Claude Delvincourt
1888 - 1954
French
Biography
Claude Delvincourt (born in Paris in 1888, died in Orbetello in 1954) studied piano and theory from the age of seven with Boëllmann, and then harmony and counterpoint with Busser. In 1908 he joined Widor’s composition class at the Paris Conservatory, having previously obtained a degree in law. He won the Prix de Rome in 1913, but was then severely wounded in the war in 1915. From 1941 until his untimely death in 1954 he was director of the Paris Conservatory, where his influence on new teaching methods was a decisive factor in the Conservatory’s reputation. Delvincourt was killed in a road accident on the way to Rome where he was to be present at the first performance of his String Quartet in a concert organised by his friend Jacques Ibert.