Claude Samuel facts for kids
Claude Samuel (born June 23, 1931 – died June 14, 2020) was a famous French music critic and radio host. He spent his life sharing his love for classical music, especially new and modern pieces. He helped many young musicians and composers get their start.
A Life in Music
Claude Samuel was born in Paris, France. He first studied to become a dental surgeon. But his real passion was classical music. So, he decided to become a music journalist instead.
He wrote for many newspapers and magazines. These included Paris-Presse, Le Point, and music magazines like Diapason. He also wrote a weekly blog about cultural news for many years.
Claude Samuel was also a big name in radio. From 1957 to 2007, he produced over a thousand radio shows for France Culture and France Musique. These shows helped many people learn about and enjoy classical music. From 1989 to 1996, he was the Director of Music at Radio France. This meant he was in charge of all the music programs. He was also the vice-president of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, a famous concert hall.
Supporting New Music
Claude Samuel loved modern music, also known as contemporary music. He worked hard to help new composers and musicians.
He was in charge of the music programs for the Royan Festival from 1965 to 1972. This festival showed off new and exciting music. Later, he continued this work in La Rochelle from 1973 to 1977.
He also created something called "Centre Acanthes." This was a special yearly event for young composers and performers. Many famous modern composers taught there, including Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis, György Ligeti, Henri Dutilleux, Olivier Messiaen, and Pierre Boulez. At Radio France, he started and led the Festival Présences from 1991 to 1997. This festival also focused on new music.
Music Competitions
Claude Samuel was very involved in music competitions. He created and led the Olivier Messiaen Competition for piano from 1977 to 2007. This competition focused on modern piano music. He also led the Concours de violoncelle Rostropovitch for cello from 1977 to 2009.
From 1990 to 2014, he directed the "Concours de la Ville de Paris." This included several important competitions:
- The Jean-Pierre Rampal flute competition
- The Maurice André trumpet competition
- The Martial Solal piano-jazz competition
- The Étienne Vatelot competition for making musical instruments
Awards and Honors
Claude Samuel received several important awards for his work:
- Officier of the Légion d’honneur (1985)
- Officier des Arts et des Lettres
- Officier of the Order of Merit (1993)
His Books
Claude Samuel wrote many books about music and musicians. Here are some of them:
- Sergueï Prokofiev (1995) – about the composer Sergei Prokofiev
- Panorama de l’art musical contemporain (1962) – a look at modern music
- Entretiens avec Olivier Messiaen (1967) – interviews with the composer Olivier Messiaen. He wrote several updated versions of this book.
- Le Grand Macabre de Ligeti (1981) – about an opera by György Ligeti
- Éclats/Boulez (1986) – about the composer Pierre Boulez
- Interviews with Mstislav Rostropovitch and Galina Vishnevskaya (1983) – interviews with the famous cellist and singer
- Clara S./Les secrets d’une passion (2006) – about the pianist and composer Clara Schumann
