Alice Sauvrezis facts for kids

Alice Marie Marguerite Sauvrezis (born April 4, 1866 – died April 12, 1946) was a talented French musician. She was a composer, which means she wrote music. She was also a pianist, playing the piano, and a choral conductor, leading groups of singers. Alice Sauvrezis also organized concerts. She was an important member of a group of composers in Paris who were interested in Breton (a region in France) music and culture. She even became the president of a society that promoted this type of art.

Alice Sauvrezis's Life and Music

We don't know a lot about Alice Sauvrezis's early life. She was born in Nantes, a city in the region of Brittany, France. There, she worked as a piano teacher. She studied music with famous teachers like César Franck, Ernest Guiraud, and Paul Vidal.

In 1891, Alice joined a group in Paris called the Société Artistique et Littéraire de l'Ouest. This group focused on art and literature from the western part of France. By 1920, she became its president. The society held special concerts and poetry readings called "Soirées celtiques" (Celtic Evenings) at the Sorbonne university. These events showcased "Celtic" music, which was classical music inspired by the culture of Brittany, Normandy, and Ireland. They also featured works by writers and artists from these regions. From 1913 to 1914, she was also the only woman in a group called the Association des Compositeurs Bretons, which was a group of Breton composers.

Alice Sauvrezis mostly wrote songs, as well as music for piano and small groups of instruments (chamber music). She also composed some pieces for choirs and orchestras. During World War I, she helped support France by putting together two collections of French soldier songs. These books were called Chants de soldats (1525–1915) (published in 1915) and Autres chants de soldats (1200–1916) (published in 1916).

Other composers sometimes dedicated their music to Alice Sauvrezis. For example, Marguerite Balutet wrote a piano piece for her in 1886, and Paul Dedieu-Péters did the same in 1897.

Alice Sauvrezis passed away in Paris when she was 80 years old.

Alice Sauvrezis's Compositions

Alice Sauvrezis wrote many different kinds of music. Here are some examples of the types of pieces she created:

Music for Orchestra

She composed pieces for a full orchestra, like Fresque marine (1912) and La Chanson des soirs (1923). La Chanson des soirs was written for piano and a brass band.

Music for Plays

Alice also wrote music for plays, which is called incidental music. This included Une Scène de l'enfance de Beethoven (1906), a mimed scene with choirs and dances. She also wrote music for Le Chant des pauvres (1913), a play based on old Breton legends.

Vocal and Choral Music

She composed many pieces for singers and choirs. Some examples include:

• La Ronde enfantine (1890) for children's choir.
• Les Vanneuses (1899) for women's choir.
• Hymne orphique (1910) for singers, female choir, and instruments like flutes and harps.

Songs for Voice and Piano

Alice Sauvrezis wrote many songs for a single singer with piano accompaniment. She often used poems by famous writers for her song lyrics. Some of her songs include:

• Souvenir (1887)
• Clair de lune (1889)
• Chanson de mer (1896)
• La Flûte (1899)
• Heures claires (1911)
• Harmonie du soir (1921)
• Le Vitrail (1928), for which she wrote her own words.

Chamber Music

She wrote music for small groups of instruments, known as chamber music. This included:

• Duo (1899) for two pianos.
• A sonata for violin and piano (1902).
• Poème (1920) for cello and piano.

Piano Music

Alice composed many pieces just for the piano, such as:

• Chant sans paroles (1898)
• La Goutte d'eau (1904)
• Étude héroïque (1912), which was written for the left hand only.
• France! (1915)
• Gestes d'enfants (1925)

Organ Music

She also wrote music for the organ, including Choral pour l'Offertoire (1914).