Barraqué, Jean (1928–1973)

French composer. His disciplined technique was well suited to serialism, which formed a cornerstone of his composition. In 1955 he began work on his major composition, La Mort de Virgile, based on the book by Hermann Broch, but never completed it.

He studied with Jean Langlais and Olivier Messiaen, later working in the experimental laboratories of the Radiodiffusion Française in Paris. His first compositions were a piano sonata, begun in 1950, and Sequence for Voice and Ensemble, revised in 1955. In 1951 he wrote Etude for Electronic Tape. His last completed work was the clarinet concerto, 1962–68. He also wrote a short book on Debussy.

Works Dramatic cycle La Mort de Virgile, incomplete.

Vocal and orchestral Séquence for soprano and chamber ensemble (after Nietzsche; 1955); Au delà du hasard (based on Hermann Broch) for voices and instrumental groups (1959); Le Temps restitué for voices and orchestra (1957).

Chamber Chant après chant for percussion (1966); piano sonata.