Jacques Castérède (10 April 1926 – 6 April 2014)[1] was a French composer and pianist.
Life
Born in Paris, Castérède studied at Lycée Buffon. He earned his baccalauréat in elementary mathematics, then entered the Paris Conservatory in 1944 and began studying piano under Armand Ferté, composition under Tony Aubin, and analysis under Olivier Messiaen. While at the Conservatory, between 1948 and 1953 he received five first prizes (in piano, chamber music, analysis, composition, and harmony). He also won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1953 with his cantata La Boîte de Pandore (Pandora's Box). The following year, he went to Rome, where he stayed at the Villa Medici until 1958.
In 1960, he was appointed professor of solfège in the Paris Conservatory, then counsellor of piano studies (Conseilleur aux Études) in 1966, and analysis in 1971. In addition, he taught composition at the École Normale from 1983 to 1988, and analysis from 1988 to 1998. On an invitation from the Chinese government, he became a professor of composition at the Central Academy in Beijing. He received numerous awards as a composer, among them the Paris Civil Award in 1991, the Charles Cros Award, and the Record Academy Award in 1995. His many works, which include symphonies, concertos, ballets, and ensemble and chamber music, have been performed throughout France, Germany, and Italy as well as in the United States and Canada.
His music is essentially melodic, often using modal scales over rich and varied structures.
Main works
Stage
Chamber opera La Cour des miracles (1954) {sop, msp, alto, btn, orch}
Oratorio Le Livre de Job (1958) {recit, tnr, btn, bss, choir, orch}
Ballet Basketball (1959) {hrp, p, perc, orch}
Ballet But (1959)
Orchestral
1ère Symphonie pour cordes (1952) {strings}
La Folle nuit de n'importe ou (1955) {orch, clvcn, hrp, perc}
La Grande peur (1955) {martenot, 2p, child-choir, sop, fl, orch}
Cinq Danses symphoniques (1956) {orch, p, hrp}
Musique pour un conte d'Edgar Allan Poe (1957) {hrp, clsta, xylo, vib, p, recit, orch}
Suite en trois mouvements à la mémoire d'Honegger (1957)
