Gaston Crunelle (1898--1990) was a remarkable flutist and a beloved teacher, yet his name is hardly known today. Gaston Crunelle and Flute Playing in Twentieth-Century France restores Crunelle's place in the pantheon of flutists while revealing details of musical life in France during his lifetime. Crunelle was Professor of Flute at the Paris Conservatory from 1941 to 1969--the longest tenure of any flute professor in the Conservatory's history--and taught an entire generation of the world's leading flutists, including Michel Debost, James Galway, Christian Larde, Maxence Larrieu, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. He took an active interest in the annual commissions of morceaux de concours or contest pieces--including works by Dutilleux, Jolivet, Messiaen, and Sancan--which the book discusses in detail. As a performer, Crunelle was principal flutist of the Opera-Comique and the Pasdeloup Orchestra and a member of the Quintette Instrumental de Paris, an ensemble of flute, harp, and string trio th
