4.Music in France
History of music in France
The State intervened in the musical sector for a long time: in 1669, Louis XIV created the Royal Academy of Music. In 1966, seven years after the creation of André Malraux’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs, a «music department» was created, entrusted to Marcel Landowski, composer and, since 1964, inspector of music teaching at the ministry. The development of a music policy will be based on two strong impulses: that of the foundation (1966 to 1974), then that of the opening (1982 to 1986).
Marcel Landowski’s 10-year plan, prepared from 1966, emphasizes the identification and creation of professional structures deemed necessary for musical life, in an organized and staged manner. This plan is mainly characterized by the strengthening of the music teaching network, the renovation or creation of regional orchestras and opera houses, the development of choral life, and the establishment of specialized administrative units in the field of music at regional and departmental level.
About fifteen years later, in 1982, the arrival of Maurice Fleuret goes hand in hand with the launch of an opening policy, which is part of an exceptional budgetary context. Advocating the equal dignity of all musical genres and the «decompartmentalization» of cultures, the action of the State then opens to the most varied fields: song, rock, jazz, traditional music; the objective of a presence of contemporary music and composers living throughout the territory also marks the action of this time, which is also characterized by support for the practices of amateurs, the development of choral singing, the policy for singing and pedagogy… This policy is symbolized by the creation in June 1982 of the Fête de la musique.
The Ministry of Culture is currently pursuing its policy in favour of music along four main lines:
> Permanent orchestras
Established at the end of the 1960s, the State’s policy in favour of permanent orchestras, particularly in the regions, aims to enable the existence and development of high-level professional symphonic ensembles throughout the country. Their main mission is to allow as many people as possible access to musical works, both repertoire and contemporary. By including the two orchestras of Radio-France and that of the Opéra national de Paris, whose missions are specific, the French symphonic landscape today consists of about thirty permanent orchestras supported by the State, which employ nearly 2,000 musicians and welcome nearly 2,000,000 spectators each season.
> Specialized musical and vocal ensembles
Alongside the support of orchestras composed of permanent salaried musicians, the Ministry of Culture and Communication supports around 330 independent professional music ensembles.
Created on the initiative of an artist or a group of artists, these teams illustrate musical themes most often from periods or marked genres: early music, baroque, contemporary music, jazz or traditional music. Through their originality and dynamism, they bring innovation and creation, and make a decisive contribution to a diversified musical offer covering the entire national territory. They also have a strong international activity, thus constituting an important factor in the influence of French musical production.
They are structures for the creation and production of concerts and shows that are called upon to collaborate, sometimes as part of residencies, with general venues (national and conventioned stages, city theatres, etc.), festivals and music halls. They form with them an economic and cultural chain that integrates the functions of creation, production, dissemination, cultural actions, awareness and reception of the public.
> Opera houses
The network of opera houses of production supported by the State covers a set of establishments whose main mission is to produce, thanks to the artistic forces they maintain or which they can dispose (ballets, choirs, orchestras), lyrical performances illustrating both the repertoire and contemporary creation.
> Special education institutions
Also resulting from the Landowski plan, the network of conservatories and schools of music, dance and drama, now includes 441 institutions pedagogically controlled by the State. These institutions are classified according to three categories: conservatoires à rayonnement régional (CRR), conservatoires à rayonnement départemental (CRD), conservatoires à rayonnement communal or intercommunal (CRC – CRIC). In 2011 France had 42 CRCs, 109 CRDs and 290 CRCs or CRCIs.
> Festivals
Music festivals are an indispensable support point for the expression of musical diversity, for the meeting of music and audiences, for the activity of musical ensembles and for the emergence of new talents. The Ministry of Culture particularly supports, alongside local authorities, festivals of national scope and carrying a strong artistic singularity. These include the Aix-en-Provence international opera festival, the Musica creation festival in Strasbourg, the Folle journée de Nantes, the Ambronay festival, the Beaune festival, the Chorégies d'Orange, and for contemporary music, the Printemps de Bourges, the Francofolies de la Rochelle or the Transmusicales de Rennes.