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Post by schlager7 on Apr 8, 2007 10:40:21 GMT -6
My French is pretty rough, but I got the gist of it. We have had a couple of instructors here in Texas over the decades who learned or knew Pierre Lacaze, so I include this here. This comes from the Escrime Info site...
A la lecture d’escrime internationale n°58, j’apprends avec tristesse et consternation le décès de Pierre Lacaze. Je regrette que personne sur ce forum n’ait eu l’occasion d’écrire un petit mot sur ce maître d’armes. Cela ne m’étonne guère, une grande part des participants affichant une consternante inculture, en particulier concernant leur propre sport.
Pierre Lacaze, ce n’est certes pas la génération internet, mais c’est justement quelqu’un qui s’est intéressé à l’escrime dans ses multiples dimensions, bien loin de l’actuelle tendance qui voudrait la réduire à un simple spectacle par méconnaissance, bêtise, et vénalité.
Il vient de décéder à l'âge de 93 ans, après avoir passer une vie au service de l'escrime. Vous pouvez encore trouver son petit ouvrage découverte Gallimard sur l’histoire de l’escrime.
and also this...
Pierre Lacaze a ete le maitre qui a pensé l'escrime pour toute une generation, son magistere moral etait reconnu de tous.Depuis de longues annees ,il ne quittait plus son domicile sur le Luxembourg ;entouré des siens et tout particulierement de sa cantatrice de femme ,il s'est eteint paisiblement comme une bougie qui s'eteint apres avoir eclairé les armes françaises
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Post by Dan Gorman on Apr 8, 2007 10:46:09 GMT -6
From Google's translation service....
Dan
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Post by schlager7 on Apr 8, 2007 11:15:11 GMT -6
From Escrime Internationale #58:
He passed away just before Christmas. He was 93. Going over the life and times of one of the greatest French fencing masters of the 20th century is no mean feat but, as I have shared most of his fencing activities since 1947, our friendship and complicity should be useful and very valuable.
Pierre Lacaze was the unquestionable and undisputed master of fencing: athletic, artistic, historical, theatrical, ambidextrous, a singer, a dancer, a mime artist, an actor… There is no shortage of terms to describe him. The training provided by his father, Albert Lacaze, renowned fencing master himself, probably played a crucial part. His brother Jacques, also a fencing master, also benefited from valued paternal advice.
Pierre Lacaze was passionate and his skills were universally acknowledged. He was humble and knew how to reach out to everybody, champions but also amateur fencers or fencing masters in the making. In Paris, he taught at the prestigious Cercle Volney, at the National Music and Drama Conservatories, at the Bossuet Institute, at the National Sports Institute before it became INSEP, at the Marcel Marceau international Mime school. He also gave a lot of time to many classes of young trainees in their preparation for the “state-recognised fencing master qualification”. His teaching and humour, combining witticism and sarcasm, brought a touch of cheerfulness, in a sport where the motto “Respect the Masters, Honour the Weapons” is more indicative of rigour than creativeness.
Despite the dual nature of the civil and military training schools, when he taught at the National Sports Institute, he was able to share the knowledge he had acquired in Hungary, alongside masters Balog and Mikla, with sabre fencers. He should also be credited with writing part of the history of fencing, where French and Italian treatises reveal what is known as the “noble art of weaponry”, from ancient to modern times.
When he presided over the French Academy of Arms (AAF), taking over from Master Michel Pécheux, epée world and Olympic champion, Pierre Lacaze transformed it, with the support of the Board, into a professional association of French fencing teachers. The idea was to redefine a corporation that needed to be united in the face of national and international fencing decisionmakers. The first Masters Congress held in Poitiers was the pinnacle of this auspicious period, as 650 fencing Masters were members of the AAF in 1982.
In addition, Pierre Lacaze created the first artistic fencing diplomas for actors, enabling them to choreograph fights on theatre stages. To conclude the emotional story of his long and brilliant career, the most beautiful chapter was probably his presence, foil in hand, at the Paris National Music Conservatory, where he met Christiane Heda-Pierre, a world famous singer who was his student and who became his wife in 1961.
The story of the Lacazes is a very long one. His brother André was the chief editor of the popular weekly magazine Paris-Match, his brother Jacques was a fencing master in Avignon, home to the internationally recognised festival. His son Didier is a senior State official and his younger son, Dominique, a remarkable young man. Fencing has undoubtedly lost one of its major figures with the death of Pierre Lacaze, of whom mime artist Marcel Marceau once said: “He gives his brilliant lessons like a conductor”. He was indeed a great fencing master who trained and coached many French champions, including the current president of the International Fencing Federation, René Roch.
I wish to tell the younger fencing generations of the entire world and our fencing master colleagues who were not fortunate enough to meet him and get to know him that for us it was an honour, in sport but also personally and culturally, to work with master Pierre Lacaze.
And I wish to tell him: “This is until we meet again, Master Pierre”.
Two sentiments: We Unite and Salute you.
----- Bob Heddle-Roboth, his friend.
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