Amédée-Ernest Chausson (French:[ʃosɔ̃]; 20 January 1855 – 10 June 1899) was a French Romanticcomposer who died just as his career was beginning to flourish.
Ernest Chausson, cabinet card photo by P. Frois, Biarritz (France), ca. 1885, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Born in Paris into an affluent bourgeois family, Chausson was the sole surviving child of a building contractor who made his fortune assisting Baron Haussmann in the redevelopment of Paris in the 1850s. To please his father, Chausson studied law and was appointed a barrister for the Court of Appeals, but had little or no interest in the profession. He frequented the Paris salons, where he met celebrities such as Henri Fantin-Latour, Odilon Redon, and Vincent d'Indy. Before deciding on a musical career, he dabbled in writing and drawing.
Chausson page-turning for Debussy, Luzancy, 1893
In 1879, at the age of 24, he began attending the composition classes of Jules Massenet at the Paris Conservatoire; Massenet came to regard him as "an exceptional person and a true artist". He had already composed some piano pieces and songs. Nevertheless, the earliest manuscripts that have been preserved are those corrected by Massenet. At the Conservatoire, Chausson also studied with César Franck, with whom he formed a close friendship that lasted until Franck's death in 1890. Chausson interrupted his studies in 1881 after a failed attempt to win the Prix de Rome.[1]
During 1882 and 1883, Chausson, who enjoyed travel, visited Bayreuth to hear the operas of Richard Wagner. On the first of these journeys, he went with d'Indy for the premiere of Wagner's Parsifal, and on the second trip he went with his new spouse, Jeanne Escudier (1862–1936), with whom he was to have five children.
When only 44 years old, Chausson died while staying at one of his country retreats, the Château de Moussets, in Limay, Yvelines. Riding his bicycle downhill, Chausson hit a brick wall and died instantly. The exact circumstances remain unclear; although probably an accident, there has been the suggestion of suicide, as Chausson was prone to depression. This suicide theory was propounded by Debussy's biographer Edward Lockspeiser,[1] but has been firmly rejected more recently by Chausson's own biographer Ralph Scott Grover.[2] Ironically, when he was 20, Chausson jotted into his diary “I have the premonition that my life will be short. I’m far from complaining about it, but I should not want to die before having done something."[3]
Ernest Chausson, photograph by Guy & Mockel, Paris, ca. 1897, Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The creative work of Chausson is commonly divided into three periods. In the first, his output was stylistically dominated by the influence of Massenet. The second period, dating from 1886, is marked by a more dramatic character, deriving partly from Chausson's contacts with the artistic milieux in which he moved. From his father's death in 1894 dates the beginning of his third period, during which he was especially influenced by his reading of the symbolist poets and Russian literature, particularly Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy.
Chausson's work is deeply individual, but it does reflect some technical influences of both Wagner and his other musical hero, Franck. Stylistic traces not only of Massenet but also of Brahms can be detected sometimes. In general, Chausson's compositional idiom bridges the gap between the ripe Romanticism of Massenet and Franck and the more introverted Impressionism of Debussy.
Several delicate and admirable songs came from Chausson's pen. He completed one opera, Le roi Arthus (King Arthur). His orchestral output was small, but significant. It includes the symphonic poem Viviane; the Symphony in B-flat, his sole symphony; Poème for violin and orchestra, an important piece in the violin repertoire; and the dramatic and haunting song-cycle Poème de l'amour et de la mer.
Chausson is believed to be the first composer to use the celesta. He employed that instrument in December 1888 in his incidental music, written for a small orchestra, for La Tempête, a French translation by Maurice Bouchor of Shakespeare's The Tempest.[6]
Not at all prolific, Chausson left behind only 39 opus-numbered pieces. Musical creation for him always proved to be a long, painful struggle. However, the quality and originality of his compositions are consistently high,[citation needed] and several of his works continue to make occasional appearances on programmes of leading singers, chamber music ensembles and orchestras.
"There are moments when I feel myself driven by a kind of feverish instinct, as if I had the presentiment of being unable to attain my goal, or of attaining it too late." Ernest Chausson
ReferencesEdit
^Edward Lockspeiser, Debussy: His Life and Mind, vol. 1 (London: Cassell, 1965), p. 126.
^Ralph Scott Grover, Ernest Chausson: The Man and His Music (London: Athlone Press, 1980), p. 56; R. J. Stove, César Franck: His Life and Times (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2012), p. 306.
