Koechlin, Charles

Koechlin, Charles (shärl kāklăN`), 1867–1950, French composer. Koechlin studied composition with Massenet and Fauré. He composed in all forms and many styles, but his music is rarely performed. Koechlin was also active as a teacher and music theorist, and wrote books about Fauré and Debussy, for some of whose works he did orchestration.

---

Koechlin, Charles 

Born Nov. 27, 1867, in Paris; died Dec. 31, 1950, in Le Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, Var Department. French composer, musicologist, and public figure.

In 1897, Koechlin graduated from the Paris Conservatory, where he was a student of J. Massenet and G. Fauré. Among his compositions are operas, ballets, symphonic and instrumental chamber music, piano pieces, and art songs, as well as choral works, including Libérons Thaelmann for chorus and orchestra (1934). He was a prominent figure in the Popular Music Federation, one of the founders of the society France-USSR, and chairman of the latter’s music section. Koechlin wrote works on the theory and history of music and also taught. (His pupils included the composers F. Poulenc and H. Sauguet.)

REFERENCES

Shneerson, G. Frantsuzskaia muzyka XX veka, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1970.
Renaudin, P. C. Koechlin. (Notice biobibliographique.) Paris, 1952.