Schola Cantorum de Paris facts for kids

The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a special music school in Paris, France. It's a private conservatory, which means it's a school where students learn about music in a very focused way. It was started in 1894 by three musicians: Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant, and Vincent d'Indy. They wanted to create a different kind of music school compared to the famous Paris Conservatoire, which focused a lot on opera.

Schola Cantorum building in Paris

History of the Schola Cantorum

The Schola Cantorum opened its doors on October 15, 1896. It was meant to be an alternative to the Paris Conservatoire. Alexandre Guilmant, who was an organist at the Conservatoire, was the first director of the Schola. Later, Vincent d'Indy took over.

D'Indy created the school's special way of teaching. They focused on older music, like pieces from the late Baroque and early Classical periods. They also studied Gregorian chant (old church music) and Renaissance polyphony (music with many voices singing different parts). The school really wanted students to learn strong musical skills and techniques. Some of their best students who became famous composers were Albéric Magnard, Albert Roussel, Déodat de Séverac, and Pierre de Bréville.

The school first started in an area of Paris called Montparnasse. In 1900, it moved to its current home. This building used to be an old convent in the Quartier Latin neighborhood.

Famous Teachers

Many talented musicians have taught at the Schola Cantorum. Here are some of them:

• Isaac Albéniz
• Léon Barzin
• Antoine Geoffroy-Dechaume
• Wanda Landowska
• Jean Langlais
• Olivier Messiaen
• Darius Milhaud
• Albert Roussel

Notable Students

Many students have attended the Schola Cantorum over the years, some full-time and some for shorter periods. Here are a few well-known alumni:

• Joseph Canteloube
• Helen Eugenia Hagan (an African American musician)
• Cole Porter (an American composer, who studied there for a few months in 1920)
• John Jacob Niles (an American folk singer from Kentucky)
• Dulce María Serret
• Erik Satie (a famous French composer, who studied there later in his life)
• Joaquin Turina (a Spanish composer)
• Edgard Varèse
• Theodor Rogalski (a Romanian composer)
• Yvonne Rokseth
• Félix Raugel
• Anne Terrier Laffaille
• Congyu Wang (a pianist from Singapore)