orch}
Three Movement Suite in the Memory of Honegger suite en trois mouvements a la memoire d' Honegger (1957)
Rubens's Picture of Jesus's Descent from the Cross la déscente de croix de Rubens (1958)
Symphonic Suite 'Ariane's Yarn' le fil d' Ariane (1959)
Symphony No.2 symphonie No.2 (1960)
Prelude and Fugue prélude et fugue (1960) {strings}
pamplemousse (1962)
Sophie-Dorothée (1962)
Promenade of Spring promenade printaniere (1963)
Summer Divertissement divertissement d'été (1965) {p, hrp, brass, choir, perc?}
Concerto
Piano Concerto No.1 concerto No. 1 pour piano et orchestre à cordes (1954) {p, strings}
concertino (1958) {tp, tb, p, perc, strings}
Piano Concerto No.2 concerto No.2 pour piano et orchestre (1970) {p, orch}
Guitar Concerto concerto pour guitare et orchestre (1973) {g, orch}
Three Fall Scenes trois paysages d'automne (1982) {vc, strings}
Chamber
intermezzo (1953) {ob, p}
pastorale (1953) {as, p}
scherzo (1953) {as, p}
Quintet quintette (1953) {fl, ob, cl, hrn, bssn}
Sonatine for Trumpet and Piano sonatine pour trompette et piano (1953) {tp, p}
Mythologic Suite suite mythologique (1954) {3martenot, p}
Violin Sonata sonate pour violon et piano (1955) {vln, p}
Sonata in the Form of Suite sonate en forme de suite (1955) {fl, p}
Clarinet Sonata sonate pour clarinette et piano (1956) {cl, p}
Oboe Sonata sonate pour haubois et piano (1957) {ob, p}
Sonatine for Trombone and Piano sonatine pour trombone et piano (1957) {tb, p}
Prelude and Dance prélude et danse (1959) {3tb, tba, p, perc}
Fantasy Concertant fantaisie concertante (1960) {b-tb¡¡(tba), p}
Music musique (1960) {fl, vln, vla, vc, hrp}
capriccio (1961) {vln, p}
The Impostor fileuse (1961) {bssn, p}
Twelve Studies douze études (1961) {fl}
Holiday of Flutists flûtes en vacances (1962) {3fl (4fl)}
ondes (1962) {martenot, p, perc}
Sonatine for Tuba and Piano sonatine pour tuba et piano (1963) {tba, p}
interferences (1963) {p, perc}
Hell ténèbres (1963) {recit, p, 3perc}
Viola Sonata sonate pour alto et piano (1968) {vla, p}
arithmophonie (1974) {4perc}
Before the Dawn avant que l'aube ne vienne (1975) {2vln, vla, vc, p}
Sonatine of April sonatine d'avril (1985) {fl, g}
Three Visions of Apocalypse trois visions de l'Apocalypse (1986) {7 brass, org}
Three Musical Moment after Corot trois moments musicaux d'après Corot (1987) {fl, cl, vln, vc, p}
In Passinate Temperance pro tempore passionis (1988) {2vln, vla, vc}
String Quartet quartettsatz (1989) {2vln, vla, vc}
Sonatine of May sonatine de mai (2001) {fl, hrp}
Homage for Pink Floyd hommage aux Pink Floyd (-) {g}
Piano
passacaille et fugue (1953)
Dance Suite suite à danser (1953) {2p (diverse inst)}
Four Studies quatre études (1957)
variations (1960)
diagrammes (1961)
Crosses on Fire feux croises (1963) {2p}
Piano Sonata sonata pour piano (1967)
Homage for T.Monk hommage à Thelonious Monk (1983)
The Course of Sun la course du soleil (1992)
For a Tomb of Chopin pour un tombeau de Frédéric Chopin (1992)
Songs
3 Melodies for the Poems of Paul Fort trois mélodies sur des poèmes de Paul Fort (1951)
3 Fanfares for Napoleon's Proclamation trois fanfares (1952) {recit, chamber (11brass), timp, perc}
Song of Love-Pain la chanson du mal-aime (1960) {recit, btn, 4f-vo, chamber}
Chamber Cantata 'The Otherside of the World' cantate instrumentale 'l' autre bout du monde' ¡Ê1960¡ËFour Poems of Robert Desnos quatre poèmes de Robert Desnos (1965) {btn, p}
Litanies for the Living and Dead liturgies de la vie et de la mort ¡Ê1980¡Ë {3vo, choir, strings, perc}
Jusqu'à mon dernier souffle (1986) {narr, choir, brass, perc}
Psalm No.8 psaume VIII ¡Ê1987¡Ë {sop, vc, org}
Hymn Song for the Creation cantique de la création (1994) {2vo, brass, strings, org, perc}
dans les abîmes de l'absence (1996) {btn, p}
Our Father, I Will Entrust You mon père je m'abandonné à toi (1997) {4vo}