{{Short description|French organist (1932–2020)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Odile Pierre | image = Odile Pierre 1990.jpg | alt = | caption = Odile Pierre in 1990 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1932|3|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Pont-Audemer, Normandy, France | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|2|29|1932|3|12|df=y}} | death_place = Paris, France | education = {{plainlist| * Conservatoire de Rouen * Conservatoire de Paris * Mozarteum }} | occupation = {{plainlist| * Organist * Academic teacher * Composer }} | organizations = {{plainlist| * Conservatoire de Rouen * La Madeleine, Paris * Conservatoire de Paris }} | awards = {{plainlist| * Legion of Honour * Ordre national du Mérite }} }}
'''Odile Marie-Pascale Pierre''' ({{IPA|fr|ɔ.dil pjɛʁ|}}; 12 March 1932 – 29 February 2020) was a French organist, composer and academic teacher.<ref name="Resmusica" /> She was the organist at La Madeleine, Paris, and taught organ and improvisation at the Conservatoire de Paris. The last student of Marcel Dupré, she played around 2,000 recitals internationally and made recordings.
==Biography== Born on 12 March 1932 in Pont-Audemer, Pierre grew up in Loiret. At age seven, she attended a recital on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Church of St. Ouen, Rouen, by Marcel Dupré and then took an interest in the instrument.<ref name="Musicmem" /><ref name="France" /> She was an organist and choir leader at the ''église de Barentin'' at age 15.<ref name="Orgelnieuws" /> She attended the {{ill|Conservatoire de Rouen|fr|Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Rouen}}, where she studied with Norbert Dufourcq,<ref name="Musicmem" /> Maurice Duruflé,<ref name="Ebrecht" /> Noël Gallon and Marcel Lanquetuit,<ref name="Orgelnieuws" /> and the Conservatoire de Paris, where she with Dupré, awarded a first prize for organ and improvisation in 1955, with unanimous approval of the jury, to which Jeanne Demessieux belonged. At age 23, she was the youngest in his class to receive this distinction.<ref name="Musicmem" /> She became Dupré's last living student.<ref name="Francemusique" /> Pierre took advanced organ classes with Fernando Germani in Siena,<ref name="Orgelnieuws" /> and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Franz Sauer.<ref name="Musicmem" />
Pierre was assistant organist to Jean-Jacques Grünenwald at the Paris church Saint-Pierre de Montrouge from 1955 to 1957.<ref name="Orgelnieuws" /> She taught organ and music history at the Conservatoire de Rouen from 1959 to 1969. She was the organist at La Madeleine, Paris, from 1969 to 1979, succeeding Demessieux<ref name="Delatour" /> in a post which Gabriel Fauré and Camille Saint-Saëns held before.<ref name="France" /> Pierre taught organ and improvisation at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1981 to 1992.<ref name="Musicmem" /> Among her students were Michael Matthes, the organist at Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois in Paris,<ref name="France" /> Ignace Michiels and the English virtuoso D'Arcy Trinkwon.<ref name="KC" /> She also taught at the Scuola Internationale d'Alto Perfezionmento Musicale in Perugia and gave master classes internationally. She was also a jury member in international organ competitions.<ref name="Musicmem" />
In 1977, Pierre represented France at the International Organ Congress in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. She gave over 2,000 organ recitals throughout her career, including 12 tours to the U.S. and 6 to Asia.<ref name="Musicmem" /> She performed at major festivals and played as an organ soloist with conductors including A. de Bavier, Pierre Dervaux, Lorin Maazel and Georges Prêtre.<ref name="Musicmem" /> She was a member of the ''Commission technique consultative pour les orgues'' (Consultative Commission for the Restoration and Construction of Organs) in Paris from 1977.<ref name="Musicmem" />
Pierre was married to Pierre Aubé. She died on 29 February 2020, 12 days before her 88th birthday.<ref name="France" /><ref name="Francemusique" />
==Recordings== Pierre made several recordings, especially for RCA.<ref name="Musicmem" /> She recorded works by Charles-Marie Widor, including his Symphony for Organ No. 5, played on the {{ill|Orgelbau Sandtner|de|lt=Sandtner organ}} of St. Ulrich und Afra in Augsburg.<ref name="Schott" /> In the 1980s, she recorded at {{ill|Organ of the Nieuwe Kerk in Katwijk|nl|Orgel van de Nieuwe Kerk in Katwijk|lt=the organ}} at the Nieuwe Kerk in Katwijk aan Zee, built by Van den Heuvel.<ref name="Orgelnieuws" />
