French percussionist, teacher, and author Jacques Delécluse died on Oct. 20, 2015.

Born in September 1933, Jacques was the son of Ulysse Delécluse, a famous clarinet player and teacher in France. Jacques first started to study piano, and was a very gifted pianist. He also studied percussion with Felix Passerone, principal timpanist of the Paris Opera and teacher at the Conservatoire of Paris. In 1950 Jacques received the First Prize for piano at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1950 (best of the competition), with better results than many students who became famous soloists, such as Philippe Entremont. That same year, Jacques also received the Second Prize for percussion.

At the Conservatoire of Paris, Jacques also studied harmony, counterpoint, and composition, and he received the First Prize for percussion in 1951. He then chose to become a percussionist and timpanist. He subsequently took part in the creation of the Domaine Musical with Pierre Boulez, and was appointed to the Paris Opera and the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire.

Delécluse left the Paris Opera to become a full member of the Orchestre de Paris as a pianist. However, he started to play percussion again very soon and became timpanist of the orchestra in 1993. He also taught at the Conservatoire of Paris, where he played all the piano accompaniments.

In 1964, Jacques released his famous 12 Etudes for Snare Drum, published by Alphonse Leduc. Like many of his works, these etudes were inspired by the orchestral repertoire. Because of the evolution of technique and the rising level of modern players, and also to increase the repertoire, Delécluse published additional snare drum etudes: “Keisleiriana 1” in 1987 and “Keisleiriana 2” in 1990, both published by Alphonse Leduc. He went on to write timpani etudes, xylophone etudes, and various other pieces.

Upon Delécluse’s election to the PAS Hall of Fame in 2009, Frederic Macarez wrote, “Jacques Delécluse brought a new dimension to percussion playing: to consider dynamics, accents, phrases, and musical expression. In short, he makes us think about ‘how to make music with a drum.’ This idea took root more than 40 years ago and is still applicable today. Jacques truly created a ‘school of percussion’ and has deeply influenced generations of percussion players and teachers not only in France, but all over the world.”

“PAS is saddened to learn of the passing of PAS Hall of Fame Member Jacques Delécluse,” said  PAS Executive Director Jeffrey Hartsough. “Jacques will be remembered for his immense contributions to the percussive arts around the world. His work will have a lasting impact on generations of percussionists for years to come. He will be greatly missed.”

Read Jacques Delécluse’s PAS Hall of Fame profile here.