Alice Sauvrezis, 1901

Alice Marie Marguerite Sauvrezis (4 April 1866^[1] – 12 April 1946) was a French composer, pianist, choral conductor and concert organiser. As an active member of a group of Breton composers in Paris and as president of the Société Artistique et Littéraire de l'Ouest she promoted Celticist music and culture in France.

Life and music

Little is known about Alice Sauvrezis’ life. She was born in the Breton city of Nantes where she worked as a piano teacher.^[2] She studied first with César Franck and later with Ernest Guiraud and Paul Vidal.^[3] She joined the Paris-based Société Artistique et Littéraire de l'Ouest in 1891^[4] and became its president in 1920.^[5] The society organised concerts of "Celtic" music (contemporary "classical" music in a Celticist style) and poetry readings in so-called "Soirées celtiques" at Sorbonne university that included the creative output of Breton, Norman, and Irish composers, writers and artists. During 1913–1914 she was also the only female member of the short-lived Association des Compositeurs Bretons.^[6]

Her published music consists mainly of songs as well as piano and chamber music. There is also a limited number of choral and orchestral compositions. As a moral support to wartime France, she edited two collections of French soldier songs, Chants de soldats (1525–1915) (Paris, 1915)^[7] and Autres chants de soldats (1200–1916) (Paris, 1916).

Some composers dedicated works to her including piano music by Marguerite Balutet (Impromptu, Op. 15 No. 22; 1886)^[8] and Paul Dedieu-Péters (Porte close, Op. 58; 1897).^[9]

Alice Sauvrezis died in Paris aged 80.

Selected compositions

Published works only.^[10]

External links

• BnF Data
• Free scores by Alice Sauvrezis at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)

References