Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré

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*"Dupré" redirects here. See Dupré (disambiguation) for other articles regarding people with this surname.*

## Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré

Dupré at the organ console of the Clicquot-Cavaillé-Coll organ of Saint-Sulpice, Paris. He served as titulaire at this church from 1934 to 1971.

### Relatives

Albert Dupré (father)Alice Dupré (mother)

Etienne-Pierre Chauviere (maternal grandfather)

Marguerite Tollet (daughter)

## Biographical information

### Marital status

married to Jeanne-Claire Marguerite Pascou (1883-1978)(m. 24 April 1924 - 30 May 1971)

### Place of birth

Résidence de Familie Dupré16 Rue de Vert Buisson, Rouen, Normandy, France

### Place of death

Villa Dupré40 Boulevard des Deux-Gares, Meudon, Haut-de-Seine, France

## Physical description

### Eye color

Brown

**Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré** *(born 3 May 1886, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy* *- died 30 May 1971, Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France)* was a virtuoso French concert and Roman Catholic church organist, theorist, composer, improviser, professor, pianist, musician, pedagogue, author, editor, reformist, musicologist, organologist, scholar, feminist, and former actor. He was arguably the most important organological figure of the 20th century, and had a famous career "with a touch of good luck", and is still one of the most popular and famous organists of all time, and one of the most popular organ composers as well.

Having been a child prodigy, he was the son of the revered Rouennais organist and conductor Albert Dupré and virtuoso pianist and cellist Alice Chauviere; Dupré is unanimously regarded as one of the greatest and most paramount organists and organ composers of his and all time by organists, enthusiasts, and scholars alike and is known as the greatest improviser in the history of the organ; furthermore being deemed the "Liszt of the organ" and the "culmination of the French organ school". He is also known for a worldwide career, probably the most successful organist's career in the world, in which he toured England, Germany, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, among other nations. Over 2,000 recitals were given during said tours, which lasted over 40 years. He also occupied numerous important positions ranging from titular organist of the église Saint-Sulpice in Paris, having succeeded Charles-Marie Widor, with its famous Clicquot-Cavaillé-Coll organ, a position which he held until his death, then organ professor for twenty years of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and subsequently director for a term of two years, among others. He was very much strongly inspired by the organs of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (whom he had known in his early years) and the American Eclectic style (particularly the Wanamaker Organ as a notable example).

Above all, however, he is known for his great influence and reform of the French organ school, and it is often said that Dupré singlehandedly shaped (almost) the entire school into what it is today as well as taking advantage of the declining school in the First World War, and was a pioneer of the neo-symphonic movement, as opposed to the French neo-classical variant of the Neo-Baroque school, and is often called the father of the style. His students have included Jeanne Demessieux, Gaston Litaize, Pierre Cochereau (who he described as a "phenomenon without equal"), Olivier Messiaen, Jean Langlais, Maurice and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, Jehan-Ariste and his sister Marie-Claire Alain, Jean-Jacques Grünenwald, who was his successor at Saint-Sulpice, Rolande Falcinelli, Marie-Louise Girod, Odile Pierre, Jean Guillou, and many other important organological figures.

As well as composing prolifically, Dupré was an author and essayist, having prepared study editions of the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach, whom he greatly revered, George Frederick Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Robert Schumann, César Franck, and Alexander Glazunov. He also wrote a method for organ (1927), 2 treatises on organ improvisation (1926 and 1937), and books on harmonic analysis (1936), counterpoint (1938), fugue (1938), and accompaniment of Gregorian chant (1937), in addition to essays on organ building, acoustics, and philosophy of music - his "neosymphonic" style was a modernised version of the symphonic ideals of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and was responsible for planning several renovations of organs in France and around the world. As an improviser, Dupré excelled as perhaps no other did during the 20th century, and he was able to take given themes and spontaneously weave whole symphonies around them, often with elaborate contrapuntal devices including fugues. The achievement of these feats was partially due to his native genius and partially due to his extremely hard work doing paper exercises when he was not busy practising or composing. He was also an important figure in establishing gender equality in the organ world, due to his promotion, support, and ideals of his female students and colleagues.

Dupré's massive oeuvre of over 65 works with opuses, and much more without opuses, predominantly consists of works for the organ, most of which are technically demanding and difficult, although he had also written works for chamber orchestra, piano, violin and piano, choir, and other ensembles; as well as some transcriptions. The entire oeuvre took 72 years to write - he began in 1893 aged seven with a Priére in G major for organ and finished with a Souvenir (op. 65-bis) for organ, in 1965, aged 79. The most famous of his organ works include the two sets of three Preludes and Fugues, Le chemin de croix, Cortége et Litanie, his two organ symphonies, three symphonic poems, Le Tombeau de Titelouze, the Esquisses, the Sept Piéces, Variations sur un vieux Noël, 15 Versets, and much more. However, he is not known a lot outside the organ world, though his piano works have recently been gaining some traction. He also composed a symphony for organ and orchestra in G minor.

Often heavily lauded and criticised throughout his life by numerous parties including his own teachers, colleagues, students, and friends, Dupré carried a very kind personality, a strict pedagogical one with his pupils (some of which were hated) and associates, but also a controversial reputation in terms of his behaviour, ideals and virtuosity due to incidents regarding Demessieux and Vierne, but these are subject to interpretation (though, it can be said that his fellows among the Parisian organ circle were very jealous of him). He was a student (and subsequent colleague) of Louis Vierne, Charles-Marie Widor, and Alexandre Guilmant, three major influences that furthered his organ career, as well as one of Lazare Lévy and Louis Diemer in piano - he was an alumnus of the Conservatoire de Paris. His rivals included Norbert Dufourcq and André Marchal.

Additionally, he was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts de France, occupying the second seat of the 5th section (Music composition) from 1956 til his death in 1971, he was the successor of Marcel Samuel-Rousseau. He was the father of pianist Marguerite Tollet and the Conservatoire de Meudon was renamed after his death in his memory. Moreover, an elementary school in the town of Barentin which is a short distance from his birthplace of Rouen bears his name. An association called *L'Association des Amis de l'Art de Marcel Dupré* dedicated to him was founded in 1970 with his own consent, which occupies his former residence in Meudon, which is now a museum and owned by the association.

