Masson, Paul-Marie

Masson, Paul-Marie, eminent French musicologist; b. Séte, Hérault, Sept. 19, 1882; d. Paris, Jan. 27, 1954. He studied at the lycée, the arts faculty, and the Lycée Henri IV in Montpellier before going to Paris, where he pursued his education at the Normale Supérieure and concurrently was a student of Rolland and Lefranc at the École des Haute Études (agrégation, 1907, with the diss. La Musique mesurée à l’Antique au XVIe siècle); after further training with d’Indy and Koechlin (fugue, counterpoint, and composition) at the Schola Cantorum, he completed his education at the Univ. of Paris (docteur es lettres, 1930, with the diss. L’opéra de Rameau; pubi, in Paris, 1930). In 1910 he served as chargé de conférences at the Univ. of Grenoble, and also taught the history of French literature and music at the Institut Français in Florence (1910–14). In 1918 he was again at the Institut Français, and then went to Naples, where he founded its Institut Français in 1919. He taught music history at the Sorbonne in Paris from 1931 to 1952. In 1951 he founded the Institut de Musicologie of the Univ. of Paris. In 1937 he was elected vice-president of the Société Française de Musicologie, and in 1949 was elected its president. He contributed numerous articles to journals and pubi, the book Berlioz (Paris, 1923). He also composed the Chant des peuples unis, a cantata, Suite pastorale for Wind Quintet, piano pieces, and songs.

Bibliography

Mélanges d’histoire et d’esthétique musicale offertes à R-M. M. (Paris, 1955).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire