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Pidoux, Pierre
(Neuchâtel, 4
March 1905 - Genève, 16 July, 2001). Swiss theologian,
organist and musicologist.
Pierre's father was a protestant Swiss minister, who accepted
the call of the Eglise Chrétienne Missionnaire Belge (ECMB) to work in
Belgium. From 1906 he served in the Borinage (Boussu-Bois, Charleroi). Because
of the 'Great War' the children were send back to Switzerland. Pierre grew up in
Neûchatel and attended the gymnasium in Laussane.
He graduated in 1933 from the theology
faculty of the
Eglise Libre in Lausanne and became a pastor at Winterthur. After a long
visit to Glasgow, he began to study the organ at the Conservatory in Geneva with
Montillet from 1933 to 1936. In 1929 he founded the Choeur J.S. Bach in
Lausanne, which he directed until 1948, holding at the same time an organ post
in Lausanne. In 1948 he was appointed organist at the Montreux Temple, where he
lived together with his wife, Gertrude Junod-Burger. From 1946 to 1965 he was in
charge of the hymnology course at the theology faculty of the Eglise Libre
in Lausanne; in 1964 he was given the honorary doctorate in theology by the
university.
Pidoux’s activities have been devoted
mostly to hymnology, musicology and teaching. Though he has edited many volumes
of other early music (e.g. Gabrieli and Frescobaldi), he is generally known as a
specialist in the history of the
Huguenot Psalter. He sought especially to promote the music of the
Protestant church (organ, choir and community hymnsinging). He was an editor of
the series Collection de Musique Protestante
(from 1935) and co-founder (in 1954) and general editor of the sacred music
series Cantate Domino. He contributed music, harmonisations and texts to
the new hymnal of the French-speaking Reformed Church of Switzerland (from 1964
until its publication in 1976). In this hymnal also many texts of his brother,
Edmond Pidoux, literature professor in Lausanne, are present. In 1967 he became
co-director with Luther Dittmer of the complete works of Goudimel, to which he
has contributed several volumes. He composed many works for mixed choir and
organ.
Writings (selection):
'Uber die Herkunft der Melodien des
Hugenotten-Psalters', JbLH, i
(1955), 113-4
with M. Jenny: 'Untersuchungen zu den
"Aulcuns Pseaumes et Cantiques mys en chant à Strasbourg 1539", JLH II
(1956), 107-11, JbLH, iii (1957), 126
‘Les
psaumes d’Antoine de Mornable, Guillaume Morlaye et Pierre Certon (1546, 1554,
1555): étude comparative’, AnnM,
v (1957),
179–98
‘Notes
sur quelques éditions des psaumes de Claude Goudimel’, RdM,
xlii (1958),
184–92
Der Psalmengesang in der Liturgie der
reformierten Kirche (Lemgo, 1959)
'Die Autoren der Genfer Melodien',
JbLH, v (1958), 184-92
Psaumes des saisons (Yverdon, 1962)
Le psautier huguenot du XVIe siècle, i: Les
mélodies (Basle, 1962);
ii: Documents
et bibliographie (Basle, 1962)
'Antoine Brumel à GEnève (1486-1492),
RdM, l:i (1964), 110-2.
