Eric Demarsan

Biography
by Craig Harris
Eric DeMarsan is one of the top soundtrack composers and arrangers in France. Since making his debut with the 1966 film Diapason, DeMarsan has gone on to work with some of France's leading filmmakers. After furnishing arrangements and orchestrations for Jean-Pierre Melville's Chevaliers du Ciel and Samouri, he accepted an invitation to compose the score for Melville's L'Armee des Ombres and Le Cercle Rouge. He also worked with such filmmakers as Jean Pourtale (5% de Risques), Carlos Costa-Gravas (Section Speciale), Patrice Leconte (Les Specialistes), and Pierre Zucca (Roberte Ce Soir). DeMarsan's compositions for French television include the scores of Sebastian Parmi les Hommes, La Derniere Fete, and Clarissa. Taught to play the piano by his grandmother, DeMarsan was playing regularly in Monmarte nightclubs by the age of 18. After collaborating with composers Bernard Dimey and Marian Kouzan during late-night songwriting sessions, he spent two years sharpening his skills under the guidance of Michel Magne, who taught him orchestration and the craft of composing for films. DeMarsan received a prestigious SACEM prize for Best Recorded Film Music in 1985. Although he agreed to provide material for an album to be recorded by French vocalist Michel Simon, the recording was never completed.