Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

May 2, 1906

Death

:

September 28, 1972

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Concerto

 

Maurice Thiriet was a French composer born on October 6, 1906, in Paris, France. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. Thiriet began his musical education at a young age, studying piano and composition with his father. He later studied at the Paris Conservatory, where he was a student of Paul Dukas and Georges Caussade. Thiriet's early works were influenced by the French impressionist style, which was popular at the time. He wrote several pieces for piano, including his Suite pour piano, which was performed at the Salle Pleyel in Paris in 1929. Thiriet also wrote music for the theater, including the ballet La Nuit est un Enfant, which was performed at the Paris Opera in 1931. In the 1930s, Thiriet began to focus more on film music. He wrote the score for several French films, including Le Roman d'un jeune homme pauvre (1935) and La Belle Équipe (1936). Thiriet's music for La Belle Équipe was particularly successful and helped to establish him as a leading film composer in France. During World War II, Thiriet continued to write music for films, but he also became involved in the French Resistance. He worked as a courier for the Resistance and was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943. Thiriet was imprisoned in several concentration camps, including Buchenwald and Dora, before being liberated by American forces in 1945. After the war, Thiriet returned to composing music for films. He wrote the score for several notable French films, including Les Amants de Montparnasse (1958) and Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959). Thiriet's music for Les Quatre Cents Coups was particularly successful and helped to establish him as a leading film composer in France once again. In addition to his film work, Thiriet also wrote several pieces of concert music. He wrote a Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, which was premiered in 1952, and a Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, which was premiered in 1960. Thiriet's music was often characterized by its lyricism and its use of French folk melodies. Thiriet continued to write music until his death on October 29, 1972, in Paris, France. He was a prolific composer who wrote music for a variety of genres, including film, theater, and concert music. Thiriet's music was often characterized by its lyricism and its use of French folk melodies. He was a leading figure in French music during the mid-20th century and his music continues to be performed and recorded today.

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