(state in 1907, demolished after 1911)
École Royale de Chant On 3 December 1783
Papillon de la Ferté,
intendant of the
Menus-Plaisirs du Roi, proposed that
Niccolò Piccinni should be appointed director of a future École Royale de Chant (Royal School of Singing). The school was instituted by a decree of 3 January 1784 and opened on 1 April with the composer
François-Joseph Gossec as the provisional director. Piccinni refused the directorship, but did join the faculty as a professor of singing. The new school was located in buildings adjacent to the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs at the junction of the rue Bergère and the
rue du Faubourg Poissonnière. In June, a class in dramatic declamation was added, and the name was modified to École Royale de Chant et de Déclamation.
Institut National de Musique , the Concert Hall, and the Conservatoire In 1792,
Bernard Sarrette created the École Gratuite de la Garde Nationale, which in the following year became the Institut National de Musique. The latter was also installed in the facilities of the former Menus-Plaisirs on the rue Bergère and was responsible for the training of musicians for the
National Guard bands, which were in great demand for the enormous, popular outdoor gatherings put on by the
revolutionary government after the
Reign of Terror. By 1800, the staff of the Conservatory included some of the most important names in music in Paris, including, besides Gossec, the composers
Luigi Cherubini,
Jean-François Le Sueur,
Étienne Méhul, and
Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, as well as the violinists
Pierre Baillot,
Rodolphe Kreutzer, and
Pierre Rode. In 1853, the rues du Conservatoire and Sainte-Cécile were cut through the parts of the site which were formerly part of the Menus-Plaisirs, isolating the Conservatoire to its own site. A new entrance and façade faced the rue du Conservatoire.
Franco-Prussian War and the Third Republic In the
Franco-Prussian War, during the
siege of Paris (September 1870 – January 1871), the Conservatory was used as a hospital. On 13 May 1871, the day after Auber's death, the leaders of the
Paris Commune appointed
Francisco Salvador-Daniel as the director. Daniel was shot to death ten days later by troops of the French Army. He was replaced by Ambroise Thomas, who remained in the post until 1896. Thomas's rather conservative directorship was vigorously criticized by many of the students, including
Claude Debussy. File:Classe Bériot 1895.jpg|Piano class of
Charles de Bériot in 1895 with
Maurice Ravel on the left File:Gabriel Fauré in his office at the Conservatoire 1918 - Gallica 2010 (adjusted).jpg|
Fauré in the Director's Office at the Conservatoire, 1918 Fauré appointed forward-thinking representatives (such as Debussy,
Paul Dukas, and
André Messager) to the governing council, loosened restrictions on repertoire, and added conducting and
music history to the courses of study. Widor's composition students during this period included
Darius Milhaud,
Arthur Honegger, and
Germaine Tailleferre. Other students included
Lili Boulanger and
Nadia Boulanger. New to the staff were
Alfred Cortot for piano and
Eugène Gigout for organ. Delvincourt was director from 1941 until his death in an automobile accident in 1954. Delvincourt was a progressive administrator, adding classes in
harpsichord, saxophone, percussion, and the
Ondes Martenot. Staff included Milhaud for composition and Messiaen for analysis and aesthetics. In 1946, the
dramatic arts were transferred to a separate institution, the
Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique (CNSAD). Music and dance became the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP). Delvincourt was succeeded by Dupré in 1954,
Raymond Loucheur in 1956,
Raymond Gallois-Montbrun in 1962,
Marc Bleuse in 1984, and
Alain Louvier in 1986. Plans to move CNSMDP to more modern facilities in the
Parc de la Villette were initiated under Bleuse and completed under Louvier.
Traditions for flute The tradition of the final or exit examination, the
concours, has required students, at the end of their course of study, to perform in public a prepared set of musical pieces for a jury consisting of the professors and internationally renowned professionals on the particular instrument, the composer of the solo de concours, and the Director. Behind closed doors, the candidates would be given additional tasks to perform such as sight-reading. In the 20th century, the candidates were judged against a standard, and those who demonstrated outstanding mastery and artistry receive the
Premier Prix, the equivalent of a diploma with high honor. Those who earned
Deuxieme Prix, also received a diploma but could elect to remain to try again a year later for the top prize. Two lesser levels of distinction existed, the
Premier Accessit and
Deuxieme Accessit, equivalent to Honorable Mentions but without a diploma. Historically, students who failed to pass the exam on the first attempt would return for another one to two years additional study and try a second time. A student failing to earn either level diploma after two additional attempts would be terminated from the program.
Cité de la Musique . CNSMDP moved to its new facilities in the
Cité de la Musique in September 1990. After over two centuries of male directors,
Émilie Delorme, for a decade director of the European Academy of Music () at the
Aix-en-Provence Festival, was appointed as the Conservatoire's first woman director on 14 December 2019. Currently, the conservatories train more than 1,200 students in structured programs, with 350 professors in nine departments. == Facilities ==