Marcel Delannoy

Full biography Marcel Delannoy

Marcel Delannoy was a French composer and critic, born on July 9, 1898, in La Ferté-Alais, Essonne, France. He was a prolific composer who wrote operas, ballets, orchestral works, vocal, and chamber music, as well as film scores. Delannoy was primarily known as a film music composer , but he also composed a wide variety of music, and his works were always imbued with a rich sense of melody.

Delannoy started his musical career as a student at the Paris Conservatory, where he studied composition with Paul Dukas and music history with Henry Prunières. After graduating, he began his professional career as a music critic for magazines such as La Revue Musicale and Mouvement, where he championed contemporary French music and supported emerging composers such as Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, and Francis Poulenc.

Delannoy's own music was heavily influenced by the French impressionist tradition and the neoclassical style, but his works also showed a strong individuality and a unique voice. Some of his most notable works include the operas "L'Ecume des Jours" and "Le Chevalier inexistant," the ballets "Les Demoiselles de la Nuit" and "Les Mirages," and the orchestral works "Images pour Orchestre," "Concerto pour orchestre," and "Sinfonietta."

Delannoy was also a prolific composer of film scores, and he contributed music to over 150 films during his career. Some of his most famous film scores include "Les Enfants Terribles," "Les Quatre Cents Coups," and "La Guerre des Boutons."

Despite his prolific output and critical acclaim, Delannoy's music is relatively unknown today, and he remains an overlooked figure in the history of French music. However, his works are still performed occasionally by orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world, and they continue to attract new fans who appreciate his rich and varied musical language.