From Xavier Lefèvre to Frédéric Berr: Clarinet instruction at the Paris Conservatory between 1795 and 1838.

Théo Couillez

Student Number 3258904 Supervisor Bart van Oort Title From Xavier Lefèvre to Frédéric Berr: Clarinet instruction at the Paris Conservatory between 1795 and 1838. Research Question How to describe clarinet instruction at the Paris Conservatory between 1795 and 1838? Summary The Paris Conservatory was founded in 1795. Xavier Lefèvre (1763-1829) was one of the first clarinet professor to teach there, from 1795 to 1824. In 1802 he published an important clarinet tutor intended for study at the Conservatoire: Méthode de clarinette. Frédéric Berr (1794-1838) held the same position from 1832 to 1838. In 1836 he published a Méthode complète de clarinette and a Traité complet de la clarinette. Thanks to these writings, it is possible nowadays to get an idea of the skills needed by a French clarinettist of the early 19th century to play the music of his time. The aim of this research is thus to describe the main aspects of performance practice during the chosen period. Many of these aspects are not limited to the clarinet. Consequently, other methods for singing or for other instruments related to the Conservatory, have been studied to provide a broader perspective of performance practice at that time. As the first decades of the 19th century witnessed important developments in clarinet making and instrumental technique, it has been essential to discuss this point in this research. However the central aspect of this work is musical expression, the ultimate goal of a performance. Phrasing, the variety of articulation and dynamics appear as essential tools for the performer who wants to communicate with the audience. Short biography Théo Couillez is a French clarinetist. He studied in his native country where he received the bachelor degree at the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt in 2017. Eager to discover another approach to interpretation, he decided in 2019 to study for the Master degree in historical clarinet with Eric Hoeprich at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. (Netherlands). Passionate about the symphonic orchestra, he took part to several orchestral academies such as the Youth European Orchestra Hector Belioz led by François-Xavier Roth and the Collegium Vocal Gent Academy led by Philippe Herreweghe.

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Conclusion

During this research, I studied in detail a number of instrument and singing methods from the first half of the 19th century, in connection with the Paris Conservatory. This study allowed me to obtain information on different aspects of performance practice in France during this period. The notions of Character and Accent appeared fundamental to me. Character is defined by the composer who works on all the elements of the musical language to express a feeling he or she has chosen to represent. Accent belongs to the performer. It is he or she who must vary the inflections according to what the composer has drawn, in order to emphasize the Character of the composition. Consequently, the performer has a very active role which is expressed mainly through a variety of dynamics and articulations.

The first decades of the 19th century witnessed important innovations in instrument making. The Müller system appeared around 1810 and spread rapidly. The writings show that in the 1830s, the character of the instrument had evolved. The clarinet was seen, like the violin, able to play and express everything. Frédéric Berr, inspired by the German clarinettists, imposed playing with the reed below at the Conservatory. It seems possible to observe in his writings the beginnings of what will become today's School.

I could have developed other ideas in this research. For instance, it would have been interesting to compare French sources with sources from other countries in order to know if the French Clarinet School at the time of Lefèvre and Berr had characteristics that set it apart from other Schools. It would also have been possible to do further work on the repertoire of the time, to see to what extent the innovations made to the instrument might have changed its use by composers. In the framework of this year-long research, this was not possible. Nevertheless, my present work could provide an interesting basis for future research.

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