Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran

The ancestors of Pierre Sabatier were wealthy businessmen who made their money as clothiers, bankers and winemakers. In 1791 the Sabatier family acquired the castle of Espeyran and since the early 19th century they are linked to this property and called Sabatier d'Espeyran.

Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran was born on 1 December 1892 in Paris. After school he studied law as well as history and geography and received "licences" (similar to a bachelor nowadays) for both fields of study. Pierre Sabatier then switched to literature and completed with a doctoral thesis on the aesthetics of Goncourt and a year later with a second work on the ethics in the works of Stendhal. Then Pierre Sabatier finished also his law studies with a doctoral thesis on the decline of the paternal power in France.

With his several graduate degrees and financial independence Pierre Sabatier was free to choose a field of activity for his career. He decided to be an artist and worked as a writer, playwright, art critic and composer.
As a writer Pierre Sabatier published several novels like "La Revoltee", "La comedie du mariage", "Judith", "La puissance du baiser", "Franzi" or "Vices".
Pierre Sabatier was fluent in German, Italian and English and so also worked as a translator. He translated several plays by Carlo Goldoni into French which was the foundation for a revival of his works in France. Pierre Sabatier also translated some poems by Goethe into French for songs of the composer Emmanuel Bondeville.
As an art and drama critic Pierre Sabatier worked more then a decade for "Monde illustre" and "L'Opinion". As a critic he was also guest at the Bayreuth festival for several years in the 1950s.

As one can imagine from the short abstract of his output above Pierre Sabatier was a prolific and cross-linked artist with an emphasis on the written word. There are dozens of further novels, plays, translations and cooperations with other writers and artists. Curiously there is no biographical information about the musical education of Pierre Sabatier. But nevertheless - and that is astounding - his musical work catalogue includes at least two operettas, dozens of songs and some chamber music. According to my manuscripts Pierre Sabatier already composed songs and chamber music in 1915. At that time he was still studying in Paris and maybe attended lectures at the conservatory or received private lessons. An operetta "La Meprise ou le galant couturier" was premiered in 1924 in the Theatre du Perchoir. A few of his songs were also published through the Editions Digoude. His compositions did not receive huge success so it seems and over the years stood more and more in the shadow of his output as a writer.
Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran died on 29 August 1989 in Lausanne (Switzerland).

Pierre Sabatier Archive

In my possession are several autograph music manuscripts of Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran. Only a few of these manuscripts are dated, but those who are date from 1915 or 1916. So I assume that most of the works presented here were composed around 1920. I could not find a work catalogue of Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran therefore I have no information if there are more compositions by him. A list of all the manuscripts in my possession can be found at the end of this page.

Due to the fact that none of the compositions in my possession are published I would like to present here some of the works by Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran for information purposes. I also would like to thank the descendants of Pierre Sabatier d'Espeyran for their kind permission to publish the scores!

Au pays des grenades pour piano

Serenade pour violon et piano (1915)

Reverie orientale pour piano

Roses dans la nuit pour chant et piano

Le serpent qui danse pour chant et piano

Nuit d'automne pour chant et piano

Manuscript archive

For the following compositions I own complete scores:

Operetta:

• L‘oiseau du passage (before 1927)
  (text by Adhemar de Montgon) (piano reduction)

Motets:

• O cor amoris victima, motet for 3 voices and strings (or harmonium or organ)

Instrumental ensemble:

• Les roses d‘amour, for ensemble (published by Editions D. Digoude, 1924)
• Elle a tout du p‘tit garcon, for ensemble (published by Editions D. Digoude, 1924)

Chamber music:

• Serenade for violin and piano (1915)
• Andante for violin and piano in F minor (1916)
• Pastorale for oboe and piano (1916)
• Au pays des grenades, for piano
• Reverie orientale, for piano

Songs:

