Valé Jean-Pierre Rampal

VALÉ JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL

by Robert Brown.

Appeared in June 2000 issue

The great French flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal died in Paris from heart failure on May 20th, aged 78 years. After World War II, Rampal worked to establish his career and championed the flute as a solo instrument. He overcome long standing traditions by becoming the first flautist to attract world-wide attention equal to that enjoyed by pianists and string players. He was responsible for a new golden age of flute playing, restoring the flute to the exalted position it held in the 18th century. He helped to create opportunities for his fellow flute players and often promoted other flautists by inviting them to share the stage with him. Rampal was known for his love of Baroque music but played everything, including jazz, English folk songs, Japanese melodies and Indian music, with tenderness and passion. He was one of the most recorded classical musicians in history, recording over 300 discs for many of the leading record companies, performing with orchestras, chamber groups and other instrumentalists and singers.

Jean-Pierre Rampal’s career centred about his personal charisma, joie de vivre, superb technique and outstanding musicianship. The New York Times said that ‘Jean-Pierre Rampal played his golden flute with the mastery that he has made the world expect of him’. ‘He simply plays the flute and its literature with more virtuosity and aplomb than anyone else’. The Philadelphia Bulletin said ‘He has no superior and probably no peer’. Rampal stated that ‘I perform best when I forget my flute is there … You must never play the flute as though it were only a flute’. He imitated the sounds of other instruments and the human voice to produce a wide variety of tone colours and phrasing. Violinist Isaac Stern said ‘He was one of the great musicians of our time, who really changed the world’s perception of the flute as a solo instrument …’ Rampal’s playing inspired countless others to take up the flute. French President Jacques Chirac said ‘His flute … spoke to the heart. A light in the musical world has just flickered out’.

Jean-Pierre Rampal was born in Marseilles on January 7th, 1922. He began playing the flute at the age of twelve after badgering his father, Joseph Rampal, for lessons. Joseph was a member of the Marseilles Symphony Orchestra and teacher of flute at the Marseilles Conservatoire, where Jean-Pierre received a first prize in 1937. Joseph was a student of Adolphe Hennebains, and thus linked to the great French tradition of flute playing established in the 18th century.

Joseph didn’t want his son to pursue a musical career and encouraged Jean-Pierre to enrol as a medical student. Before this Jean-Pierre had considered becoming a painter. As a third year medical student Jean-Pierre was called up for military service during the German occupation of France. Learning that his unit was to be posted in Germany Jean-Pierre made an unauthorised departure and went underground in Paris where he felt he would be safer. He studied with Gaston Crunelle at the Paris Conservatoire and five months later received a first prize for his brilliant artistry (1944). Although his parents wanted him to continue his medical studies music proved to be his calling. He began performing on stage and the radio, soon attracting the attention of the Paris musical community. Rampal’s broadcast of the Ibert Concerto in 1945 earned him virtuoso status. He cut his first record, Mozart’s D Major Quartet, with the Pasquier Trio, in 1946. He toured the European capitals as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestra member.

Rampal helped to form the French Wind Quintet in 1951 and in 1952 the Baroque Ensemble of Paris. He was principal flute at the Paris Opera from 1955 to 1962. Rampal formed a partnership with keyboardist Robert Veyron-Lacroix; they undertook their first tour in 1953. In 1958 the Académie d’été de Nice was established. Here Rampal taught students from all over the world. He was Professor at the Paris Conservatoire from 1969 to 1981, where he instructed many of the next generation of flute virtuosos. In 1981 he became an exclusive recording artist with CBS Masterworks. Later his recordings were managed by Sony Classical.

In 1974, American keyboardist John Steele Ritter became Rampal’s regular accompanist. Rampal also performed with violinist Isaac Stern, ‘cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. In the mid 1980s Rampal’s career took on a new dimension – that of conducting, sometimes appearing as soloist as well. He has conducted many orchestras including the Orchestre National de France, San Francisco, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestras, National Symphony of Washington, DC, the Minnesota Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and orchestras in Europe and Japan.

Jean-Pierre Rampal’s concert tours have taken him around the world, including Europe, Israel, the Far East, Japan, USA, Canada, Mexico, South America and Africa, where he has given solo recitals and performed with orchestras. He has appeared at most major music festivals, including those at Edinburgh, Salzburg, Aix-en-Provence, Monte Carlo, Prague, Granada, Athens, Tel Aviv, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Saratoga and Meadowbrook. Rampal enjoyed socialising with friends after concerts, often heading to the nearest Oyster Bar!