^Steven M. Whiting, Liner Notes for Concert in D major and Piano Trio in G minor by Ernest Chausson. Naxos 8.572468. 2010, one compact CD.
^Edward Lockspeiser, Debussy: His Life and Mind, vol. 1 (London: Cassell, 1965), pp. 40–47.
^Nichols, R., The Life of Debussy (Cambridge University Press, 1998).
^Blades, James and Holland, James, "Celesta"; in: Gallois, Jean, "Chausson, Ernest: Works", Grove Music Online (accessed 8 April 2006) (subscription required). Note: The first major composer to use the celesta in a work for full symphony orchestra was Pyotr Tchaikovsky. He first used it in his symphonic poemThe Voyevoda in 1891, and the following year in his balletThe Nutcracker, most notably in the "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy".
BibliographyEdit
Charles Oulmont (), Musique de l'amour. I. Ernest Chausson et "la bande à Franck" (Paris: Desclée de Brouwer & Cie., 1935).
Jean Gallois, Ernest Chausson (Paris: Fayard, 1994).
Le Doussal, Florence (2000). "Maurice Denis et Ernest Chausson: Deux âmes fraternelles éprises d'absolu". Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography. 25 (1–2): 103–114. ISSN 1522-7464.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ernest Chausson.
ernest, chausson, amédée, french, ʃosɔ, january, 1855, june, 1899, french, romantic, composer, died, just, career, beginning, flourish, cabinet, card, photo, frois, biarritz, france, 1885, bibliothèque, nationale, france, contents, life, death, eponymy, music,. Amedee Ernest Chausson French ʃosɔ 20 January 1855 10 June 1899 was a French Romantic composer who died just as his career was beginning to flourish Ernest Chausson cabinet card photo by P Frois Biarritz France ca 1885 Bibliotheque nationale de France Contents 1 Life 2 Death 3 Eponymy 4 Music 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksLife EditBorn in Paris into an affluent bourgeois family Chausson was the sole surviving child of a building contractor who made his fortune assisting Baron Haussmann in the redevelopment of Paris in the 1850s To please his father Chausson studied law and was appointed a barrister for the Court of Appeals but had little or no interest in the profession He frequented the Paris salons where he met celebrities such as Henri Fantin Latour Odilon Redon and Vincent d Indy Before deciding on a musical career he dabbled in writing and drawing nbsp Chausson page turning for Debussy Luzancy 1893In 1879 at the age of 24 he began attending the composition classes of Jules Massenet at the Paris Conservatoire Massenet came to regard him as an exceptional person and a true artist He had already composed some piano pieces and songs Nevertheless the earliest manuscripts that have been preserved are those corrected by Massenet At the Conservatoire Chausson also studied with Cesar Franck with whom he formed a close friendship that lasted until Franck s death in 1890 Chausson interrupted his studies in 1881 after a failed attempt to win the Prix de Rome 1 During 1882 and 1883 Chausson who enjoyed travel visited Bayreuth to hear the operas of Richard Wagner On the first of these journeys he went with d Indy for the premiere of Wagner s Parsifal and on the second trip he went with his new spouse Jeanne Escudier 1862 1936 with whom he was to have five children From 1886 until his death in 1899 Chausson was secretary of the Societe Nationale de Musique In his own home 22 Boulevard de Courcelles near Parc Monceau he received a great many eminent artists including the composers Henri Duparc Gabriel Faure Claude Debussy and Isaac Albeniz poet Stephane Mallarme Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev and Impressionist painter Claude Monet Chausson also assembled an important collection of paintings Death Edit nbsp Chausson s tomb Pere Lachaise Cemetery ParisWhen only 44 years old Chausson died while staying at one of his country retreats the Chateau de Moussets in Limay Yvelines Riding his bicycle downhill Chausson hit a brick wall and died instantly The exact circumstances remain unclear although probably an accident there has been the suggestion of suicide as Chausson was prone to depression This suicide theory was propounded by Debussy s biographer Edward Lockspeiser 1 but has been firmly rejected more recently by Chausson s own biographer Ralph Scott Grover 2 Ironically when he was 20 Chausson jotted into his diary I have the premonition that my life will be short I m far from complaining about it but I should not want to die before having done something 3 Chausson was buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris His funeral was attended by many leading figures of the arts including Duparc Gabriel Faure Isaac Albeniz Redon Edgar Degas Auguste Rodin Henri de Regnier Pierre Louys and Claude Debussy While Chausson s brotherly relationship