Alexis Roland-Manuel
1891 - 1966
French
Summary
Biography
Born on March 22nd 1891, Alexis Roland-Manuel was a French composer from Belgian and Jewish origins. He studied composition with Vincent d'Indy and Albert Roussel. In addition to this, he was a good friend of fellow composer Erik Satie, through whom Roland-Manuel made a number of important connections. One example was Maurice Ravel, to whom Satie introduced him in 1911. Shortly after meeting Ravel, Roland-Manuel became his pupil, friend and eventually his biographer.
He was appointed Professor of Aesthetics at the Paris Conservatory in 1947, where he taught until retiring in 1961. In this time he made a number of significant contributions to musical theory and criticism, as well as ghost-writing the theoretical work 'The Poetics of Music' with Igor Stravinsky. His compositional exploits took place alongside his academics, and brought a number of works for stage, notably comic operas, and screen, writing five film scores for Jean Grémillon. He died in Paris in 1966.
He was appointed Professor of Aesthetics at the Paris Conservatory in 1947, where he taught until retiring in 1961. In this time he made a number of significant contributions to musical theory and criticism, as well as ghost-writing the theoretical work 'The Poetics of Music' with Igor Stravinsky. His compositional exploits took place alongside his academics, and brought a number of works for stage, notably comic operas, and screen, writing five film scores for Jean Grémillon. He died in Paris in 1966.