Bergerault Generations, A History of Percussion
FIRST GENERATION
1932
Albert BERGERAULT, a passionate musician with a brilliant creative mind, founded his own company. He became the first manufacturer of xylophones in France.
1941
Behind the barbed wire: “Notes of Hope.”
Albert Bergerault is taken prisoner by the German army and held in Poland at Stalag VIII C in Sagan. There, using his knife and several makeshift tools, he creates a xylophone. A guard gives him the sheet music for “Souvenir de Cirque Renz” by Gustav Peters, which he plays for the other prisoners. A true ray of sunshine.
1942
Upon his return from captivity, he resumes his work and research on new sounds. He creates xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, bells, glockenspiels…
1950
The high sound quality of the instruments is recognized, with many groups and drummers playing on BERGERAULT: the Paris Opera, music conservatories, Radio France, the Percussions de Strasbourg, Michel Legrand’s orchestra, as well as Michel Hausser, the first French vibraphonist and friend of Milt Jackson, who performed at numerous jazz festivals across Europe.
SECOND GENERATION
1970
BERGERAULT – Contemporary Percussion
Gilbert Fergeau, son-in-law of Albert Bergerault, takes over the company. He creates, together with Mack and Sylvia Perry, president of PERIPOLE USA, a new range of instruments designed for use in music education through the “ORFF method.” The references are numerous in colleges and universities, with agreements in Cincinnati, Memphis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles…
- The company creates unique instruments in the world at the request of renowned contemporary composers:
- The first contemporary 5-octave bass marimba, presented for the first time at the PAS in San José;
- Sixxens for Xenakis;
- Vibraphone with a ¼ tone Glockenspiel for the Geneva Conservatory, Switzerland;
- bass marimba-vibraphone, a unique piece by the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski;
- an ensemble of crotales with damping mechanism (vibraphone);
- Glockenspiel with damping mechanism and resonator (vibraphone system);
- bells in partnership with the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research
- tubular bells for monumental carillons in Japan.
THIRD GENERATION
2002
BERGERAULT – Contemporary Percussion
Mathieu Fergeau, Alexandre Fergeau, and David Alaime, the grandsons of Albert Bergerault, now lead the future of BERGERAULT France-USA. The company masters technical skills in wood, metal, composite materials, and musical acoustics. Its activity continues to develop with the manufacturing of specialized furniture for orchestras.
2010
The first range of BERGERAULT timpani is created. Bergerault offers a complete range of percussion instruments and is present worldwide: United States – Europe – China – Japan – Australia – South Korea…
Since its creation, BERGERAULT has added numerous references among the world’s most prestigious orchestras: Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Phenece, Paris Opera, Tours Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Opera, and many artists and composers: Karol Szymanowski (jazz, 6 rods, Poland), Ricardo Angellini (timpanist, Italy), Cory Band (brass band, England), Alexey Chizhik (Russia), Francesca Santagelo (Italy), Quartuor Beat (France), Trio Pulse (Belgium)…
The French government awarded BERGERAULT the title of “Living Heritage Company,” and under the aegis of UNESCO, it is now included in the “Rare Craft Professions” registry.
2012
BERGERAULT and DYNASTY develop a full range of professional percussion instruments in partnership, designed by the best U.S. universities and Drum Corps:
- Santa Clara Vanguard
- Phantom Regiment
- Glassmen…
And “Concert Signature” pieces for artists and orchestras such as Mark Ford, University of North Texas, or for the Quatuor Beat (France).
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Bergerault Percussions
Founded in 1932 by Mr. Albert Bergerault, the Bergerault company has not only inherited the name of its founder but also his creative spirit. Throughout its 86 years of existence, thanks to artists, composers, and performers, Bergerault has continuously innovated and invented new instruments.
Some of our creations have remained unique, such as the quarter-tone glockenspiel and vibraphone at the Geneva Conservatory, the monumental bell set at the International Watchmaking Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, or the 4-octave xylophone-woodblock at the Percussions de Strasbourg.
Others, like the first four-octave vibraphone made in 1966 for the ORTF orchestra, the first glockenspiel with pedal dampener for the “Percussions de Strasbourg,” the first bass marimba for Alain Londeix, or the first flat superposable keyboard xylophone for the Radio France orchestra, have become standards adopted worldwide by the greatest orchestras and soloists.
The list of Bergerault creations is too long to be fully detailed here. Therefore, we invite you to come and discover our history and passion in our workshops in Ligueil.