with Debussy had ended abruptly five years earlier following his disapproval of Debussy s promiscuity 4 5 Debussy never ceased to admire Chausson s music Eponymy EditA small park Square Ernest Chausson in the 17th arrondissement of Paris is named in his honour Music EditFurther information List of compositions by Ernest Chausson nbsp Ernest Chausson photograph by Guy amp Mockel Paris ca 1897 Bibliotheque nationale de France The creative work of Chausson is commonly divided into three periods In the first his output was stylistically dominated by the influence of Massenet The second period dating from 1886 is marked by a more dramatic character deriving partly from Chausson s contacts with the artistic milieux in which he moved From his father s death in 1894 dates the beginning of his third period during which he was especially influenced by his reading of the symbolist poets and Russian literature particularly Turgenev Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy Chausson s work is deeply individual but it does reflect some technical influences of both Wagner and his other musical hero Franck Stylistic traces not only of Massenet but also of Brahms can be detected sometimes In general Chausson s compositional idiom bridges the gap between the ripe Romanticism of Massenet and Franck and the more introverted Impressionism of Debussy Several delicate and admirable songs came from Chausson s pen He completed one opera Le roi Arthus King Arthur His orchestral output was small but significant It includes the symphonic poem Viviane the Symphony in B flat his sole symphony Poeme for violin and orchestra an important piece in the violin repertoire and the dramatic and haunting song cycle Poeme de l amour et de la mer Chausson is believed to be the first composer to use the celesta He employed that instrument in December 1888 in his incidental music written for a small orchestra for La Tempete a French translation by Maurice Bouchor of Shakespeare s The Tempest 6 Not at all prolific Chausson left behind only 39 opus numbered pieces Musical creation for him always proved to be a long painful struggle However the quality and originality of his compositions are consistently high citation needed and several of his works continue to make occasional appearances on programmes of leading singers chamber music ensembles and orchestras There are moments when I feel myself driven by a kind of feverish instinct as if I had the presentiment of being unable to attain my goal or of attaining it too late Ernest ChaussonReferences Edit Edward Lockspeiser Debussy His Life and Mind vol 1 London Cassell 1965 p 126 Ralph Scott Grover Ernest Chausson The Man and His Music London Athlone Press 1980 p 56 R J Stove Cesar Franck His Life and Times Lanham Maryland Scarecrow Press 2012 p 306 Steven M Whiting Liner Notes for Concert in D major and Piano Trio in G minor by Ernest Chausson Naxos 8 572468 2010 one compact CD Edward Lockspeiser Debussy His Life and Mind vol 1 London Cassell 1965 pp 40 47 Nichols R The Life of Debussy Cambridge University Press 1998 Blades James and Holland James Celesta in Gallois Jean Chausson Ernest Works Grove Music Online accessed 8 April 2006 subscription required Note The first major composer to use the celesta in a work for full symphony orchestra was Pyotr Tchaikovsky He first used it in his symphonic poem The Voyevoda in 1891 and the following year in his ballet The Nutcracker most notably in the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy Bibliography EditCharles Oulmont Musique de l amour I Ernest Chausson et la bande a Franck Paris Desclee de Brouwer amp Cie 1935 Jean Gallois Ernest Chausson Paris Fayard 1994 Le Doussal Florence 2000 Maurice Denis et Ernest Chausson Deux ames fraternelles eprises d absolu Music in Art International Journal for Music Iconography 25 1 2 103 114 ISSN 1522 7464 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ernest Chausson Free scores by Ernest Chausson at the International Music Score Library Project IMSLP Free scores by Ernest Chausson in the Choral Public Domain Library ChoralWiki Free digital scores by Ernest Chausson in the OpenScore Lieder Corpus Hymne vedique Chorus accompanied by orchestra op 9 Vocal Score Paris Hamelle 1886 From Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection Melodies pour chant et piano op 2 Paris J Hamelle 1890 From Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection Les Vepres du Commun des saint op 31 Paris Editions de la Schola Cantorum 1907 From Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection Recording of Piano Trio in G minor Op 3 at the Wayback Machine archived August 31 2006 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ernest Chausson amp oldid 1169227899, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