### Family

#### Duprés

The Dupré family, originally sellers of fabric, also weaving themselves, were heavily involved in Rouen commerce and thus developed a large fortune. They originally came from Barentin. Dupré's earliest traceable ancestor, Jean-Marin, was born in 1638 in Ingouville. It should also be noted that some of Dupré's own ancestors were notable in their own right.

The ancestors of Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré include, to name a few, municipal businessman Auguste-Théodore Visinet, who was also the head of Rouen's leading *Journal* newspaper; Marie-Aimée Visinet, one of the first Dupré family members to pursue a full career in music (pupil of Amedée Méreaux); her husband whom she married in 1859, Aimable-Auguste Pompée Dupré, *organiste titulaire* at Rouen's Saint-Niclaise (organ), who in the following year received an appointment to titulaireship of the organ of Saint-Maclou. The latter Dupré also sang with a tenor voice. In addition, he was a clarinettist, bugler, and pianist, skills he would later pass onto his eldest son.

Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré was a first cousin of archaeologist, historian, and Nazi collaborator Jean-Marie Georges Lafond and his businessman brother, Pierre-Marie Charles, through his aunt Marie-Marguerite, who married Marie-Joseph François-de-Salles Lafond (commonly known as Joseph Lafond).

A full and annonated family tree of the Duprés is available at link not available yet.

### Childhood and teenage years

> *"But that little fellow... was music itself. His wide-awake curiosity overlooked no detail, and his comments filled me with amazement and admiration. [...] [He is] certainly the youngest organist in France."* -Louis Victor Jules Vierne *(Journal)*
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Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré was born at 04:00 local timeon Monday, 3 May in the spring of 1886 in the master bedroom of 16 Rue de Vert Buisson in the city of Rouen, Normandy; into a family of devout Roman Catholics, and was an only child.

The boy was baptised at Rouen Cathedral shortly after, with his godfather being the family's close friend, Jules Leseur and his godmother, his great-aunt Jeanne-Hébert Visinet (they were the sources of his compound middle name). His first name came from Marcel, a character in the opera *Les Huguenots* by Giacomo Meyerbeer. The surname "Dupré" means "from the meadow" or "from Prez" in French. The witnesses to his birth were one of the other tenants of the residence, François-Étienne Lemarchand, and Pierre-Étienne Chauvière. The birth was inputted into the city register of Rouen a few hours later.

His mother, Marie-Alice (née Chauvière) Dupré (1859-1933), was a virtuoso pianist and cellist, and a student of Aloys Klein, and her sister Jeanne (Marcel's aunt) was an alto. His father (Prof.) Albert Aimable Dupré (1860-1941) was a gifted scientist and academic who studied under a cellist named Engelmann, who did not begin studying the organ seriously until he was in his early twenties (with Guilmant, and also with Aloys Klein - they met at his class). Furthermore, he was a hornist, clarinettist, and pianist. Aside from this, he was also a choirmaster and conductor who founded a choir in Rouen as well as an orchestra with sixty members. He was appointed as the titular organist of the famous Cavaillé-Coll organ of Saint-Ouen in 1911 - at the time of Marcel's birth he was organiste titulaire at the Église de Immaculée Conception in the nearby town of Elbeuf; and was also a friend and admirer of the famous organbuilder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Felix-Alexandre Guilmant, Albert's teacher who was the titulaire at Sainte-Trinité in Paris, delightedly predicted that Marcel would be 'will be an organist!' while viewing the young baby in his crib and holding his hand, only a couple of days young. He previously served as best man at Albert's wedding. His maternal grandfather Etienne-Pierre Chauviere was a bass, who also had a career in opera. He was also organist, and consequently director of music at St-Patrice in Rouen. Also to be noted is his paternal grandfather Aimable, who was the titular organist of Saint-Maclou and Saint-Niclaise, also in Rouen. Marcel was bound to be a musician due to his upgrowing and surroundings. On note to this, his uncle Henri-Auguste Dupré was a violist.

Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré was an organ enthusiast from a very early age who had no other interests than music, and also a very optimistic and happy child raised by strict but loving parents who admired his musical abilities. An example of a story regarding the young boy is his introduction to the great Charles-Marie Widor, famous composer and titular organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Widor, who he admired greatly, was visiting Rouen to premiere his new Symphonie gothique at the inauguration of Saint-Ouen's new organ, which was a short distance from the Dupré residence, and was rehearsing in the afternoon, surrounded by several Rouennais organists and the organbuilder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll himself, his father included - the Dupré family watched in awe. Marcel ran off from his nanny in an attempt to meet the great virtuoso and climbed up many steps of stairs to the organ loft of the church, he arrived when Widor was just about to begin playing and hid in a nook by the console. He paid great attention to the performance and was fixated on him. Visibly exhausted, the young child complimented Widor's playing and said "Sir, you play very well, but Papa plays well, too". The entire assembly, Widor and Cavaillé-Coll included, burst into laughter, with the exception of Monsieur Dupré. The young child was shortly thereafter lifted by Widor onto the bench. Upon the family's return to their residence, Marcel was harshly scolded by his parents due to his insubordination, but he was also happy that he was able to meet his idol. "The whole town knew the story", according to Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré himself.

    However, his cheerful personality was cut short, as when he was merely 5 1/2 years old when he developed the bone infection osteomyelitis in his right collarbone, nearly killing him. He was bedridden for six months and had to have his right collarbone removed in a second surgery (the first failed), causing a delay in his musical studies; however as a consequence of this, the young child became ambidextrous. His recovery was assisted by his godfather, merchant Jules Lesueur (namesake of the second part of his middle name). He took him in carriage rides around the city of Rouen and hills and woodlands around it, and also rented a family villa *Julia-Marie* by the beach at Saint-Valery-en-Caux for them (they stayed here for every summer holiday til 1940) and bought a grand piano, to which his spirits were regained. Dupré's musical studies were highly praised by his parents, as he learned exercises extremely quickly and flawlessly as an example; they rewarded him by retrieving and repairing an old harmonium from the attic and placing it in his room. The young boy imagined his room was a cathedral and the harmonium was its organ.

#### *Le petit prodige*

Marcel thus begun his proper musicianship at age 7 (1893), as a pianist with lessons from his paternal grandfather and father. In the winter of that year, he took up organ under his father - Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens' *École d'orgue et d'harmonium* was used (much to Marcel's irritation - he was later assigned BWV 533, which was 'too easy' for him) - Lemmens indirectly contributing to Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré's lifelong reverence for Johann Sebastian Bach. He had been able to play melodies on the piano when he was 4 before his infection.