• Berceuse, for voice and piano (text by Pierre Louys)
• Chanson (page 30), for voice and piano (text by Pierre Louys)
• Roses dans la nuit, for voice and piano (text by Pierre Louys)
• Les remords, for voice and piano (text by Pierre Louys)
• Le serment, for voice and piano (text by Pierre Louys)
• L‘homme et la mer, for voice and piano (text by Charles Baudelaire)
• Le serpent qui danse, for voice and piano (text by Charles Baudelaire) (1916)
• Obsession, for voice and piano (text by Charles Baudelaire)
• Nous avons des lits…, for voice and piano (text by Charles Baudelaire)
• L‘ile, for voice and piano (text by Henri de Regnier)
• Nuit d‘automne, for voice and piano (text by Henri de Regnier)
• Odelette IV., for voice and piano (text by Henri de Regnier)
• Frissons du soir, for voice and piano (text by Marie-Laure de Noailles)
• L‘etang, for voice and piano (text by Edmond Rostand)
• A la mer, for voice and piano (text by M. Rouch)
• Chevauchee, for voice and piano (text by Michel Missoffe)
• Mentre tu canti, for voice and piano (text by Enrico Panzacchi)
• Chanson violette, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Chanson d‘ete, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Arpege, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain) (1916)
• Musique sur l‘eau, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Confins, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Midi, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Soirs I, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Soirs II, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Soirs III, for voice and piano (text by Albert Samain)
• Que m‘importe?, for voice and piano (text by Edmond Haraucourt)
• Ave Maria, for voice and piano
• Nous avons cru, for voice and piano (before 1925)
• Chanson de Mirandoline, for voice and piano
• Chanson pour le menteur, for voice and piano
• Tantum ergo, for voice and piano
• 2eme Valse de Zaza, for voice and piano
• L‘etoile du soir, for voice and piano (text by Alfred de Musset), dedicated to Madame Giniez
• Java des Lilas, for voice and piano (text by Adhemar de Montgon), published by Editions D. Digoude in 1924
• Elle a tout du p‘tit garcon, for voice and piano (text by Adhemar de Montgon), published by Editions D. Digoude in 1924

In addition I own manuscripts of several incomplete compositions which I list here for completeness:

• Bolero, for piano (incomplete)
• Andante for violin and piano in d minor (incomplete)
• Andante for violin and piano in C sharp minor (incomplete)
• Andante for violin and piano in E flat minor, time signature 3/4 (incomplete)
• Andante for violin and piano in E flat minor, time signature C (incomplete)
• Valse, for piano (incomplete)
• 2eme Valse, for piano (incomplete)
• Adagio for cello and piano (incomplete)
• Romance for violin and piano (incomplete)
• Barcarolle for violin and piano (incomplete)
• Berceuse for violin and piano (incomplete)
• Allegretto for violin and piano (incomplete)
• Panis angelicus, for voice and piano (incomplete)
• Le bec de gag, for voice and piano (incomplete)
• Mandoline, for voice and piano (incomplete)
• La cloche felee, for voice and piano (text by Charles Baudelaire) (incomplete)
• Viole, for voice and piano (incomplete)

Also part of the archive are a few scores by other composers:

• Michel-Maurice Levy: Cinq Chansons de Bilitis, for voice and piano. Published by Senart. With a personal inscription by Michel-Maurice Levy to Madame Pierre Sabatier
• Ennemond Trillat: Marquises & sans culottes. 7 pieces pour piano sur des airs de danse de la Revolution. Published by Edition „Le Luth“ in Lyon in 1936
• Edmond Gaujac: Sommeil d‘enfant, for voice and piano. Private copy
• Edmond Gaujac: Chansonette, for voice and piano. Private copy
• Edmond Gaujac: Pater, for voice and piano. Private copy
• Emmanuel Bondeville: Il etait un monarque, for voice and piano. Published by Durand in 1952. Translation of the Goethe poem by Pierre Sabatier
• Emmanuel Bondeville: Serenade, for voice and piano. Published by Durand in 1952. Translation of the Goethe poem by Pierre Sabatier

Pierre Sabatier in a portrait by Federico Beltran Masses (1885-1949)