Ginette Martenot
Ginette Martenot (1902–1996) was a French pianist, and an expert and leading performer on the twentieth-century electronic instrument the ondes Martenot, which was invented by her brother Maurice. At the age of sixteen, she entered the Paris Conservatory, where she studied counterpoint and fugue with the composer Arthur Honegger. She gave the first performance (and subsequently made recordings) as solo ondist in Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie, with Yvonne Loriod taking the solo piano part.
Ginette Martenot
- Born
- January 27, 1902
- Birthplace
- Paris
- Died
- September 6, 1996 (aged 94)
- Place of death
- Neuilly-sur-Seine
- Education
- Conservatoire de Paris
- Known for
- Ondes Martenot
- Spouse
- Didier Lazard
- Full name
- Geneviève Madeleine Martenot.
- Nationality
- France
- Occupation
- pianist · ondist · writer · musician
- Teachers
- Arthur Honegger
- Honours
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Ginette Martenot. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3106740 · wikipedia · Ginette Martenot
In this article
Biography
Biography
Martenot taught the composer Serge Nigg. Martenot composed and performed the score for the 1964 Canadian short documentary, Le Monde va nous prendre pour des sauvages. (English title: People Might Laugh at Us.) Directed by Françoise Bujold and Jacques Godbout, the film depicts Mi'kmaq children on a reserve in Maria, Quebec. She was the sister of Madeleine Martenot, a pianist and pedagogue.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — January 27, 1902 • Birthplace — Paris • Died — September 6, 1996 (aged 94) • Place of death — Neuilly-sur-Seine • Education — Conservatoire de Paris • Known for — Ondes Martenot • Spouse — Didier Lazard
Notable performances
Notable performances
On December 10, 1949, Ginette Martenot performed on the ondes Martenot in the premier of Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. The part was written for Martenot herself, with Messiaen describing her as "the only possible ondiste" for his work, and "the perfect virtuoso," in a 1949 letter to Serge Koussevitzky.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
11th arrondissement of Paris.
Birth place
Crozon.
Death place
Publications
• "Voies nouvelles pour présenter la musique à l'enfant," [New methods for introducing music to children] by Ginette Martenot. Published in the international education review, "Pour l'Ère Nouvelle," January 1933. • "Influence du rhythme et du temps rhythmique sur l'enfant," [The influence of rhythm and rhythmic meter on the child] by Ginette and Maurice Martenot. Published in the international education review, "Pour l'Ère Nouvelle," July 1934.
Awards
On April 20, 1995, Martenot was admitted to the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the rank of Commandeur. Martenot received a Grand Prix for conducting an ensemble of ondes Martenot in a performance of Messiaen's unpublished 1937 work, Fête des belles eaux.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ginette Martenot, revision 1343074351 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Orton, Richard, and Davies, Hugh. "Ondes martenot". Grove Music Online (subscription access)
- 2.Massin, Brigitte. "Nigg, Serge". Grove Music Online (subscription access)
- 3.Canada, Office national du film du. Le monde va nous prendre pour des sauvages.
- 4.Drazevener; Clarens (February 1910). "Les Concerts". Paris Musical & Dramatique. p. 6, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6110941r/f6.item.
- 5.Music Notes. The New York Times. 10 October 1949.
- 6.Simeone, Nigel. Messiaen, Koussevitzky and the USA. The Musical Times. 149. 1905. 25–44. 2008. 10.2307/25434570.
- 7.Cabinet et services rattachés au Ministre. Archives Nationales. 2002.
- 8.Simeone, Nigel. Music at the 1937 Paris Exposition: The Science of Enchantment. The Musical Times. 143. 1878. 9–17. Spring 2002. 10.2307/1004419.
- 9.Martenot, Ginette. Voies nouvelles pour présenter la musique à l'enfant. L'Ère Nouvelle. 84. 155–159. January 1933.
- 10.Martenot, Ginette. Influence du rythme et du temps rythmique chez l'enfant. Pour l'Ère Nouvelle. 99. 171–174. July 1934.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
44,023 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Gina HaleyPerson
- Ginés de BoludaPerson
- Ginés Pérez de la ParraPerson
- Ginette KellerPerson
- Ginette NeveuPerson
- Ginger BakerPerson
- Ginger FishPerson
- Ginger JohnsonPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Ginette Martenot?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.