In the autumn of 1894, he performed for the first time in public at the wedding of a friend of his father's, playing a harmonium piece as part of the prelude and also entered school for the first time. As a student, he initially had a rough start but then excelled in every subject with the exception of arithmetic.

Later that year, Marcel made his concert debut at the age of eight by taking part in the inauguration of the Cavaillé-Coll choir organ in the Eglise de Immaculee Conception in Elbeuf, a small town that is 10 miles southwest of Rouen (his father was titulaire at this church from 1886 to 1901) playing Johann Sebastian Bach's "Cathedral" Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 533 in the opening of the programme. He was lauded by the audience, they applauded the young prodigy. He was famously called a "little prodigy" [Fr.: le petit prodige] by Cavaillé-Coll as a result of this. The day before the debut, the Duprés met with Cavaillé-Coll at a hotel dinner. Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré recounted the following as his mother told him this story:

> *At supper, Papa worried about how to handle me while he rehearsed the symphony for chorus and orchestra. Mama would be playing the cello, and my aunt would be singing. My father yelled "I want Marcel to behave!". Cavaillé-Coll replied, "Confide Marcel to me. We'll walk by the Seine..." then proceeded to turn to me and asked, "alright?"; I exuberantly replied with a "Yes, monsieur!". As she put me to bed, Mama bombarded me with orders: "Remember that M. Cavaillé-Coll is elderly (83)! Don't go off running by the riverbank! Don't cause him any trouble! Keep your shoes tidy!" I replied, "Do you think I'm stupid? **We'll talk about organs!**"*
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As it turns out, Cavaillé-Coll discussed diligently with *le petit prodige* about organology and graciously and patiently answered each question the young child had in a manner he could understand.

Part of the summer of 1895 was spent in the commune of Le Tréport, which had a Cavaillé-Coll organ in its Église Saint-Jacques (Dupré had some of his lessons on this organ). At 9 1/2, in the fall, he started studying harmony and two-part counterpoint under his father. At the age of 10, Dupré devoted only a quarter of the time he spent at the piano to the organ (as were his father's wishes). Guilmant and Dupré remained teacher and pupil (and close friends) for 10 years - even though the plan was for Marcel's salary to fund the tuition of the organ lessons with Guilmant, every lesson Marcel had with the great master was gratis. By his tenth birthday he had memorised a sonata movement by Guilmant and the "Little" Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 by Johann Sebastian Bach. The following month at the Exposition de Rouen, he, in his formal concert debut, played these pieces on a 28-stop 3-manual-and-pedal organ by Georges Krischer (son of Hubert) in a hall which seated 1,000 people. He was very dependent on the opinions of his idols Alexandre Guilmant and Charles-Marie Widor. Dupré was strangely dressed in a sailor's suit in order to make him "look young", similar to the young Ludwig van Beethoven. He disliked this suit, which he had to wear often.

Towards the end of July in the following year, the great organist-brothers Louis and Réne Vierne were on holiday with some friends at the seaside town of Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Normandy, a fishing/trading port. They visited the Église Saint-Valery to examine its historical early 19th-century François-Antoine Léte organ. While attending a Sunday service of a High Mass, they heard an 'excellent' performance with accurate articulation, no mistakes and on-point tempo (it must be remarked this piece is intermediate-advanced) of the aforementioned Little Fugue by Bach at the offertoire - which they did not expect, as the instrument was derelict and was not able to do much. It had a French pedalboard as well, going down to the A below low C. Louis attempted to ask the parishioners for the name of the organist and waited for the "organist" to come down the stairs from the loft. Albert and the young Marcel (who was "cutely" dressed in a sailor's suit) went down the stairs.

The following conversation took place:

* Louis Vierne: "Brilliant playing, sir! My name is Louis Vierne. Are you the organist?"
* Albert Dupré: "Excuse me, sir... but no, that was my son (pointing towards Marcel)."
* Louis Vierne: "This sweet boy? How old is he?"
* Albert Dupré: "Yes, Monsieur, it was really him playing; he just turned ten."
* Louis Vierne: "Unbelievably astounding! No mistakes, consistent rhythm, and with a French [classic] pedalboard! I cannot believe it!"

Albert Dupré then proceeded to introduce his and his son's career to the brothers. Louis Vierne asked for Monsieur Dupré's permission to kiss Marcel on the forehead and when Marcel Dupré realised who he was as per his introduction, he blushed. He introduced himself and kissed Marcel on the forehead, as Marcel blushed. At that time, he was Widor's assistant at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris and as well as deputy organist at the famously renowned organ of Saint-Sulpice. Vierne asked Albert if Marcel would accompany him to his recital at the Exposition de Rouen to which he agreed and thanked Vierne for his admiration of his son. Dupré began looking up to Vierne as one of three "pivotal masters" that he greatly admired and loved throughout his life. In addition, Marcel Dupré registered for two recitals (from memory) Louis Vierne gave at the *Exposition de Rouen* (17 September, with Réne registering as well) as well as a private one at Saint-Ouen. He famously embraced Vierne in public when this occurred.

Now a family friend, Vierne was regularly a guest at *Villa Julia-Marie* since 1898 onwards where a close relationship was quickly formed between the young boy and the great master. Réne, although having had a friendship not as close of that of his brother Louis, still had a liking towards the young boy. He ended up dying a war hero in the First World War much to his brother's immeasurable grief, and as a result being the dedicatee of Dupré's B major prelude and fugue.

In 1897, he was finally taken up as a student by Alexandre Guilmant as per Marcel Dupré's own pleas to his parents, who was one of the foremost influences on the young child. Guilmant recognised him as a child prodigy (Guilmant was also a student of the Belgian organist Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens, who was part of a musical line going back to Johann Sebastian Bach). He played for his first communion earlier that year.

Later that year, when Marcel Dupré was aged 11, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll built an organ (which was later expanded with a pedal Basson 16' in 1908 by Charles Mutin) for the Dupré family residence's recently enlarged music room, located in the back of the house, which was one of Marcel's own dreams. It took a month to erect. This organ now serves as the choir organ of Rouen Cathedral, which Marcel Dupré donated in 1945 to replace its original one which was destroyed in the Second World War. The young child was immediately fascinated with this instrument (and organbuilding, too, as a result), watching its construction and even dictating how it would look, having suggested a tower to Cavaillé-Coll (he put two); and it effectively decided the future of his career. He later received a framed sketch from the organbuilder of its case.

