Jean-Pierre Rampal [1922–2000], a native of Marseilles, France, was a classical flautist whose musical talent and sparkling personality is often credited for reviving interest in the flute as a solo instrument. His father taught the flute at the local conservatory and played first-chair flute in the orchestra, but the younger Rampal instead embarked on a career in medicine. During WWII while enrolled in his third year of medical school, he was in danger of being conscripted as a forced laborer for transport to Germany. Instead he joined the underground and resurfaced in Paris under an assumed name, attending the National Conservatory as a flute player. When the war ended, a Parisian orchestra hired Rampal as its principal flautist.
The late 1940s marked Rampal’s debut as a soloist, where he toured extensively with a close friend from his conservatory days, keyboardist Robert Veyron-Lacroix. Together they performed a string of highly acclaimed flute–piano recitals, a rarity in the days when “chamber music” almost always involved at least some sort of stringed instrument. The duo enjoyed rising popularity after performing on French national radio, which was followed by a series of international tours that ultimately led them to make their U.S. debut in 1958. At the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Rampal and Veyron-Lacroix performed a program of works by Mozart, Beethoven and Poulenc.
Much of Rampal’s early popularity has been ascribed to the fluidity of his playing technique, a strong contrast to the vibrato-laden methodology favored during his father’s generation and one that stretched back into the 19th century. Although he did not shy away from more modern pieces, Rampal preferred to perform music from the Baroque period, notably works by Bach, Handel, Telemann, and Scarlatti. He also recorded a significant amount of flute music by Mozart.
His nickname, “The Man with The Golden Flute,” was not an allusion to his magical prowess, but instead derived from the fact that he owned a solid gold (18K) flute, the only such instrument manufactured (in 1869) by renowned artisan Louis Lot. Rampal played this instrument exclusively until receiving a 14-karat gold flute from the Haynes Company, a U.S. concern that used a pattern of the original Lot piece to craft its own version in 1958.
In addition to his vast recording and performing career—Rampal’s discography includes more than 60 recordings on the CBS label alone—he also taught a number of students who have gone on to significant flute careers of their own, including James Galway and Robert Stallman. The awards he received during his lifetime included being named a chevalier to the French Legion of Honor [1966], and grand prizes from multiple organizations on behalf of his many recordings. Beginning in 1980, the Jean-Pierre Rampal Flute Competition began its tri-annual run in conjunction with the Concours Internationaux de la Ville de Paris.
Rampal performs the second movement of Francis Poulenc’s flute sonata, with the composer at the piano:
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