Bernard Georges-Marie Gavoty, a renowned 20th-century French organist, musicologist, music critic, and talk show host, was born on April 2, 1908, in Paris, France.
Gavoty's parents were Raymond Gavoty, a deputy of the Var department, and Geneviève Magimel, who resided in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
As a pupil of Louis Vierne, Gavoty attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied under Denise Launay, Michel Boulnois, Antoine Reboulot, Félicien Wolff, and Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, among others.
Gavoty held a special place among the students of Marcel Dupré at the Conservatoire, earning recognition for his exceptional speaking and writing abilities.
A gifted orator, Gavoty delivered numerous lectures, particularly for the Jeunesses musicales de France, and served as a renowned music critic for Le Figaro under the pseudonym Clarendon, referencing the main character of Beaumarchais's Eugénie.
In 1942, Gavoty was appointed the titular organist of the grand organ of the Église Saint-Louis des Invalides, which he had rebuilt by the Beuchet-Debierre company in the neoclassical style in 1955.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Gavoty frequently appeared on French television, discussing classical music with its enthusiasts. In 1976, he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, succeeding Julien Cain in the free members section.
Gavoty's career extended beyond music, as he was also an agricultural engineer, having graduated from the Institut national agronomique, and a wine grower in the côtes de Provence.
In 1944, Gavoty married Victoire Vignon, with whom he had two daughters, Marie-Ange and Cécile.
Gavoty passed away on October 24, 1981, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at the age of 73.