> *In this manner, though still a child, I was introduced to organ building, and I fell in love with it, so much so that several years later I confided to my father one day that I could not decide whether to become an organist or an organ builder. I was brought to my senses by one of his comments, “My poor fellow, you can do absolutely nothing in mathematics. How would you be able to do the necessary calculations in order to make a blueprint of an organ?” His argument settled my dilemma. (Extract from Recollections)*
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The following year, when he was 12 years old, with Guilmant's encouragement, he anxiously auditioned for (and won) the position of titular organist at Saint-Vivien in Rouen, being the first titular organist, where he played a new Georges Krischer et Bouillioux organ (III/P/31), which the church had recently gotten in that year. Guilmant taught Dupré monthly in his Meudon residence in a strict manner, and had strict performance influence towards him. He was also required to report on his progress at Saint-Vivien, documenting on his activities during the Sunday services, as he was unsupervised.

On his 15th birthday, the hall was reinaugurated and many members of the family as well as friends of it attended. He had composed a special cantata called *Le Vision de Jacob* which was inspired by experiences he had when he was 11 with an illustration by Gustave Doré which had seen in an illustrated bible, a communion gift, for the occasion which was played. He initially studied at (and graduated from) the Lycée Pierre-Corneille in Rouen, where his father worked as its music teacher. Having written several other works before, this was his first large-scale work. The cantata was greatly acclaimed and a certain Mme. Samson, granddaughter of the composer François-Adrien Boieldieu, paid a sum at his father's disposal for the purchase of an Erard grand piano once owned by Polish concert pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski used during one of his tours to add to the Dupré residence.

### Student at the Conservatoire de Paris

Alexandre Guilmant discussed with the Dupré couple regarding their child's future and proposed that he would be entered into the Conservatoire de Paris. They both agreed - Guilmant proposed entering him into the piano class while still teaching Dupré organ. Often, when Dupré was 16-20 years old, he practised 10 hours a day. Dupré was an extremely proficient pianist and learned the complete sonatas of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart as well as much of Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Schubert.

In 1902, Marcel Dupré passed the entrance examinations of the prestigious conservatory and studied piano (he had concentrated himself to this instrument by now in order to improve his manual technique) under the esteemed Louis-Joseph Diémer (1843-1919), where he obtained his First Prize in Piano in 1905. It is here that Dupré began his maturity and the blossoming of who was to become the greatest organist of the 20th century. The following year his daughter Marguerite-Marie Jeanne Henriette is born - by this time he was engaged in an affair with his aunt nthrough affinity, Jeanne Pascouau, married to his uncle Henri-Auguste Dupré. They wedded 22 years later.

Shortly after his first prize in 1903, Charles-Marie Widor approved of Louis Vierne's resignation of deputy at Saint-Sulpice and appointed the young man, 19 years old, as his replacement. Following an unfortunate accident in 1907, his right hand was immobilised for over a month. As a result, Dupré was able to perfect his footwork (he practised 12 hours a day during this time).

In 1909, now a composition student of Widor, he wins a first fugal prize in his class. He also released his first published opus, *Les normands* for choir and orchestra. The preludes and fugues were not published until 10 years after writing due to their difficulty.

For two years during this time, Dupré had a short career as an actor, starring in a few short films. Films in which he starred in include:

* Pauvre grosse (1909)
* Les chasseurs de fourrures (1909)
* Le gamin de Paris (1910)

Widor remained an important influence on Dupré and he admired Widor for his whole life, as an example, his symphonies were frequently performed by him and served as models for his own works. However, Dupré composed only two organ symphonies compared to Widor's ten, though his symphonic poems can be classified as "symphonies" and clearly bear Widor's influence.

### Grand Prix de Rome and the First World War

    The first attempt to win the Grand Prix de Rome, a prestigious competition that enabled French nationals to study at the Villa Medici in Rome, Italy for several years, was in 1912 with Widor's encouragement, and Dupré being a member of his class - this was nine years after the infamous "Affaire Ravel". He failed and tried again in 1913 (he lost to Lili Boulanger and Claude Delvincourt), but not before, after failing in 1912 (it was not awarded, due to the low quality of the entries), writing Three Preludes and Fugues for organ in B major, F minor and G minor which were published in 1922 by Alphonse Leduc as his Op. 7 in memory of fallen organists who died in World War One. These are among the most difficult pieces in the entirety of organ repertoire. "I wrote them in the hope that you would free me, *free me* from the Prix de Rome!" Dupré said, in response to Widor's suggestions of writing a cantata to prepare for the next one. However, Widor responded by angrily denouncing the works to Dupré in a letter, calling them "unplayable" as Dupré was the only person able to play the works for several years. However, they are now very popular and many advanced organists can play them today, the first person to learn them after Dupré was his colleague Leonce de Saint-Martin. They are considered to be his first mature work and one of the last works of French romanticism.

While, again, still in Widor's class, Dupré, aged 28, enters the Prix de Rome for the third and final time by submitting his cantata Psyché, op. 5 along with a letter of recommendation from Widor. On the 4th of July 1914, he is declared the winner of the competition much to his and his colleagues' joy, but due to the onset of the First World War, he is not able to study at the villa. Dupré attempted to enlist into service but is rejected, due to the loss of his right collarbone in his childhood. Instead, he volunteered as a nurse at a military hospital. He also cares for his 10-year old daughter.

In October of 1916, he was appointed as the deputy organist of his friend, titular organist Louis Victor Jules Vierne at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris with Widor's backing - the organ was unfortunately in a bad condition during his titulaireship, and Vierne and Dupré attempted to raise funds to maintain it properly, or even rebuild it as a whole (this was later accomplished by Pierre Cochereau in the 1960s). Vierne's third symphony in F-sharp minor, op. 28, composed in 1911, considered his magnum opus, was dedicated to him. Marcel Dupré himself gave the premiere of the work at the Salle Gaveau in Paris in March of 1912. Both colleagues initially held each other in high esteem while maintaining a healthy, professional rivalries and had very similar philosophies due to their teacher Charles-Marie Widor's influence.

