Marie Prestat
French organist and composer
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Training
Marie Prestat began advanced musical studies at a young age at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1876 - at the age of 14 - she was awarded the Conservatoire's highest diploma (Premier Prix) in Solfège.[3]
Among her teachers at the Conservatoire were:
- for harmony: Charles Lenepveu, gaining Premier Prix in 1885.[3]
- for accompaniment: Auguste Bazille, gaining Premier Prix in 1886.[3]
- for composition: Ernest Guiraud, gaining Premier Prix for fugue and counterpoint in 1889, the first female Conservatoire student to do so.[3]
- for organ: César Franck, gaining Premier Prix in 1890.[3]
Marie Prestat was the first female Conservatoire student to gain five Premier Prix.[3]
Later years
Teacher
Prestat's work as a teacher was recognised in 1895 by the French State awarding her the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.[3] From that time onwards her teaching career was spent largely at the Schola Cantorum in Paris where she taught the organ (1895-7) and piano (1901–22).[4]
Organist
By 1912 Prestat was organist of the Association des Concerts Spirituels at the Sorbonne.[5]