André Gedalge

André Gedalge at his home in Chessy, about 1908, Bibliothèque nationale de France.

André Gedalge (27 December 1856 - 5 February 1926), was an influential French composer and teacher.

Biography

André Gedalge was born at 75 rue des Saints-Pères, in Paris, where he first worked as a bookseller and editor specializing in livres de prix for public schools. During this time he published books by Marie Laubot and Edmond About for the Librairie Gedalge.

In 1886, at the age of 28, he entered the Paris Conservatory. In that same year he won the Second Prix de Rome. He studied under Ernest Guiraud, professor of counterpoint and fugue, who had also been Jules Massenet's teacher.

In 1891, Gedalge composed the score for le Petit Savoyard, a pantomime in four acts performed at Les Nouveautés. In 1895, Pris au Piège was awarded the prix Cressant. In June 1900, his one act ballet Phoebé debuted at the Opéra-Comique. He composed Quatuor d'archet, les Vaux de Vire (a collection of melodies), children's songs, and three symphonies. These illustrated the proud motto that he followed: "Neither literature, nor painting", which defined "pure music". His Third Symphony in F Major and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (written in 1899) were considered masterpieces of French music.^{[citation needed]}

In the years before World War I, Gedalge served as Mayor of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, where he later died and was buried.

Teaching

He influenced many students of music, including André Bloch, Nadia Boulanger, Claude Delvincourt, Jean Roger-Ducasse, Georges Enescu, Arthur Honegger, Jacques Ibert, Charles Koechlin, Paul Ladmirault, Raoul Laparra, Darius Milhaud, Max d'Ollone, Henri Rabaud, Maurice Ravel, and Florent Schmitt.

He also wrote instructional works for students: "Treatise of the Fugue" ("Traité de la fugue", 1904), and a book on "The Instruction of Music by the Education of the Ear" ("l'Enseignement de la Musique par l'éducation de l'oreille", 1922).

He was relatively modest and, as such, did not garner a large reputation as an individual musician, but he greatly benefited from the wide recognition of his students. On the day after his death, it was written:

"He gave to his students the best part of himself: the knowledge, the understanding of man and the supreme gift that is goodness. It was sufficient that he had been poor and worthy of the name of musician for that he counselled, taught, and gave affectionate welcome not only to his class, but in the intimacy of his dwelling."

(See below for original quote.)

Original quotes

• « Il donnait à ses élèves le meilleur de lui-même : le savoir, la connaissance des hommes et ce don suprême qu'est la bonté. Il suffisait qu'un être fût pauvre et digne du nom de musicien pour qu'il trouvât conseils, leçons et affectueux accueil non seulement à sa classe, mais dans l'intimité de son logis ».

Selected compositions

• 4 Symphonies
• Piano Concerto
• String Quartet
• 2 Sonatas for violin and piano
• 70 Lieder
• Le Petit Savoyard, pantomime (1891)
• Hélène, drama (1893)
• 1895 Pris au piège, light opera
• 1899 Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
• 1900 Phoebé, ballet

Writings

• 1901 Traité de la fugue
• 1922 l'Enseignement de la Musique par l'éducation de l'oreille

Discography

• André Gedalge - Pièces instrumentales et mélodies Geneviève Laurenceau, violin - Mario Hacquard, baritone - Lorène de Ratuld and Claude Collet, piano - Benny Sluchin, trombone - Antoine Curé, trumpet. CD Polymnie (2007)

References

• This article incorporates information from the French article of the same name. (June 2006.)

External links

• MusiMem site on André Gedalge
• Free scores by André Gedalge at the International Music Score Library Project