> *"Louis Vierne and Marcel Dupré are both organists of the Grand Orgue at Notre-Dame…Both of them play without notes, except when a single line of melody in manuscript is used as a basis for improvisation. When I arrived at the console, Vierne was playing and Dupré was on the bench beside him, both talking very intently…There is an affectionate friendship between these two musicians that is good to see, and I can readily understand how each might be inspired by the work of the other."(Bidwell, 1922: 368)*
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    It also must be mentioned that Vierne was legally blind. At the end of his life, he was completely blind.

Vierne was also a student (and also a deputy) of Widor and thus a colleague of Marcel Dupré, but had also studied under César Franck. Dupré remained in Paris and composed his Op. 9 "Quatre motets", which premiered in Rouen the following year, and de Profundis op. 17 (published and premiered in 1924, conducted by his friend Paul Parray). Due to Vierne's eyesight surgery problems and recovery holiday in Switzerland, Dupré in his deputyship substitutes for him for five months (later, five years) - this is due to complications, playing at the Armistice thanksgiving service in 1918.

The 15 Antiphons, de Profundis, and piano Prèludes come from this era.

### Concert career and titulaireship

In 1920, he famously performed the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach from memory in what was a series of ten concerts, presented to the Conservatoire de Paris, much to the extreme impression and jealousy of many; the same year he had an English debut, which began his world tour, on the 1871 Henry "Father" Willis and Sons organ of the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was heavily lauded and praised (8,000 people attended, among the audience were senior members of the United Kingdom's royal family, King George V and Queen Alexandra included). It was an extreme critical success as he was showered with praise from the English and French press. A significant part of the concert was devoted to improvisation. He was held in higher esteem that his contemporary Joseph Bonnet.

A certain English businessman named Claude Johnson heard Dupré improvise at his aforementioned English debut and reached out to his publicist to bring him to America and set off the next stops on his concert tour.

He later repeated the series on the organ of the Palais de Trocadero the following year, as well as making his American debut in New York City, the first of eight tours. He later played the recently-built Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Philadelphia, which attracted great acclaim; performing no less than eighteen recitals - in his first recital on 8 December, he improvised an entire symphony based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth (he later reworked this into his first symphony, "Passion" in 1924) - four themes were presented (chants). He returned to the United States to perform 94 recitals in 1922 and 110 in 1923, sponsored by the John Wanamaker Department Store which owned the Wanamaker Organ and managed by Bernard laBerge. The *Variations sur un Noël, op. 20* and *Cortège et Litanie* (originally for piano) *op. 19* were composed during this period. Dupré was now one of the most popular and prominent organists in the world.

His annual salary per American recital was $300 (later $400), this is $18,000 adjusted for inflation. He made over $500,000 annually (adjusted for inflation) touring around America.

#### Feuding with Louis Vierne

The fame of Dupré progressed and evolved as he began to be associated with Notre-Dame de Paris, as Dupré falsely claimed he was the organist of the cathedral, using the title Organist "at" Notre Dame (not "of"). His international career was just beginning. A press statement had also described Dupré as the *organiste titulaire* of the church. Organiste à Notre-Dame was Dupré's title that he requested from the archdiocese (and was subsequently given), distinct from Vierne's title of titular organist - tour advertisements in Canada and the United States described him as such. Dupré was criticised by Vierne and his associates for attempting to "usurp" the title of organist and use it to undermine others, while disrespecting Vierne.

Vierne and Dupré continued feuding for several years but after the *Croix de Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur* was awarded to Marcel Dupré in 1924, **before** it was awarded to Vierne, who had been expected to receive this award first, Vierne lost his temper and cut ties with him; Vierne ended up getting the award in 1931. Not to mention, his teacher Charles-Marie Widor had recommended that Dupré should receive the award, too. At the same time, Dupré is elected as a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia by the fraternity's Alpha chapter at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts.

Vierne was quoted in the London press as stating that, apart from himself, those who claimed to be the organist of Notre-Dame Cathedral were ‘imposters’ and got Dupré removed from his deputy position. Vierne asserted his title of titular organist in concert programmes. Widor did not care much about the controversy and feuding and took Dupré's side. Dupré never included Vierne works in his recitals again and had barred students from bringing Vierne works to his classes. His dislike for Vierne was so large he attempted to remove his opus 2 *Elevation* from his catalogue in 1963 and delete it merely because it was dedicated to Vierne. Correspondence he received from Vierne was ignored. Despite this, they still secretly admired each other, up until their deaths, even though Dupré never bothered to write a chapter about Vierne in his memoirs. The two never reconciled, and Louis Vierne famously passed away of a heart attack "tragically and wonderfully" while improvising at an organ recital on the 2nd of June in 1937 - his left foot landed on the pedal's low E.

Dupré scholars defend Dupré saying that Vierne's damaged mental and physical health caused bad attitude and attribute it to a case of "bad timing". This along with many other incidents and deaths severely psychologically damaged Louis Vierne.

He married Jeanne-Claire Marguerite Pascou (1883-1978) on the 23rd of April, 1924 - she passed away of pneumonia. They had a daughter, Marguerite Tollet (née Dupré) (1909-1963), a pianist. who married Emmanuel Tollet and bore two daughters and a son. The family bore a very intimate relationship.

In 1925, Dupré buys the house of his former teacher Alexandre Guilmant in Meudon near Paris (40 Boulevard des Deux-Gares, now 40 Boulevard Anatole France), and with it a Cavaillé-Coll organ; fourteen years after Guilmant's death. The house is demolished while a new one is built, and in turn the Cavaillé-Coll, which came with the house, is rebuilt. The entire family moved in (including his parents). A revolutionary combination and sequencing system is affixed to the organ, the world's most modern system, as well as a wide compass of 73 notes.

    In 1926, the following year, after the death of Eugène Gigout, he is nominated as Professor of Organ, in capacity of both performance and improvisation, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, only aged 40, a position which he held for thirty years, before coming director. He was later appointed as professor at the conservatory, as well as that of the Ecole Normale de Musique and the Conservatoire américain de Fontainebleau. He devoted himself to three activities: composition, technicalities, and teaching. An (incomplete) list of pupils is in the "Influence" section. In 1934, following the submission of resignation of his teacher Charles-Marie Widor as organiste temporaire (he was never titulaire, contrary to popular belief) of Saint-Sulpice on the last Sunday (30 December) of the year, Dupré is appointed as organiste titulaire of Saint-Sulpice as he served as deputy organist - he is welcomed warmly to the loft with two new Pédale stops in Widor's honour (Principal 16' and Principal 8'). His fame only grew and grew until 1939 when he toured the world, giving 40 concerts in Australia and 60 in the United States and Canada. His third concert of the complete organ works of Bach occurred in Montreal. In 1935, Dupré was appointed as Officer of the Legion d'honneur, a promotion from his initial rank of Chevalier (Knight).

