Gaston Crunelle and Flute Playing in Twentieth-Century France [Paperback]

Gaston Crunelle (1898--1990) was Professor of Flute at the Paris Conservatory from 1941 to 1969 and taught an entire generation of the world's leading flutists. A leading orchestral, chamber music, and solo flutist, his recordings are among the best of the 78-rpm and early LP eras.Gaston Crunelle and Flute Playing in Twentieth-Century Franceestablishes Crunelle's place in history as one of the most important flutists of the twentieth century and shines light on musical life in France during his lifetime from the silent film era, through the German Occupation, to the changes in music and education since 1968.Gaston Crunelle (1898--1990) was a remarkable flutist and a beloved teacher, yet his name is hardly known today.Gaston Crunelle and Flute Playing in Twentieth-Century Francerestores Crunelle's place in the pantheon of flutists while revealing details of musical life in France during his lifetime. Crunelle was Professor of Flute at the Paris Conservatory from 1941 to 1969--the longest tenure of any flute professor in the Conservatory's history--and taught an entire generation of the world's leading flutists, including Michel Debost, James Galway, Christian Lard?, Maxence Larrieu, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. He took an active interest in the annual commissions ofmorceaux de concoursor contest pieces--including works by Dutilleux, Jolivet, Messiaen, and Sancan--which the book discusses in detail. As a performer, Crunelle was principal flutist of the Op?ra-Comique and the Pasdeloup Orchestra and a member of the Quintette Instrumental de Paris, an ensemble of flute, harp, and string trio that left a rich legacy of about fifty commissioned works. His recordings of solo and chamber music of Bach, Mozart, and Baroque and twentieth-century French composers are among the best of the 78-rpm and early LP eras.In following Crunelle's early development through to his storied career as performer and pedagogue,Gaston Crunelle and Flute Playing in Twentl3x