Emmanuel Bondeville
Encyclopedia
Emmanuel Bondeville was a French composer and music administrator, born 29 October 1898 in Rouen
, and died 26 November 1987 in Paris
.
In 1935 he became musical director of the radio stations Radio Tour Eiffel, Radio Paris
, Radiodiffusion française then artistic director of Radio Monte-Carlo.
From 1949 to 1951 Bondeville was director of the Opéra-Comique, followed by a similar position at the Opéra de Paris from 1952 to 1969.
He was married twice : to Dominique Plessis (with whom he broadcast programmes entitled ‘Une saison d'opéra’ on France-Inter) and later to mezzo-soprano Viorica Cortez
, to whom he dedicated his opera Antoine et Cléopatre.
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, and died 26 November 1987 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Biography
As a young man he was organist at the church of Saint-Nicaise in Rouen and Notre-Dame in Caen. Bondeville lost both his parents when he was 16, and took on various jobs – organist, bank clerk, translator - to get by. He made his beginnings in music around 1923 writing works for piano, symphonic poems, opéras-comiques and opéras. During this time he also travelled around Europe and worked as an assistant in a music shop. He eventually had lessons in harmony and counterpoint from Jean Déré.In 1935 he became musical director of the radio stations Radio Tour Eiffel, Radio Paris
Radio Paris
Radio Paris was a French radio broadcasting company best known for its Axis propaganda broadcasts in Vichy France during World War II.Radio Paris evolved from the first private radio station in France, called Radiola, founded by pioneering French engineer Émile Girardeau in 1922...
, Radiodiffusion française then artistic director of Radio Monte-Carlo.
From 1949 to 1951 Bondeville was director of the Opéra-Comique, followed by a similar position at the Opéra de Paris from 1952 to 1969.
He was married twice : to Dominique Plessis (with whom he broadcast programmes entitled ‘Une saison d'opéra’ on France-Inter) and later to mezzo-soprano Viorica Cortez
Viorica Cortez
Viorica Cortez is a noted Romanian-born mezzo-soprano, later French by naturalisation. Starting her operatic and concert career in the mid-1960s, she went on to become one of the most prominent female performers of the '70s and '80s...
, to whom he dedicated his opera Antoine et Cléopatre.
Works
- Les Illustrations, symphonic triptych comprising :
- Le Bal des pendus (first performed 6 December 1930 by the Lamoureux Orchestra)
- Ophélie (1931)
- Marine (1933)
- L'École des maris (opéra-comique after Molière), premiered at the Opéra-Comique on 19 June 1935 conducted by Albert Wolff
- Madame Bovary, drame lyrique after Flaubert, premiered at the Opéra-Comique on 1 June 1951 in a production by Louis MusyLouis MusyLouis Musy was a French operatic baritone and stage director principally active at the Paris Opéra-Comique...
, conducted by Albert Wolff, with Jacqueline BrumaireJacqueline BrumaireJacqueline Brumaire was a French operatic soprano and later teacher.-Life and career:...
in the title role - Illustrations pour Faust, (1942)
- Gaultier-Garguille, symphonic poem, (1951)
- Symphonie lyrique, (1956)
- Symphonie chorégraphique (1961)
- Antoine et Cléopatre, opera (1972) premiered at the Opéra de Rouen in 1974
Titles, honours
- Commandeur de la Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
- Grand Officier de l'Ordre national du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
- Croix de guerre 1914-1918
External links
- Biographie
- http://www.academie-des-beaux-arts.fr/membres/actuel/musique/Nigg/discours-hommage-Bondeville.htmDiscours sur sa vie de son successeur à l'académie Serge NiggSerge Nigg-Biography:After initial studies with Ginette Martenot, Nigg entered the Paris Conservatory in 1941 and studied harmony with Olivier Messiaen and counterpoint with Simone Plé-Caussade. In 1945, he met René Leibowitz, who introduced him to the twelve-tone technique of composition...
]