    A great deal of his compositions come from this period, including his Symphony no. 2 op. 26 (1929), 7 pieces op. 27 and Le Chemin de Croix (1931), and his second set of three preludes and fugues, op. 36 (1938), among others. Also, he published his M*ethode d'orgue* and First Improvisation Treatise, two books which are still used by young organists today.

He made millions of euros over his entire tour, and still has the record for the most successful organist's career of all time. Unfortunately, Louis Vierne had wanted this sort of career but Dupré had secured it instead.

### The Second World War

Dupré's concert career grinds to a halt due to the looming threat of the Second World War and Nazi invasion of France. Again, he is not enlisted. He instead stays in Paris, devoting his time to his composition and organ students who studied with him both privately and in conservatories. However, many of his male students, including his former ones, have gone to war to serve as soldiers for their country.

#### Jeanne Demessieux

*Further reading: "The Rise and Fall of a Famous Collaboration: Marcel Dupré and Jeanne Demessieux" (Cavanagh 2005) - also a source*

***Main article: Dupré-Demessieux***

Particularly notable as a student and protégé was the organist-pianist composer Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux (1921-1968) who was known for collaborating with Dupré for a period of five years and had a very close (but controversial) friendship with her. He was initially reluctant to take her up as a protégé due to her lack of experience in the concert stage, despite her multiple prizes. Later, however, he said regarding her: "Jeanne Demessieux est la plus grande organiste de toutes les générations" (Jeanne Demessieux is the best organist of all generations). Opponents and rivals of Marcel Dupré, particularly Dupré's rival neoclassicalist Norbert Dufourcq's Amis des Orgues society, created gossip and twisted events in order to paint a (false) picture of a sexist, misogynist man - the rumours still persist today.

Demessieux initially started studying organ privately with Dupré in 1936 and did so until 1939. After receiving First Prize in Organ and in Improvisation (with a unanimous jury decision in both), she continued studying further in a postgraduate programme. She was trained in improvisation, technique and organplaying by Dupré and was also a family friend. Also often a collaborator with Dupré, she developed pedal technique and new frontiers and theory and composition as well as developing a vast repertoire of over 2,500 compositions ranging from Bach to her own, all from memory. Dupré also publicly endorsed her - even stating she would succeed him as titular organist of Saint-Sulpice (the position eventually went to his student Jean-Jacques Grunenwald after Dupré's death in 1971) and carefully groomed her for such. Demessieux was not a concert organist, and was merely a titular church organist (at Saint-Espirit from 1933-1962) - the only instances in which she played in public. Demessieux was also often a visitor of Meudon, having numerous activities ranging from playing, arranging, discussing, and even learning the English language. The Duprés were also friends with Mr. and Mrs. Demessieux. The Dupré family bestowed affectionate gestures upon her (and even called Mme. Dupré "Mammy" - distinct from Maman). Marcel Dupré, however, was referred to either by his surname, complete name, or *Maitre* when being addressed by Jeanne Demessieux. The family showered lavish compliments (great compliments from Marcel) upon her, overwhelmed by her personality and playing abilities. It can be said that he perhaps loved her as much as he loved his wife or daughter. Rumours persist that Marcel Dupré was actually jealous of Demessieux, however this has been denied by her close student Pierre Labric.

    In February of 1946, Demessieux had a public debut with six recitals played from memory on a modernised Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Salle Pleyel, playing works by Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Marcel Dupré, and her own; planned by Marcel and Jeanne Dupré. They were met with enthusiastic joy from the audience. Dupré, however, left for America to embark on his sixth concert tour the day after the recital - audience reaction suggests that the series bestowed renewed glory on Dupré's abilities to bring organists to fame and renown. Immediately after her sixth and final recital, the Dupré couple left for America for a concert tour, one of the aims of which was expanding Demessieux's fame and publicity.
The diary of Jeanne Demessieux (1940-1946), in which she recounts events in the way that they exactly happened and conversations and discussions almost verbatim, mentions that hostility was positioned towards Dupré out of jealousy due to his virtuosity, and noticed a negative change in attitude amongst his colleagues following his 1920 Bach recitals - as even as Dupré was the most revered organist in the circle he was also among the most envied. Dupré told Demessieux what to expect as a result of her debut:

> *"...When I was your age, I also noticed that the old could envy the youth (but I'm jealous of no-one, as you know). Later, I observed the jealousy of my colleagues, now, as you know very well, I know the jealousy of the youth - not that I care. You'll see!"*
>
>

Dupré also stated:

> *"I am now aged 57, and yet I still haven't attained my goal, peace. I have accomplished a great deal, yet all I have been paid back are insults!"*
>
>

In 1941, paranoid and now distrustful of his own friends and colleagues, Dupré secretly believed the *Association des Amis de l’orgue* society (founded in 1926) by Norbert Durfourcq and Bérenger de Miramon Fitz-James was primarily created to oppose him. He had a change in personality towards pessimism. Despite a worldwide career and being widely admired across Europe and America, in his Parisian inner circle, Dupré was mocked, ridiculed, and despised by organists and their students - as well as his composer colleagues for mainly writing instrumental music (and not theatre music) especially for organ; as well as his feminist ideals and performance ideals, as they preferred personalities such as that of "Pere Franck"; though he did have influence over the circle for being the organ professor of the Paris Conservatoire - the majority of his own students did not respect him, the majority of them coming from other teachers, Dupré's rivals. Demessieux, on the other hand, still greatly respected Dupré. In her diary, she recalls Dupré asking her "They haven't let up? They're worse than they've ever been before, organising and ganging up on me as they did with Liszt, Chopin, or Busoni...", referring to his colleagues. Demessieux, after her debut, quickly rose to great fame. There is a statement by Christiane Trieu-Colleney, Demessieux's biographer, that Dupré may have wanted to "Americanise" her by advertising her like a film star in Hollywood. Dupré's last words to Jeanne Demessieux (1946) were:

> *"I am no longer your 'Master'! I am your old friend, and it will stay that way."*
>
>

This was in June of that year and it was the last time the pair ever shook hands, taking place at a Paris train station.

