Alexis Roland-Manuel facts for kids
Alexis Roland-Manuel (born March 22, 1891 – died November 1, 1966) was a French composer and music critic. He is mostly remembered for his writings about music.
Biography of Alexis Roland-Manuel
He was born Roland Alexis Manuel Lévy in Paris, France. His family had roots in Belgium and a Jewish background. He studied how to compose music with famous teachers like Vincent d'Indy and Albert Roussel.
When he was young, he became good friends with the composer Erik Satie. Satie helped him meet many important people in the music world. In 1911, Satie introduced Roland-Manuel to Maurice Ravel. Roland-Manuel quickly became Ravel's student, close friend, and later, his biographer (someone who writes about another person's life).
In 1947, he became a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris, a famous music school. He taught "Aesthetics," which is the study of beauty, especially in art and music. He stayed there until he retired in 1961. He made many important contributions to music theory and criticism. He even helped the famous composer Igor Stravinsky write a book about music theory called "The Poetics of Music."
Besides his theoretical writings, Roland-Manuel also composed music for the stage. He wrote several comic operas, which are funny musical plays. He also composed music for films. He worked closely with director Jean Grémillon, creating the music for five of his movies.
Roland-Manuel's writings included several books about Maurice Ravel's music. He wrote these as a respectful student and a lifelong friend. Some of his book titles were "Ravel," "Ravel et son oeuvre" (Ravel and his work), and "Ravel et son oeuvre dramatique" (Ravel and his dramatic work).
The composer Arthur Honegger dedicated his musical piece Pastorale d'été to Roland-Manuel.
Alexis Roland-Manuel passed away in Paris in 1966.
Selected Musical Works
Stage Works
- Isabelle et Pantalon (1922)
- Canarie (1927); this was for a children's ballet called L'éventail de Jeanne. Ten French composers each contributed a dance to this ballet.
- Le Diable amoureux (1929); this was an opera based on the novel The Devil in Love by Jacques Cazotte.
- Canarie (1952); this was for a group orchestral work called La guirlande de Campra.
- Jeanne d'Arc (1955)
Film Scores
- Little Lise (1930)
- The Dream (1931)
- Partir (Departure, 1931)
- The Brighton Twins (1936)
- The Strange Monsieur Victor (1938)
- Remorques (Stormy Waters, 1941)
- Summer Light (1943)
- Le Ciel est à vous (The Woman Who Dared, 1944)
See Also
In Spanish: Alexis Roland-Manuel para niños
