Monument à Jean Cras, Memorial stele in Brest, France
The monument à Jean Cras is a stone stele on the cours Dajot in Brest, France, dedicated to the naval officer and composer Jean Cras. The stele carries a plaque bearing his name and a short reference to his life.
Jean Cras was born in Brest in 1879 into a family of naval doctors and entered the École navale in 1896. He served at sea while studying composition with Henri Duparc, and his opera Polyphème won the Prix de la Ville de Paris in 1922. He ended his career as contre-amiral and died in Brest in 1932.
The stele sits on the cours Dajot, a promenade overlooking Brest harbor, and is easy to reach on foot. A short stop is enough to read the inscription and take in the view over the water.
Jean Cras invented a navigation tool known as the "Cras rule", used by sailors to plot routes on sea charts long before GPS existed. He also carried a small piano aboard ships so he could keep composing during his time at sea.
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