André Schaeffner
André Schaeffner (February 7, 1895 – August 11, 1980) was a French musicologist and ethnomusicologist.
Biography
André Schaeffner was born in Paris, France on February 7, 1895.[1] From 1921 to 1924 he studied at the Schola Cantorum de Paris where he was a composition student of Vincent d'Indy,[2] and a piano and harmony student of A. Philip.[1] He pursued further studies at the Institut d'ethnologie from 1932 to 1933 where he was a pupil of Marcel Mauss in ethnology.[2] This was followed by education in religious studies at the École pratique des hautes études from 1934 to 1937; later earning his diploma in 1940.[1] He also studied archaeology with Salomon Reinach at the École du Louvre.[2]
From 1929 to 1931 Shaeffner was secretary of the Orchestre de Paris.[1] In 1929 he founded the department of ethnomusicology at the Musée de l'Homme; remaining head of this department until his retirement in 1965.[2] He concurrently worked on the staff of the library at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1932 to 1941, and at the French National Centre for Scientific Research from 1941 to 1965.[1] He led six different scientific excursions in Africa between the years 1931 and 1958;[2] studying West African music and musical instruments.[1] He taught at the Institut d’Ethnologie from 1936 to 1943.[1] In the time period of German occupied Paris during World War II he served as secretary of the Concerts de la Pléiade.[1] He was president of the Société française de Musicologie from 1958 to 1961;[2] having previously served as vice-president from 1948 to 1958.[1]
Schaeffner co-authored the book Le Jazz (1926, Paris) with André Cœuroy.[2] He was the editor of the 1931 French-language edition of the Riemann Musiklexikon, and that same year authored a monograph on Igor Stravinsky.[2] He was considered an authority on both European and non-European musical instruments; publishing an influential book Origine des instruments de musique (1936, Paris).[1]
Schaeffner died in Paris on August 11, 1980.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Spieth-Weissenbacher, Christiane; Gribenski, Jean (31 January 2020). "Schaeffner, André". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.24735.(subscription required)
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Slonimsky, Nicolas (1997). "Schaeffner, André". In Kuhn, Laura; McIntire, Dennis (eds.). Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians. Schirmer Reference. p. 1186. ISBN 0-02-871271-4. OCLC 924775962.