Marguerite Béclard d'Harcourt facts for kids
Marguerite Béclard d'Harcourt (born February 24, 1884 – died August 2, 1964) was a talented French woman. She was a composer, meaning she wrote music. She was also an ethno-musicologist. This means she studied the music of different cultures and peoples.
Marguerite was born in Paris, France. She learned how to compose music at a special school called the Schola Cantorum. Her teachers were famous musicians like Abel Decaux, Vincent d'Indy, and Maurice Emmanuel.
She married an ethnologist named Raoul d'Harcourt. An ethnologist is someone who studies human cultures. Together, they explored and wrote about folk music from South America and Canada. Marguerite also gathered and wrote down folk songs from countries like Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. She put these songs into standard European musical notes. She passed away in Paris.
Her Musical Creations
Marguerite Béclard d'Harcourt wrote many different kinds of music. Here are some of her important works:
- Fifty popular Indian Melodies, 1923 – A collection of popular melodies.
- Raimi, or the Feast of the sun, ballet, 1926 – A ballet is a story told through dance and music.
- 3 Sonnets from the Renaissance, 1930 – Music inspired by old poems.
- String Quartet, 1930 – Music for four string instruments.
- Three symphonic movements, 1932 – Parts of a larger orchestral piece.
- Children in the pen, melodies, 1934–1935 – Songs for children.
- Twenty-four Folk Songs of Old Quebec, 1936 – A collection of traditional songs from Quebec, Canada.
- Sonata Three, 1938 – A piece of music for one or two instruments.
- Dierdane, lyric drama, 1937–1941 – A type of musical play.
- Sonatine for flute and piano, 1946 – A short sonata for flute and piano.
- The Seasons, 2nd symphony, 1951–1952 – A large musical work for an orchestra.
Her Research and Writings
Marguerite also wrote books about the music she studied. She often worked with her husband, Raoul d'Harcourt. Their writings helped people learn about music from different cultures.
- Music of the Incas and its survivals, Paris, P. Geuthner, 1925 – This book explored the music of the ancient Inca people.
- French folk songs of Canada: their musical language, Paris, PUF, 1956 – This book looked at the traditional French songs found in Canada.
