Jeanne Demessieux facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeanne Demessieux
Background information
Birth name	Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux
Born	13 February 1921 Montpellier, Herault, France
Died	11 November 1968 (aged 47) Aigues-Mortes, France
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, teacher
Instruments	Piano, Organ

Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux (born February 13, 1921 – died November 11, 1968) was an amazing French musician. She was a talented organist, pianist, composer, and teacher. Jeanne worked as the main organist at Saint-Esprit church for 29 years. Later, she also played at La Madeleine in Paris starting in 1962. She traveled the world, performing many concerts as an organist. She was also the first female organist to sign a record contract. This allowed her to record many organ pieces, including her own music.

Her Early Life and Music Journey

Jeanne Demessieux was born in Montpellier, France. She was the second child in her family. Jeanne started learning piano privately with her older sister, Yolande. In 1928, she joined the Montpellier Conservatoire, a special music school. Just four years later, she won top prizes in music theory (solfège) and piano.

In 1933, Jeanne began studying at the famous Paris Conservatoire. There, she learned piano, harmony, counterpoint, and composition. In the same year, she became the main organist at Saint-Esprit church. She held this important job for 19 years.

Learning from a Master Organist

From 1936 to 1939, Jeanne studied organ privately with Marcel Dupré. He was a very famous organist. She then joined his organ class at the Conservatoire in 1939. In 1941, she won a top prize for her organ playing and improvisation skills. She continued to study with Dupré for five more years.

Becoming a World-Famous Organist

Jeanne Demessieux played her first big concert in Paris in 1946. This was the start of her career as an international concert organist. She was also known for her incredible ability to improvise music on the spot.

In 1947, she made history by becoming the first female organist to sign a record contract. She recorded a famous piece called Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 for Decca Records.

Concerts and Amazing Memory

Jeanne gave over 700 concerts in many countries. She performed in France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. She visited the U.S. in 1953, 1955, and 1958.

What was truly amazing about Jeanne was that she always performed from memory. She knew more than 2,500 pieces by heart! This included all the organ works by famous composers like Bach and Franck. She also knew many major works by Liszt and Mendelssohn.

Jeanne recorded many pieces. In 1961, she won the Grand Prix du Disque Award. This was for her complete recording of Franck's organ works, which was the first time anyone had recorded all of them.

Later Career and Legacy

In 1962, Jeanne Demessieux became the main organist at La Madeleine in Paris. She also had demanding teaching jobs. She was a professor of organ and improvisation at the Nancy Conservatoire (1950–1952) and the Conservatoire Royal in Liège (1952–1968). Some of her students became famous musicians themselves, like Marie-Madeleine Duruflé.

In 1967, she planned to record all the organ works by Olivier Messiaen. Sadly, she couldn't complete this project due to health problems. Jeanne Demessieux passed away on November 11, 1968, in Paris. She was 47 years old and died from throat cancer. She was buried in her family's tomb in France.

Her Own Music

Jeanne Demessieux wrote more than 30 musical pieces. About a third of these were for the organ. But she also wrote music for piano, many songs, and some pieces for choirs. She even wrote a large work called an oratorio, La Chanson de Roland.

Around half of her compositions have been published. In 2021, Decca Records released a special 8-CD set. It included all her recordings for that label from 1947 to 1967. This set also featured her groundbreaking 1959 recording of Franck's complete organ works.

What Music Did She Write?

Jeanne Demessieux composed many different types of music. Here are some of her main works:

Organ Solo Pieces

• Nativité, op. 4 (composed in 1943/44)
• Six Études, op. 5 (composed in 1944). These are like musical exercises.
• Sept Méditations sur le Saint-Esprit, op. 6 (composed in 1945–47). These are seven meditations.
• Triptyque, op. 7 (composed in 1947). This piece has three parts: a prelude, an adagio, and a fugue.
• Twelve Choral-Preludes on Gregorian Chant Themes, op. 8 (composed in 1947). These are based on old church melodies.
• Te Deum, op. 11 (composed in 1957/58). A powerful piece.
• Répons pour le temps de pâques: Victimae paschali laudes (composed in 1962/63).
• Prélude et fugue en ut, op. 13 (composed in 1964).

Music for Organ and Orchestra

• Poème, op. 9 (composed in 1949). This piece combines the organ with a full orchestra.

Piano Solo Pieces

Jeanne also wrote several pieces just for the piano, including:

• 7 Pièces inédites (published in 2011)
• Berceuse (a lullaby, composed in 1926)
• Suite (composed in 1938)
• Étude in F# major (composed in 1938)
• Trois préludes (composed in 1939)

Songs (with piano)

She wrote songs where a singer performs with piano accompaniment.

Chamber Music

This is music for a small group of instruments.

• Sonata for violin and piano (composed in 1940).
• Ballade, op. 12, for horn and piano (composed in 1962).
• String quartet (for four string instruments).

Vocal Music

This includes music for voices, sometimes with instruments.

• Cantate pour le jeudi Saint for chorus, soloists, and organ (composed in 1938).
• La Chanson de Roland, op. 10, an oratorio for chorus, mezzo-soprano, and orchestra (composed in 1951–56). An oratorio is a large musical work, usually telling a story.

Other Works

• Two symphonic movements for orchestra (composed in 1941).
• She also arranged some pieces by other composers for the organ.

Images for kids

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  Jeanne Demessieux

See also

In Spanish: Jeanne Demessieux para niños