Maurice André
This post is part of a series called Know This Brass Player which features famous brass players from all over the world.
Name: Maurice André (1933-2012)
Instrument: Trumpet
Location: France
Significance: Maurice André has been considered one of the greatest classical trumpet players of the Twentieth Century. Raised in southern France, André first became acquainted with the trumpet as a teenager while working in the mines with his father, also a trumpet player. André eventually attended the Paris Conservatoire where he studied with Raymond Sabarich. It was early in attending the Conservatoire that André received first prizes for both trumpet and cornet. While both of these prizes demonstrated a unique talent on the instrument, it was the first prizes at the international competitions in Geneva and Munich that lavished him with worldwide success. In addition to performing, André was active as a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire succeeding his teacher, Sabarich, in 1967 and holding that position until 1978.
André’s fame as one of the great trumpet soloists came as a result of his performances and recordings of baroque concertos transcribed for the four-valve piccolo trumpet. With a list of over 300 recordings to his name, André set the standard for concerto playing as well as being a pioneer for all brass soloists. In the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Edward H. Tarr writes, “André combines the gifts of endurance, range, and musicality with the magnetism of the true soloist.”
Sources Consulted:
- Tarr, Edward W. “Maurice André” The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie. Vol.1 London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980. 406
- “Maurice André Obituary” The Guardian. 2 Feb 2012. 4 Jan 2017.
Other Resources:
http://www.maurice-andre.com/
Maurice André