‘Le
chant des psaumes dans le culte réformé’, Maison-Dieu,
no.92 (1967),
102–14
‘Polyphonic
Settings of the Genevan Psalter: are they Church Music?’, Cantors
at the Crossroads: Essays on Church Music in Honor of Walter E. Buszin,
ed. J. Riedel (St Louis, 1967),
65–74
‘Loys
Bourgeois’ Anteil am Hugenotten-Psalter’, JbLH,
xv (1970),
123–32
‘Der
Kirchengesang im Waadtland (Schweiz) im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert: eine Skizze’, Traditionen
und Reformen in der Kirchenmusik: Festschrift für Konrad Ameln,
ed. G. Schuhmacher (Kassel, 1974),
41–8
La Genève des psaumes et les psaumes de
Genève, 1536-1562,
in La Musique à Saint-Pierre (Genève, 1984), 25-60
Vom Ursprung der Genfer Psalmweisen (Zürich, 1984)
‘Luther,
Zwingli, Calvin et le chant d'église’, Cahiers
Protestants,
new ser., i (1986),
5–10
‘Die
Enstehung des Genfer Psalter’, Bulletin
der Internationalen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Hymnologie,
xix (1991),
15–36
‘La
Genève de Calvin et le chant des psaumes’, Revue
musicale de Suisse romande,
xliv (1991),
139–59
Franc, Bourgeois, Davantès: leur
contribution à la création des mélodies du psautier de Genève (Geneva, 1993)
Editions:
facsimiles:
Les Pseaumes mis en rime francoise, par Clément Marot et Théodore de Bèze. Mis
en musique à quatre parties par Claude Goudimel (Genève: héritiers Jaqui, 1565) (Kassel, 1935,
with Konrad Ameln) [facs. of the Jaqui edition, with commentary]
Cent cinquante
pseaumes de David: Mis en rime francoise par Clement Marot et Theodore de Besze,
et mis en musique a quatre, cinq, six, sept et huit parties par Paschal de
l'Estocart, de Noyon en Picardie. 1583 [Documenta Musicologica, 1st ser.,
Druckschriften Faksimiles vii] (Kassel, 1954,
with H. Hollinger)
La Forme des prières et chants
ecclésiastiques, Geneve, 1542 (Kassel, 1959)
[facs. with introduction]
Clément Marot et Théodore de Bèze: Les
Psaumes en vers français avec leurs mélodies (Genève 1562) (Geneva, 1986)
[facs. of the Blanchier edition of 1562, with introduction]
music editions:
Girolamo Frescobaldi: Orgel- und
Klavierwerke,
5 vols.
(Kassel, Bärenreiter, 1948–79)
Georg Friedrich Kauffmann: Harmonische
Seelenlust,
i: Praeludien
über die bekanntesten Choral Lieder für Orgel
; ii: 62
Choräle mit beziffertem Bass für Orgel (Kassel,
Bärenreiter, 1951;
1967)
Andrea Gabrieli: Orgelwerke (Kassel,
Bärenreiter, 1941–63)
Claudio Merulo: Canzonen, 1592 (Kassel,
Bärenreiter, 1954)
Anthoni van Noordt: Psalmbearbeitungen
für Orgel, 1659 (Kassel,
Bärenreiter, 1954)
Claude Goudimel: Oeuvres complètes,
ix: Les
150 psaumes d’après les éditions de 1564 et 1565 (Brooklyn,
NY, 1967)
text editions:
Le psautier huguenot du XVIe siècle, i: Les
mélodies (Basle, 1962);
ii: Documents
et bibliographie (Basle, 1962)
Théodore de Bèze: Psaumes mis en vers
français (1551–1562): accompagnés de la version en prose de Loïs Budé (Geneva, 1984)
[introduction and critical edition]
Sources:
- "Pidoux, Pierre", in Grove's Dictionary (E.
Darbellay/ D. Baumann).
- Mélanges d’histoire et de bibliographie offerts
à Pierre Pidoux: à l’occasion de son nonantième anniversaire, 4 mars 1995,
ed. A. Gaucher (Pessac, 1995) - special edition of bulletin "Psaume".
- J.M. Noailly, 'Survol biographique', in Une
centaine de paraphrases poétiques du Psaume 16, Conserva me Domine, pour le
centenaire de la naissance de Pierre Pidoux, - bulletin "Psaume" - 16
(2005), pp. 5-10.
- F. Vial-Bonacci, 'Essay de Bibliographie', in
Une centaine de paraphrases poétiques.. - bulletin "Psaume" - 16 (2005),
pp. 11-13.
- Mémorial Synodal 1839-1992. Eglise Protestante
Unie de Belgique, ed. H. Boudin, M. Blok (Brussels, 1992).
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