Demessieux later privately wrote that Dupré and her shared no differences in opinion. Both collaborators' trust were very close and bonded, as well as to their own families, both being loyal to each other.

In December of 1946, Marcel and Jeanne Dupré mysteriously turned their backs to Demessieux and never spoke to her again. Demessieux was psychologically and emotionally traumatised by the betrayal, even being repudiated by her own friends as such. There is an ongoing debate over whose fault it was. Demessieux respected Marcel Dupré and his family til her last breath, and was open to re-establishing the friendship - but the gruff coldness of Marcel and Mme. Dupré prevented this.

Jeanne Demessieux eventually became titular organist of La Madeleine, and moved on from the incident (but very difficultly), forging new friendships with organists like Norbert Dufourcq - however the Parisian organ circle never forgot about her links to Dupré. Marcel Dupré paid respects to her for the final time by attending the funeral and burial of Demessieux at La Madeleine in 1968, even eulogising her - dying at the age of 47 of cancer, despite his statement that the "wound would never heal". The main organ was silent during the service, and it was covered by a large, dark veil.

Marcel Dupré's only known statement regarding the controversial matter is as follows:

> Here are the reasons for why we don't want our correspondence to leak:
>
>

1. [Olivier] Messiaen - the criticisms are just, but severe for him. I personally adore him; but please keep this a secret.
2. Mlle Demessieux - **though, the years in which I have worked with her were worthless - she was unworthy of me and my wife.** The wound has never healed, I won't say anything more, but you can take a guess.

Addressed to an unknown correspondent, this handwritten memo does not exactly state what happened, but it is clear that there was an incident that caused the rupture in their friendship. The final two sentences imply Dupré knew that the intended recipient would know exactly what happened.

The publishing of the journal of Jeanne Demessieux after her death by her sister Yolande Demessieux along with the mockery and disgracing of Dupré amongst his fellow colleagues spiked rumours and gossip that Marcel Dupré was a sexist and misogynist man as was mentioned earlier - this combined with the Louis Vierne feuding damaged his reputation as a person, however this can easily be disproven by realising how many female students he had and how he helped them.

#### Other students

to be expanded heavily.

Dupré was very strict regarding his students, and they all had to follow a certain standard (to be able to play etudes by Frederic Chopin before attempting the organ). As a result Marie-Madeleine Chevalier briefly required tutoring from Jeanne Demessieux before her entry into Dupré's class.

##### Pierre Cochereau

> *"...In the history of the contemporary organ, Pierre Cochereau is a phenomenon without equal." -Marcel Dupré*
>
>

##### Rolande Falcinelli

Rolande Falcinelli was arguably Dupré's closest student.

##### Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Messiaen was the most renowned student of Marcel Dupré. Having studied under Paul Dukas beforehand in 1921 in the Paris conservatoire, he was a student of his organ class.

#### Death of Albert Dupré and occupation concerts

to be expanded - further reading: Marcel Dupré's “Dark Years”: Unveiling His Occupation-Period Concertizing

From 1940 to 1944, France was occupied by Nazi Germany. Dupré does have a concert career, though he mainly plays works by German composers like J.S. Bach and Maximilian Reger. The music of his French compatriots is banned in order to lessen morale, the only French music allowed to be played were that of César Franck and his own improvisations. Most often, he gave concerts at Notre-Dame-de-Paris and Saint-Sulpice - where he was sometimes accompanied by choirs (both churches were spared by the Germans). He gave 20 concerts, but remained a steadfast French patriot.

His father Albert Dupré passes away in 1941. Marcel wishes to attend his father's funeral, even making a plea to the government, but permission is denied. The Evocation, op. 37, a symphonic poem for organ in three movements, is written and dedicated to his memory - evoking both the personality of Albert Dupré and the great sound of Saint-Ouen's Cavaillé-Coll organ, where he served as organiste titulaire.

### Death

On 30 May 1971, Dupré, aged 85, played at the Pentecost Sunday morning mass of Saint-Sulpice, as was his duties as titular organist. He improvised (in D major) on the theme of the Paschal Alleluia as the Sortie to the mass. Afterwards, he was driven by his personal chauffeur back to his residence in Meudon. After a light lunch with his wife, he felt unwell and went to his bedroom; he asked his wife to bring him a glass of water (his last words), and he also coughed a bit of blood. Upon Jeanne's return to the bedchamber Marcel Dupré fell unconcious and slipped into a coma. After doctors were rushed to his side who attempted to revive him, Marcel Dupré died that evening of cardiac arrest.

The Requiem mass at Saint-Sulpice was attended by many of his colleagues, students, admirers, and his family, the organ was silent during the service's proper ceremonies and was draped in a large black veil as was tradition regarding French organists' funerals. The extremely crowded church that hosted the mass had numerous people speak including students like Messiaen and Cochereau as well as his own wife.

He was buried at the Cimetière des Longs-Réages in Meudon next to his daughter who passed away eight years earlier, plot D-0814. His wife was buried in the same plot after her death in 1978. After their respective deaths, two of Dupré's grandchildren were buried there.

His autobiographical memoirs were released after his death. His position of titular organist of Saint-Sulpice was later filled in by Jean-Jacques Grunenwald as per the request of the parish priest of Saint-Sulpice - Rolande Falcinelli had originally been proposed as successor by Marcel Dupré himself. This caused a controversy.

The position of Fauteuil II in Section V in the Académie des Beaux-Arts was later filled in by Darius Milhaud who was a classmate of his. His house was donated by the members of his family to the French state.

He is survived by his granddaughter and great-grandchildren. However, none of them use the Dupré (or Tollet) surname.

## Music, oeuvre, and compositional style

> to be expanded.
> "I love colourful harmonies, I adore them....For me, music should be a caress for the ear." *-Marcel Dupré*
>
>

The works of Marcel Dupré primarily consist of organ pieces, almost all of which are technically demanding and very difficult, save for some works like the 79 Chorales. However, aside from the adamant virtuosity and technique, rich textures and elaborate harmonic language is expressed and developed. Dupré in his day was primarily known as a concert organist and improviser, then professor. He was not as renowned as a composer as his colleagues Widor and Vierne were, and when his (organ) compositions were played, he was almost always the performer. Many of Dupré's music is influenced by his Roman Catholic faith, such as his Symphonie-Passion and 15 Antiphons. The works of Marcel Dupré were initially published by Alphonse Leduc, a music publishing company headquartered in Paris.

