Jean-François Paillard facts for kids
Jean-François Paillard (born April 12, 1928 – died April 15, 2013) was a well-known French conductor. He was famous for his work with Baroque music. He helped many old pieces become popular again.
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Early Life and Education
Jean-François Paillard was born in Vitry-le-François, France. He loved music from a young age. He studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris. This is a very famous music school in France. He won a top prize there for his knowledge of music history. He also studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum in Austria.
Interestingly, he didn't just study music. He also earned a degree in mathematics. He got this degree from the Sorbonne in Paris.
Starting His Own Orchestra
In 1953, Jean-François Paillard created his own music group. He called it the Jean-Marie Leclair Instrumental Ensemble. A few years later, in 1959, the group changed its name. It became the Orchestre de Chambre Jean-François Paillard. This means the Jean-François Paillard Chamber Orchestra.
His orchestra made many recordings. They focused on Baroque music. Baroque music is a style of classical music. It was popular from about 1600 to 1750. The orchestra recorded for Erato Records. They also traveled a lot. They performed concerts all over Europe and the United States. They played with many famous French musicians. These included Maurice André (trumpet) and Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute).
Making Pachelbel's Canon Famous
One of the orchestra's most famous recordings was made in 1968. It was a piece called "Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo". Most people know it as Pachelbel's Canon. Before this recording, the piece was not very well known.
Paillard's recording helped make it super famous. He played it in a more Romantic style. This meant it was slower than usual. He also added new parts for instruments. These parts are now often played with the piece. The recording was released on an Erato Records album. It also appeared on a popular album by the Musical Heritage Society.
In the early 1970s, the recording became very popular in the United States. Especially in San Francisco. By the late 1970s, different versions of Pachelbel's Canon were topping classical music charts. Paillard's own recording was one of them. His orchestra's recording was also used in the 1980 movie Ordinary People.
Other Achievements and Legacy
Jean-François Paillard was a very busy musician. He released a huge number of records. He made 307 recordings in total! He also often conducted other orchestras. He was a guest conductor for many groups.
Besides music, he was also a writer. He edited a series of music books. He also wrote his own book. It was called La musique française classique. This book was published in 1960.
Jean-François Paillard passed away on April 15, 2013. He died just three days after his 85th birthday. His work helped many people discover and enjoy Baroque music.
