Marie Joséphine Claire Prestat (1862–1933) was a French organist, pianist, composer and teacher. She was a native of Paris where she spent her entire life.[1][2] She is known principally as a composer of organ and piano music, vocal works, and pedagogical texts.
Training edit
Marie Prestat began advanced musical studies at a young age at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1876 - at the age of 14 - she was awarded the Conservatoire's highest diploma (Premier Prix) in Solfège.[3]
Among her teachers at the Conservatoire were:
- for harmony: Charles Lenepveu, gaining Premier Prix in 1885.[3]
- for accompaniment: Auguste Bazille, gaining Premier Prix in 1886.[3]
- for composition: Ernest Guiraud, gaining Premier Prix for fugue and counterpoint in 1889, the first female Conservatoire student to do so.[3]
- for organ: César Franck, gaining Premier Prix in 1890.[3]
Marie Prestat was the first female Conservatoire student to gain five Premier Prix.[3]
Later years edit
Teacher edit
Prestat's work as a teacher was recognised in 1895 by the French State awarding her the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.[3] From that time onwards her teaching career was spent largely at the Schola Cantorum in Paris where she taught the organ (1895-7) and piano (1901–22).[4]
Organist edit
By 1912 Prestat was organist of the Association des Concerts Spirituels at the Sorbonne.[5]
References edit
- ^ Archives numérisées d'état civil de Paris, 1862, 5e arr., acte de naissance n° 1348, vue 6/31'. Online resource, accessed 29 March 2020
- ^ Archives numérisées d'état civil de Paris, 1933, 10e arr., acte de décès n° 3775, vue 13/31. Online resource, accessed 29 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Constant Pierre (1900) Le Conservatoire national de musique et de déclamation : documents historiques et administratifs / recueillis ou reconstitués. (Paris, Imprimerie nationale), p. 834.
- ^ Vincent D'Indy (1927) La Schola cantorum, son histoire depuis sa fondation jusqu'en 1925 (Paris, Bloud & Gay), p.201.
- ^ Joseph Joubert (1912–14) Les Maîtres contemporains de l'orgue (Paris, M. Sénart), vol. IV, p.7.
External links edit
Details of works by Marie Prestat, including some public domain scores and texts, can be found online at:
- Biblioteque Nationale de Framce (Online resource, accessed 15 May 2021).
- IMSLP Petrucci Music Library. (Online resource, accessed 15 May 2021).
- Marie Prestat. Offrande a la Vierge: Alma redemptoris mater (1914). Andrew Pink (2021) Exordia ad missam.