Charles Bordes facts for kids
Charles Bordes (born Anne-Marie Charles Bordes-Bonjean on 12 May 1863 – died 8 November 1909) was a talented French music teacher and composer. He is best known for helping to bring back interest in old church music and for co-founding a famous music school in Paris called the Schola Cantorum.
Early Life and Musical Journey
Charles Bordes was born in a place called La Roche-Corbon, in France. From a young age, he loved music. He studied the piano with a famous teacher named Antoine François Marmontel. He also learned how to write music, which is called composition, from another great musician, César Franck.
Bordes became an organist and a music director (Maître de chapelle) at a church in Nogent-sur-Marne from 1887 to 1890. In 1890, he moved to Paris and became the music director at the Église Saint-Gervais. There, he started a special choir called the Saint-Gervais Singers. He also organized events called The Saint-Gervais Holy Weeks, where church services featured beautiful French or Italian renaissance music from long ago.
In 1897, Bordes published an important book called Archives de la tradition basque. This book was a study of traditional Basque music, which is a type of music from the Basque region. The French government even asked him to do this study!
Founding the Schola Cantorum
One of Charles Bordes' biggest achievements was helping to start the Schola Cantorum of Paris. This special music school opened on 15 October 1896. Bordes founded it with two other important musicians, Vincent d'Indy and Alexandre Guilmant.
The Schola Cantorum was created to bring back interest in plain-song (an ancient style of church singing) and the music of famous old composers like Palestrina, Josquin des Prez, and Victoria. It helped people appreciate these beautiful, historical musical styles again.
Bordes didn't stop there! He also helped open other Schola Cantorum schools in different cities. He founded one in Avignon in 1899 and another in Montpellier in 1905. He stayed very involved with the original Schola Cantorum in Paris until he passed away at an early age in Toulon.
Family Connections
Charles Bordes had a brother who married a talented pianist named Marie-Léontine Pène. After they married, she became known as Bordes-Pène.
See also
In Spanish: Charles Bordes para niños
