Introduced in the first year of the Conservatoire in 1795, harmony classes were, until the late 1960s, a prerequisite for studying in the composition classes at the Paris Conservatoire. From 1968 onwards, the harmony classes and, more generally, the writing classes acquired an autonomous status, training generations of performers and musicologists keen to gain a better understanding of the repertoire. Following in the wake of the works of Mozart, Brahms, Franck, Fauré, R. Strauss, Debussy and Ravel, the aim is to acquire solid techniques in harmonising, constructing a coherent discourse and arranging. Their work is supervised and then corrected by the teachers through a series of tasks such as composing given songs, writing for voice and piano on a text based on incises, or instrumental composition based on incises in the style of a reference author.

Through exploration of the instrument's repertoire, historical perspective and in-depth technical work, this course aims to develop mastery of the instrument and a critical approach to interpretation. Particular attention is paid to listening to one's body, in order to prevent the aches and pains associated with playing the instrument. The face-to-face teaching approach allows for personalised learning, helping each student to reach his or her full potential.

Through exploration of the instrument's repertoire, historical perspective and in-depth technical work, this course aims to develop mastery of the instrument and a critical approach to interpretation. Particular attention is paid to listening to one's body, in order to prevent the aches and pains associated with playing the instrument. The face-to-face teaching approach allows for personalised learning, helping each student to reach his or her full potential.