### List of works (Op.)

*See List of works by Marcel Dupré with opus numbers.*

### List of works (WoO)

*See List of works by Marcel Dupré without opus numbers.*

## Influence

### Career

The extremely successful career of Marcel Dupré was described by his student Jean Guillou as having been "equal to that of a pianist" and let organists experience the same type of career as them.

Having began before he was ten,

### Pupils (incomplete)

* Françoise Aubut-Pratte
* Jehan-Aristide Alain
* Marie-Claire Alain-Gommier
* Jean-Baptiste Bonfils
* Suzanne Chaisemartin
* Michel Léon Chapuis
* Maurice Gustave Duruflé
* Marie-Madeleine Chevalier-Duruflé
* Jeanne Demessieux (see above)
* Jean-François Costa
* Bernard Havel
* Françoise-Marie-Blanche Renet
* Virgil Keel Fox
* Michael Murray
* Claude Prior
* Jean François-Hyacinthe Langlais III
* André Fleury
* Bernard Gavuty
* Marcel Lanquetuit (also a student of his father)
* Marie-Louise Girod
* Jean Victor Arthur Guillou
* Jean-Jacques Grünewald
* Jeanne Joulain
* Pierre-André Labric
* Olivier Eugène-Prosper-Charles Messiæn
* Gaston Gilbert Litaize
* Odile Marie-Pascale Pierre
* Noëlie Pierront
* Henriette Puig-Roget
* Antoine Reboulot
* Henry Ryder
* Pierre Segond
* Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini
* Yvonne Desportes
* Jean-Michel Damase
* Pierre Daniel Vidal
* Marcelle Dujarric de la Rivière
* Freddy Balta
* John Haussermann
* Jan Janca
* Viktor Lukas
* Elisabeth Wangelin-Buschmann
* Lila Lalauni
* Albert Beaucamp
* Pierre Eugène-Charles Cochereau

## Personal life

> *"....never forget the meaning of life: Enjoy happiness with your loved ones and be peaceful at all times." -Marcel Dupré*
>
>

to be expanded...

Marcel Dupré was known as a mild-mannered, soft-spoken man. Photographs of him frequently depict a peaceful, sombre expression. His wife, Jeanne-Claire Marguerite Dupré-Pascouau's affectionate nickname for him was "Mounet". On the other hand, his nickname for her was "Jeannette".

Dupré only spoke his native French and also spoke very poor and broken English that would gradually improve to become legible, his wife acted as an interpreter (she was an agrégée in the language with a 'flawless accent') - despite this, correspondence written by him exists in English. The longer letters were written with the assistance of his wife. Hobbies that Marcel had included painting and writing in his spare time, and he had a very wide array of interests ranging from philosophy to science.

He was heterosexual.

### Positions

#### Organist

* Organiste titulaire at Saint-Vivien, Rouen (1898-1906)
* Deputy organist at Saint-Sulpice, Paris (1906 - 1 January 1935)
* Deputy organist at the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris (October 1916 - 1924)
* Titular organist of Saint-Sulpice, Paris (1 January 1935 - 30 May 1971)

#### Academic

* Professor of organ, Paris Conservatory (1926-1954)
* General director, Conservatoire américain de Fontainebleau (1947 - 3 May 1956)
* Director, Paris Conservatory (1954 - 3 May 1956)
* Fauteuil II, Section V - Composition musicale, Académie des Beaux-Arts de France (22 February 1956 - 30 May 1971)

#### Awards and prizes

* First Piano Prize (1905) under Louis-Joseph Diémer
* First Fugue Prize (1909) under Charles-Marie Widor
* First Organ Prize (1909) under Felix-Alexandre Guilmant
* First Prize of the Grand Prix de Rome (1914) *on third attempt*
* Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur (1939) *[initially appointed as Chevalier in 1924 then Officier in 1934]*
* Officer of the Order of Leopold (19??)
* Doctor honoris causea, *Pontificia Università Gregoriana* (1955)
* Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (7 May, 1966)
* Medal of the City of Paris

### Legacy

#### Marcel Dupré in popular culture

Marcel Dupré was a major musical celebrity even outside of the organ world during his life. His popularity lead to his concerts being extremely well-attended.

Furthermore, a recording of Dupré playing Beethoven's funeral march appears in the film *Un grand amour de Beethoven*.

Dupré Digital, documentary series in thirteen installments, exists regarding Dupré's life, work, practises, and music.

## Bibliography and references

* Dupré: Recollections (1978)
* Dries: Marcel Dupre - the culmination of the french symphonic organ tradition (2005)
* Murray: Marcel Dupré - the work of a master organist (2020)
* The Rise and Fall of a Famous Collaboration: Marcel Dupré and Jeanne Demessieux (Cavanagh 2005)

1. ↑ https://gw.geneanet.org/sdup?lang=en&pz=alexis+alexandre&nz=dupre&p=jean+marin&n=dupre
2. ↑ Died as Dupré-Visinet.
3. ↑ This was not Daylight Savings Time as it was not adopted until much later. Rouen had its own local timezone.
4. ↑ This house did not belong to Albert and Alice. It was being used for temporary accomodation, leased to them by Aimable and Marie-Aimée Dupré.
5. ↑ Sister of Marie-Aimée Visinet.
6. ↑ His first name was given in homage to his grandfather who achieved critical acclaim from playing this character. Additionally, Dupré's mother, Alice, received that name from another character in the same opera.
7. ↑ Jeanne (Bernard) and Dominique. Emmanuel is buried somewhere else.
8. ↑ Alice Dupré-Tollet-Szebrat uses Dupré in a hyphenated form, however she is legally Tollet-Szebrat.

Some cousins of Dupré do indeed carry the Dupré surname.

9. ↑ His first student. Lanquetuit was eight and Dupré was fifteen.

## See also

* French neosymphonicism
* Neoclassicalism
* Main organ of the Saint-Sulpice Church, Paris

## External links

* Association des Amis de l'Art de Marcel Dupré
* Free Dupré scores on IMSLP
* Association pour le rayonnement des orgues Aristide Cavaillé-Coll de l’église Saint-Sulpice (Paris)