==Publications== Pierre composed organ pieces published by Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Schott and Edizioni Carrara. She was the editor for the works of Alexandre Guilmant<ref name="Musicmem" /> for Éditions Bornemann.<ref name="Orgelnieuws" /> Among her compositions are:<ref name="Delatour" /> * ''Fugue-scherzo pour quatuor à vent'' * ''Cantiques et airs bretons'' * ''Quatuor sur deux Noëls hongrois''
==Awards== Pierre received awards including:<ref name="Musicmem" /> * Silver Medal of the City of Paris * Officer of the Legion of Honour * Commander of the Ordre national du Mérite
==References== {{Reflist | refs =
<ref name="Ebrecht">{{cite book | last = Ebrecht | first = Ronald | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YWw9LsbquXEC&pg=PA25 | title = Maurice Duruflé, 1902–1986: The Last Impressionist | date = 2002 | publisher = Scarecrow Press | page = 25 | isbn = 978-1-46-166963-0 }}</ref>
<ref name="Delatour">{{cite web | url = http://www.editions-delatour.com/en/317_pierre-odile | title = Odile Pierre | website = Éditions Delatour | language = fr | access-date = 2 March 2020 }}</ref> <ref name="France">{{cite web | url = https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/musique/fete-de-la-musique/l-organiste-odile-pierre-est-morte-dans-sa-88e-annee_3847679.html | title = L'organiste Odile Pierre est morte dans sa 88e année | date = 1 March 2020 | website = FranceInfo | language = fr | access-date = 2 March 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="Francemusique">{{cite web | url = https://www.francemusique.fr/actualite-musicale/disparition-de-l-organiste-odile-pierre-82101 | title = L'organiste Odile Pierre est morte dans sa 88e année | date = 3 March 2020 | website = francemusique.fr | language = fr | access-date = 3 March 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="KC">{{cite web | url = http://www.flandersmusic.be/identity.php?ID=135868 | title = Ignace Michiels | website = Flanders Music Centre | access-date = 17 August 2010 | archive-date = 23 August 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110823134434/http://www.flandersmusic.be/identity.php?ID=135868 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Musicmem">{{cite web | url = http://www.musimem.com/pierre-odile.htm | title = Odile Pierre | date = 2001 | website = musimem.com | language = fr,en | access-date = 2 March 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="Orgelnieuws">{{cite web | url = http://www.orgelnieuws.nl/franse-organiste-odile-pierre-87-overleden/ | title = Franse organiste Odile Pierre (87) overleden | date = 29 February 2020 | website = orgelnieuws.nl | language = nl | access-date = 3 March 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="Resmusica">{{cite web | url = https://www.resmusica.com/2020/02/29/deces-de-lorganiste-odile-pierre/ | title = Décès de l'organiste Odile Pierre | date = 29 February 2020 | website = ResMusica | language = fr | access-date = 2 March 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="Schott">{{cite web | url = https://en.schott-music.com/shop/odile-pierre-spielt-widor-no269354.html | title = Odile Pierre spielt Widor | website = Schott Music | language = de | access-date = 2 March 2020 }}</ref>
}}
==External links== * {{Discogs artist}} * [https://www.france-orgue.fr/disque/index.php?ior=1&org=Odile+PIERRE Odile Pierre] france-orgue.fr * [https://www.muziekweb.nl/en/Link/M00000274484/CLASSICAL/Odile-Pierre Odile Pierre] muziekweb.nl * [https://www.organsparisaz4.vhhil.nl/Ste%20Madeleine.htm The organs of Paris / Sainte Madeleine] organsparisaz4.vhhil.nl
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre, Odile}} Category:1932 births Category:2020 deaths Category:People from Loiret Category:French women organists Category:20th-century French organists Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour Category:Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Category:20th-century French composers Category:Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Category:Mozarteum University Salzburg alumni Category:Conservatoire de Paris alumni Category:French music educators Category:French women music educators Category:French classical composers Category:French women classical composers Category:20th-century French educators Category:People from Eure Category:20th-century French women educators Category:French recipients of the Legion of Honour