Yves Baudrier

Yves Baudrier was a relative of the sailing brothers Jacques and Lucien Baudrier. He took part in the 1936 Olympics as a sailor in 6 metre yachts and placed 10th, while in 1948 his Olympic appearance was as a musician in the Art Competitions. He received Honorable Mention for his work Le Grand Voilier. The symphonic poem, written in 1939, was a 10-minute long composition inspired by the landscape of Brittany, where he spent a lot of time. Baudrier mainly composed symphonic music, but also chamber music, songs and cantatas and published writings on musical theory.

Baudrier studied law and philosophy, before he devoted himself to music, and especially became well-known for his film soundtracks. He studied organ with Georges Loth, the organist of Sacré-Cœur in Paris, but was mostly an autodidact. In 1936, he founded the group “Jeune France” together with organist and composer Olivier Messiaen. The group, which also included André Jolivet and Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur, followed to the late Hector Berlioz, trying to reintroduce spirituality into music. Differing styles of the members of the group led to its dissolution during World War II. After the liberation, Baudrier joined the newly founded “Institute of Advanced Film Studies” (IDHEC) as a teacher. He wrote the musical scores for films directed by René Clément, Maurice Tourneur and Jacques-Yves Cousteau, amongst others.