Composer. His music is considered quintessentially French in its elegant simplicity and expressive refinement. Although he worked in a variety of genres his fame rests on his ballets, notably "The Cat" (1927) and "Les Forains" (1945). Sauguet was born Henri-Pierre Poupard in Bordeaux, France. He took his mother's maiden name when he started his professional career. On the advice of Darius Milhaud he moved to Paris and studied composition and theory with Charles Koechlin. During the early 1920s Sauguet was the most promising of the "Arcueil School", a group of young musicians encouraged by Erik Satie, and Satie's influence was a powerful factor in his style. "The Cat", commissioned by Diaghilev's Ballet Russes and choreographed by George Balanchine, established his reputation. In all Sauguet composed 25 ballets, among them "David" (1928) for dancer Ida Rubenstein, "The Night" (1930) for Sergei Lifar's company, "Paul et Virginie" (1943), and "Cordelia" (1952). He also wrote the opera "La Chartreuse de Parme" (1936, revised 1968), four symphonies, three piano concertos, a Violin Concerto, and chamber music for wind instruments. He was elected to the Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1975.
Composer. His music is considered quintessentially French in its elegant simplicity and expressive refinement. Although he worked in a variety of genres his fame rests on his ballets, notably "The Cat" (1927) and "Les Forains" (1945). Sauguet was born Henri-Pierre Poupard in Bordeaux, France. He took his mother's maiden name when he started his professional career. On the advice of Darius Milhaud he moved to Paris and studied composition and theory with Charles Koechlin. During the early 1920s Sauguet was the most promising of the "Arcueil School", a group of young musicians encouraged by Erik Satie, and Satie's influence was a powerful factor in his style. "The Cat", commissioned by Diaghilev's Ballet Russes and choreographed by George Balanchine, established his reputation. In all Sauguet composed 25 ballets, among them "David" (1928) for dancer Ida Rubenstein, "The Night" (1930) for Sergei Lifar's company, "Paul et Virginie" (1943), and "Cordelia" (1952). He also wrote the opera "La Chartreuse de Parme" (1936, revised 1968), four symphonies, three piano concertos, a Violin Concerto, and chamber music for wind instruments. He was elected to the Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1975.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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Henri Sauguet / de l’Institut / 1901-1989
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