During his tours Rampal often gave masterclasses for flute students at Universities and other institutions, cheerfully encouraging young performers to develop their technique and musical temperament. He told them ‘to make it sing, even in the simplest of phrases, and you will grow in that love of the flute making music’. He said ‘I don’t want any of you to come to class with jealousy in your hearts. You must be open to the positive emulation of competition and leave a better player than when you came. It may be through my example or a student’s that you are inspired. Come ready to learn and make progress’. His advice to performers was ‘that you should be at home on stage and be happy to play for others. If nerves take over and you become paralyzed, you cannot play well. Drugs should never be used to calm down nerves. You must simply love to play the flute. For me and most flutists it is like a disease’. He was a strong advocate of using thumb B flat in rapid passages. He said ‘it is simpler and has better intonation than the cross-fingering’.

Jean-Pierre Rampal visited Australia twice, in November 1966 and May 1987. During the 1966 tour, Rampal gave the first masterclass ever given at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. This was organised by Nicola Snekker, who had studied with Rampal in Paris and was familiar with masterclass procedures. At this time, no-one in Sydney had experienced a masterclass or even knew what to expect. The word was spread and everybody who was anybody in the Sydney flute world was there that night at the Sydney Conservatorium’s hall. This included the Sydney Conservatorium’s flute teacher, Victor McMahon, the entire flute section of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the jazz players, everybody! Nicola Snekker played the Bach A Minor Partita. Then Rampal asked if anyone else would like to play? This was followed by a deathly silence – no-one else would get up and play. Eventually Paul Curtis, then a young student of Victor McMahon, was persuaded to play for Rampal (he was later a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra). As a result of this experience, Linda Vogt established the Flute Night, a study group that met in member’s homes to perform and discuss the flute’s repertoire. The success of the Flute Night led Linda Vogt to found the Sydney Flute Society in early 1973, just before the 1st Australian Flute Seminar took place the following Easter with Prof. James Pellerite at the Sydney Conservatorium.

Rampal premiéred many works written for him by 20th century composers, including André Jolivet, Jean Rivier, Pierre Boulez, Jean Martinon, Jindrich Feld, Jean-Michael Damase, David Diamond, Krzysztof Penderecki, Leonard Bernstein, Jean Françaix and Ezzra Laderman. French composer and jazz pianist Claude Bolling wrote the Suites 1 & 2 for Flute and Jazz Piano, which he recorded with Rampal. Suite No 1 was in the Billboard best selling charts for over 530 weeks, a rare phenomenon. Performing with the composer, Rampal premiered Poulenc’s Sonata at the Strasbourg Festival in January 1958, followed by the American premiere on February 14th when he made his USA debut at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Jean-Pierre Rampal has unearthed the music of many composers from the past by searching for it everywhere. Libraries sent him many catalogues and microfilms. He prepared, transcribed, adapted and revived the music, performing and recording much of it. He also edited music for publication by Billaudot and IMC, with almost 200 titles in print. He says that music manuscripts were taken from Berlin to Russia during World War II, including four concertos by W.F. Bach. Part of the manuscript of Tchaikovksy’s Flute Concerto is located somewhere in Russia. Unfortunately, none of this music is accessible.

Rampal owned the only gold flute made by the famous French flute maker Louis Lot (dated 1869). He also owned two gold flutes made by the W.S. Haynes Company of Boston.

He has won many awards for his recordings, including the Grand Prix du Disque, the Prix du Disque Français, The Edison Prize, Prix Mondial du Disque and a Prix d’Honneur de Montreux for his complete discography. He has been widely honoured in France and many other countries, his awards include Officier of the Légion d’Honneur, Prix du Président de la Républic of the Académie Charles Cros, Officier des Arts and Lettres, Commandeur de L’Ordre National du Mérite, Grand Medal of the City of Paris in 1987 and Laureate of the Danish Leonie Sonnig Prize in 1978. The City of Paris has created a Flute Competition in his name. In April 1994 the Ambassador of Japan presented Jean-Pierre Rampal with the Ordre du Trésor Sacré, the highest distinction awarded by the Japanese Government. He published an autobiography, Music, My Love, in 1989 (Random House).

Jean-Pierre Rampal is survived by his wife, Francoise, two children, Isabelle and Jean-Jacques, a violin maker, and five grandchildren.

Sources of Information:

ABC Concert Programmes, November 1966 and May 1987.

Various record covers.

Various websites via Larry Krantz’s Flute Pages (Australian Flute Society’s website at http://galifrey.triode.net.au/~afs/ has a link).

Flute Talk, September 1986, May/June 1991, October 1992, January 1999.

The Flute. A Discussion with Jean-Pierre Rampal. W.T. Armstrong Co.

Great Flute Makers of France. The Lot and Godfroy Families. Tula Gianini. Tony Bingham, London, 1993.

Linda Vogt, AM.