Ginette Martenot

Ginette Martenot (1902–1996) was a French pianist, and an expert and leading performer[1] on the twentieth-century electronic instrument the ondes Martenot, which was invented by her brother Maurice. At the age of sixteen, she entered the Paris Conservatory, where she studied counterpoint and fugue with the composer Arthur Honegger. She gave the first performance (and subsequently made recordings) as solo ondist in Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie, with Yvonne Loriod taking the solo piano part.

Ginette Martenot
BornJanuary 27, 1902
Paris
DiedSeptember 6, 1996 (aged 94)
Neuilly-sur-Seine
NationalityFrench
EducationConservatoire de Paris
Known forOndes Martenot
SpouseDidier Lazard

Martenot taught the composer Serge Nigg.[2]

Martenot composed and performed the score for the 1964 Canadian short documentary, Le Monde va nous prendre pour des sauvages. (English title: People Might Laugh at Us.) Directed by Françoise Bujold and Jacques Godbout, the film depicts Mi'kmaq children on a reserve in Maria, Quebec.[3]

She was the sister of Madeleine Martenot, a pianist and pedagogue.[4]

Notable performances

On December 10, 1949, Ginette Martenot performed on the ondes Martenot in the premier of Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.[5] The part was written for Martenot herself, with Messiaen describing her as "the only possible ondiste" for his work, and "the perfect virtuoso," in a 1949 letter to Serge Koussevitzky.[6]

Awards

On April 20, 1995, Martenot was admitted to the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the rank of Commandeur.[7]

Martenot received a Grand Prix for conducting an ensemble of ondes Martenot in a performance of Messiaen's unpublished 1937 work, Fête des belles eaux.[8]

Publications
  • "Voies nouvelles pour présenter la musique à l'enfant," [New methods for introducing music to children] by Ginette Martenot. Published in the international education review, "Pour l'Ère Nouvelle," January 1933.[9]
  • "Influence du rhythme et du temps rhythmique sur l'enfant," [The influence of rhythm and rhythmic meter on the child] by Ginette and Maurice Martenot. Published in the international education review, "Pour l'Ère Nouvelle," July 1934.[10]

References
  1. Orton, Richard, and Davies, Hugh. "Ondes martenot". Grove Music Online (subscription access)
  2. Massin, Brigitte. "Nigg, Serge". Grove Music Online (subscription access)
  3. Canada, Office national du film du, Le monde va nous prendre pour des sauvages (in French), retrieved 2023-04-20
  4. Drazevener; Clarens (February 1910). "Les Concerts". Paris Musical & Dramatique. p. 6, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6110941r/f6.item.
  5. "Music Notes". The New York Times. 10 October 1949. ProQuest 105885320.
  6. Simeone, Nigel (2008). "Messiaen, Koussevitzky and the USA". The Musical Times. 149 (1905): 25–44. doi:10.2307/25434570. JSTOR 25434570. ProQuest 210495635.
  7. "Cabinet et services rattachés au Ministre". Archives Nationales. 2002. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  8. Simeone, Nigel (Spring 2002). "Music at the 1937 Paris Exposition: The Science of Enchantment". The Musical Times. 143 (1878): 9–17. doi:10.2307/1004419. JSTOR 1004419.
  9. Martenot, Ginette (January 1933). "Voies nouvelles pour présenter la musique à l'enfant". L'Ère Nouvelle (84): 155–159 – via Internet Archive.
  10. Martenot, Ginette; Martenot, Maurice (July 1934). "Influence du rythme et du temps rythmique chez l'enfant" (PDF). Pour l'Ère Nouvelle (99): 171–174 – via Université de Caen.


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