3 août 1795
3 mars 1806
Loi du 18 brumaire an II (8 novembre 1793) créant l'Institut national de musique ;
Loi du 16 thermidor an III (3 août 1795) instaurant le Conservatoire national de musique par réunion de l’École royale de chant et de l’Institut national de musique ;
Décret du Directoire exécutif du 15 messidor an IV (3 juillet 1796) ordonnant l'exécution du réglement proposé par le commissaire chargé de l'organisation du Conservatoire de musique ;
Décret du 3 mars 1806 instituant une école de déclamation au Conservatoire de musique.
Le Conservatoire national de musique est créé par la loi du 16 thermidor an III (3 août 1795) par la réunion de l’École royale de chant et de l’Institut national de musique. Il regroupe ainsi leurs anciennes prérogatives comme l'indiquent les articles suivants compris dans la loi du 16 thermidor an III :
Art. 1 : Le conservatoire de musique, créé sous le nom d’Institut national par le décret du 18 brumaire, an deuxième de la République, est établi dans la commune de Paris pour exécuter et enseigner la musique.
Art. 2 : Sous le rapport d’exécution, il est employé à célébrer les fêtes nationales : sous le rapport d’enseignement, il est chargé de former les élèves dans toutes les parties de l’art musical.
Art. 15 : Le conservatoire fournit tous les jours un corps de musiciens pour le service de la garde nationale près le corps législatif.
Le Conservatoire devient alors un élément central chargé d'animer les célébrations collectives mais également le premier établissement d’enseignement public de la musique en France. Il concentre donc trois objectifs précis : chanter les vertus sociales dans les théâtres publics, la liberté dans les fêtes, et les triomphes, au milieu des armées, de la République. La musique revêt donc un rôle civique officiel et la place des musiciens au sein de la société s'en trouve régénérée. Le Conservatoire de musique participe ainsi comme un élément d'une nouvelle politique de l’éducation nationale, issue du pouvoir révolutionnaire, reposant notamment sur l'exhaltation de la musique comme un élément de propagande patriotique. Il s'insère dans un ensemble institutionnel, "à côté des musées célèbres que le génie de la Liberté forma pour les progrès des sciences et des arts et leur prospérité dans la République, les amis de la gloire nationale verront aussi s’élever celui de la musique : cette nouvelle institution en arrachant à l’oubli les chefs-d’œuvre de toutes les écoles offrira l’exposition unique des richesses sublimes de cet art, et indiquera à l’histoire sa marche progressive ; tout ce que le génie de la musique a produit de grand sera exécuté par le Conservatoire dans des exercices, soit que ces œuvres aient été consacrées au culte, soit qu’elles aient été écrites sous différentes langues, ou que le goût musical les ait entièrement éloignées du théâtre", (cf. Le Conservatoire de Paris, regards sur une institution et son histoire, p. 52).
Son organisation, en rupture avec les structures préexistantes, est mise en place à partir du 15 messidor an IV (3 juillet 1796) sur proposition de Bernard Sarrette, commissaire chargé de l'organisation. L’inauguration de l'établissement a lieu en octobre de cette même année. À cette occasion, Sarrette prononce un discours à valeur programmatique pour cet établissement qu'il envisage comme un "centre de l'étude de l'art". Il souhaite "[qu']il renferme les moyens assez étendus et assez complets pour former les artistes nécessaires à la solennité des fêtes républicaines, au service militaire des nombreuses légions de la patrie et surtout au théâtre dont l’influence est si importante au progrès et à la direction du goût" (cf. Constant Pierre, Bertrand Sarrette (...), p. 182-187). Ayant participé à la préfiguration du Conservatoire, Sarrette en devient le légitime directeur. Parmi les six inspecteurs figurent Gossec, initiateur de l’École royale, Méhul, Grétry, Lesueur, Cherubini et un sixième nommé au titre de récompense nationale, Piccini. À la mort de ce dernier, le poste est accordé à Monsigny. Les inspecteurs, tout comme les professeurs, sont admis par voie de concours et, en plus de leurs attributions comme enseignant dévolues par le réglement, ils sont chargés de surveiller l'enseignement des professeurs et d'examiner les élèves. Ils établissent donc un rapport hiérarchique avec les trente professeurs de première classe et les quarante-quatre de seconde classe. Les quatre cents élèves, des deux sexes, reçoivent un enseignement gratuir qui se divise de la sorte : composition, harmonie, chant, violon, violoncelle, clavecin, orgue, flûte, hautbois, clarinette, cor, basson, trompette, trombone, serpent, solfège, préparation au chant, déclamation applicative à la scène lyrique. Ils fréquentent également des cours relatifs aux rapports des sciences avec l'art musical. Lors de séances publiques, en fin d'année scolaire, les meilleurs élèves reçoivent des prix dont la dénomination varie suivant la discipline présentée.
Une bibliothèque, dont la première pierre est posée le 4 août 1801, et un cabinet d'instruments complètent ce "centre de l'étude" et traduisent la nécessité de construire à la fois une institution de formation mais également de conservation de la production théorique. Depuis 1796 une imprimerie, dotée de douze presses, est installée dans le "Magasin de musique" qui, dès l'année suivante, est déménagé vers le grenier du Conservatoire qui prend le nom de "Magasin du Conservatoire". Une réflexion puis une politique de publication de méthodes musicales s'engage visant à émanciper la France des influences allemandes et italiennes. Les Principes élémentaires de la musique sont publiés en 1799 et, à partir de 1800 et jusqu’en 1814, s’élabore une collection de méthodes dites officielles pour la théorie musicale, le solfège, l’harmonie et de nombreux instruments tel que cor, clarinette, violon, basson, chant, flûte traversière, violoncelle, piano, serpent. Leur rédaction s'organise de la manière suivante : en introduction, un bref historique de l'instrument est exposé, puis l'attention est portée sur la formation du son, enfin des exercices et des gammes allant du lent au rapide et des sonates « progressives » en duo sont proposés pour travailler la pratique. Le Conservatoire de musique de Paris tente de s’affirmer sur la scène musicale internationale, aidé par le développement et le dynamisme industriel de manufactures françaises telles que Pleyel et Erard.
Dans ce contexte favorable à la diffusion musicale, Sarrette rédige un rapport en date du 27 novembre 1798 intitulé "Rapport sur l’établissement d’écoles spéciales de musique" proposant un maillage national fait de cinquante petites écoles de musique, douze écoles spéciales et un conservatoire, réhabilitant ainsi un réseau d'établissements destinés à l’enseignement de la musique en France. Jean-François Lesueur prône un retour aux maîtrises d’Ancien Régime, visant exclusivement à la formation de chanteurs de haut niveau, en abandonnant l’enseignement des instruments aux établissements privés. Les acquis révolutionnaire et leur ambition d'universalité se confrontent à la nécessaire adaptation au goût musical de l’époque et aux prémices d’une société consommatrice de divertissements. Pourtant en 1800, le principe pédagogique s’affirme comme central au sein du Conservatoire, la musique n’est pas vouée à la consommation mais est réaffirmée comme un bien culturel à conserver et, à la fois, à faire évoluer d'où la création du Prix de Rome pour les élèves compositeurs en 1803.
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