Bernard Gavoty


Bernard Georges-Marie Gavoty, also known by the pen name Clarendon, was a French organist, musicologist, writer, talk show host and winegrower. He was known popularly for being a pundit on classical music and the pipe organ, subjects he would prolifically discuss and write various books and essays about in a manner accessible to both cognoscenti and dilettanti.
His most famous work was the monographic series Les grands interprètes, which focused on documenting the endeavours of contemporary classical musicians. The series were adapted for television in 1961, and he would likewise host this programme.
Gavoty was also known as the host of Au cœur de la musique, a talk show and multimedia programme focusing on classical music in general, and served as head of the Domaine Gavoty winegrowing firm from 1937 until his death.

Biography

Bernard Gavoty was born on 2 April 1908 in the eighth arrondissement of Paris to a family of Catholics. His parents were Raymond Gavoty, a deputy of the Var department, and Geneviève Magimel. He was the middle of three brothers: his elder sibling was Jacques and his younger one was François, a sales advisor. He attended the Cours Hattemer.
Following studies under Louis Vierne, Gavoty entered the organ and composition classes of the Conservatoire de Paris while also studying literature and philosophy at the Sorbonne University. The Conservatoire's organ class was taught by Marcel Dupré and André Fleury. There, his classmates included Denise Launay, Michel Boulnois, Antoine Reboulot, Félicien Wolff, and Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, among others. Gavoty would hold a special place amongst Dupré's students.
He was also an agricultural engineer, having graduated from the Institut national agronomique: following his father's death in 1937, Gavoty managed the Domaine Gavoty winegrowing firm in Cabasse, which his family founded in 1806. This firm is presently managed by his granddaughter Roselyne.
Aside from his prolific concert career, Gavoty was also recognised for eloquent oration and writing. He frequently delivered lectures, especially for Jeunesses musicales de France. Furthermore, in 1945, Gavoty was hired as principal music critic for Le Figaro under the pseudonym Clarendon, referencing the protagonist of Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais' play Eugénie. He also wrote - either as Clarendon or under his real name - for various local and international periodicals. He did so until his death.
In 1942, he was appointed titular organist of the grand organ of the Église Saint-Louis des Invalides; he had the instrument rebuilt in 1955 by the firm to adhre to prevailing neoclassical æsthetic. From 1948 onwards, Gavoty was seen in various musical and artistic documentaries and broadcasts as a narrator or commentator. He frequently appeared on the single television channel, especially on his own talk show Au cœur de la musique, discussing classical music throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Gavoty was elected a member of the Académie des beaux-arts in 1976, succeeding Julien Cain in the fifth seat of the section for unattached members; he served until his death, upon which he was succeeded by investment banker Michel David-Weill the following year.

Personal life

In 1944, Gavoty married Monique Victoire Marie Vignon ; she simply went by Victoire Vignon. She was born in Mably and died in the eighteenth arrondissement of Paris. They had two daughters: Marie-Ange and Cécile.
Gavoty died on 24 October 1981 in the seventh arrondissement of Paris; he was seventy-three.

Discography

Theatre