Pierre Eugène-Charles Cochereau

# *A work in progress — stay tuned!*

> *"Pierre Cochereau is a phenomenon without equal in the history of the contemporary organ." — Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré*
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## Pierre Cochereau

Pierre Cochereau at the 1960s Hermann console of the organ of Notre-Dame in Paris

### Relatives

Georges Cochereau - fatherJean-Marc Cochereau - son

Marie-Pierre Cochereau - daughter

### Affiliation

Conservatoire de musique de le MansConservatoire à rayonnement régional de Nice

Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon

Église Saint-Roch Cathédrale-Basilique metropolitaine de Notre-Dame-de-Paris

## Biographical information

### Place of birth

Rue de l'ÉpinetteSaint-Mande, Val-de-Marne, France

## Physical description

### Gender

Male (cisgender)

**Pierre Eugène-Charles Cochereau II** *(9 July 1924 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne — 6 March 1984 in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)* was a French cathedral and concert organist, improviser, composer, pedagogue, academic, pianist, neoclassical theorist, scholar and consultant who served as organiste titulaire initially at the great organ of Saint-Roch in Paris from October 1945 to 1955, and later at the cathedral of the great organ of the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-Paris from 1955 onwards, succeeding Léonce de Saint-Martin-de-Paylha. He was later responsible for overseeing the large-scale Hermann-Boisseau renovations (1959-1963 and 1975) that were both praised and criticised of the latter instrument. Cochereau was a very popular and famous organist during his lifetime, his concerts spanning multiple continents, and was most especially renowned for his improvisations; many of which have been transcribed.

Born into a wealthy family, Cochereau did not aspire to initially be an organist, taking piano and violin lessons. On the exact date that his penultimate successor Louis Victor Jules Vierne died while improvising at an organ recital at Notre-Dame-de-Paris, he discovered the organ for the first time while on holiday and later proceeded to take beginner lessons with Marie-Louise Girod the following year. André Fleury later gave him intermediate lessons and was additionally tutored by Paul Delafosse, organiste titulaire at Saint-Roch, who he later succeeded. His final organ lessons were with Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré at the Conservatoire de Paris. He also studied harmony with Maurice-Gustave Duruflé.

Pierre Cochereau's legacy and career as an organist is considered to be one of the greatest in the organ world's history, however he is not very famous outside of the organ circle. He was an ardent supporter of the neoclassical organ, having been responsible for serving as chief consultant for the renovations of Chartres Cathedral, Roquevaire, Beauvais Cathedral and more's great organs, and founded the Grand Prix de Chartres competition. Cochereau continues to have a cult following today, with his recordings being very popular. However, he was not a prolific composer, only holding a small oeuvre of assorted works, several of which are unpublished. Additionally, he occupied the directorship of the conservatoires of Le Mans (1949-1956), Nice (1961-1979), which he revolutionised - the conservatoire now bears his name, and Lyon (1979-1984). As a theorist, he bore a unique harmonic language that carried numerous influences, even extending to that of the east.

He died in 1984, his post at Notre-Dame-de-Paris was filled in by Olivier Latry, Jean-Pierre Leguay, Yves Devernay, and Philippe Lefebvre. An avenue in Roquevaire as well as a street in Montpellier bear his name, but most notably the Nice regional conservatory is named after him.

His children are the conductor Jean-Marc Cochereau (1949-2011) and the harpist Marie-Pierre Cochereau (19??).

## Biography

### Childhood and upbringing

Pierre Cochereau, the only child of wealthy factory owner and shoemaking magnate Georges Ernest Cochereau (9 February 1885 in Blois - 19 November 1953 in Chatou) and his second wife Anne-Renée Andrée Cochereau née Gros (4 July 1898 in Limoges - 19?? in France), was born on 9 July 1924 in the Cochereau family home on the Rue de l'Épinette in the town of Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne; as a namesake of his uncle Pierre Cochereau I (born 1879). He was baptised shortly after.

Not long after Pierre's birth, the Cochereau family moved to to a flat at 67 Rue Olivier Métra in the 20th *arondissement* of Paris. As was standard of the time, Cochereau was raised in a strict and disciplinarian manner, with corporal punishment being used often. His mother sang frequently, which encouraged the young boy's interest in music, in particular making him take up the violin at a very early age, learning it for a few months. When he was five years old, he then started taking piano lessons under Marius-François Gaillard, who was later replaced by Marguerite Long in 1933, an associate of Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel. In 1936, he moved to his final piano teacher, Paul Pannesay. His favourite pieces of piano repertoire were waltzes by the Austrian Strauss family and jazz improvisation.

Cochereau was talented as a child and passionate about music, but his father, though realising his merits, was still keen on making him the successor to his shoemaking business, which Pierre was against. Bad mental health and physical health, including ear infections, which his relatives took notice of ended up in sending the teenage Cochereau to spend his summer holidays in the touristically popular spa-town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (Haute-Savoie). After reserving sessions for piano practise at the local parish hall and playing a harmonium in the same place, he then asked the priest in charge of the hall and church of St-Gervais (Folliguet) to receive permission to have the church's organ demonstrated as well as an opportunity to play it. On Wednesday, 2 June, at 10:00, Cochereau was given a tour of the great Mutin organ from 1932. Upon playing it for the first time, he immediately aspired to become an organist in later life.

This was coincidentally the same date that Louis Victor Jules Vierne famously died while improvising later that evening at his 1,750th organ recital on the great organ of Notre-Dame-de-Paris; some have interpreted this as an "apostolic succession". Cochereau returned the following Sunday per the organist's and priest's suggestions to substitute for a service, with supervision.

Upon his return to Paris, he persuaded his father to find a teacher to give him beginner organ lessons. The newly appointed organist of the Église protestante de Belleville, whose name was Marie-Louise Girod (who had just been admitted to Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré's organ class at the Paris conservatoire) then began teaching Cochereau the organ at the protestant church - he was her first pupil. Cochereau was a very enthusiastic student, displaying great progress and remarkable technique, and frequently had to be told off to listen and to control himself.