Pierre de Bréville
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Pierre de Bréville was born was born in Bar-le-DucBar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc, formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-Geography:...
, Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
. Following the wishes of his parents, he studied law with the goal of becoming a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. However, he abandoned his plans after a few years and entered the Conservatoire de Paris. He began his musical studies with Théodore Dubois
Théodore Dubois
François-Clément Théodore Dubois was a French composer, organist and music teacher.-Biography:Théodore Dubois was born in Rosnay in Marne. He studied first under Louis Fanart and later at the Paris Conservatoire under Ambroise Thomas. He won the Prix de Rome in 1861...
(1880-1882), later taking courses under the direction of César Franck
César Franck
César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life....
.
He became a professor, teaching counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
at the Schola Cantorum
Schola Cantorum
The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private music school in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera...
in Paris (1898-1902). Following a twelve year break, he taught classes in chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
composition at the Conservatoire de Paris (1914-1918).
He established himself as a music critic and became well-known for his reviews and commentary in Mercure de France
Mercure de France
The Mercure de France was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group....
, Le Courrier musical and La Revue blanche. He died 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...
.
Although de Bréville was not prolific, he lavished attention of his own compositions, producing several highly original works remembered for their quality. He also completed the orchestration of César Franck's unfinished opera Ghiselle with Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher.-Life:Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was born in Paris into an aristocratic family of royalist and Catholic persuasion. He had piano lessons from an early age from his paternal grandmother, who passed him on to Antoine François Marmontel and...
.
Selected compositions
Stage- L'anneau de Çakuntala (The Ring of Shakuntala), Incidental Music for the play AbhijñānaśākuntalamAbhijñānaśākuntalamAbhijñānashākuntala or Abhijñānaśākuntalam) , is a well-known Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Its date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st century BCE and 4th century CE....
by KālidāsaKalidasaKālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language... - Le Pays des fées, Incidental Music
- La Princesse Maleine, Opera
- Les Sept Princesses (The Seven Princesses), Incidental Music
- Éros vainqueurÉros vainqueurÉros vainqueur is an opera or conte lyrique in 3 acts and 4 scenes by composer Pierre de Bréville. The work uses a French language libretto by the poet and novelist Jean Lorrain and was dedicated by Bréville to composer Vincent d'Indy. The opera premiered on 7 March 1910 at the Théâtre Royal de la...
(Eros, Conqueror), Lyric Opera in 3 acts, 4 scenes (1905); libretto by Jean LorrainJean LorrainJean Lorrain , born Paul Duval, was a French poet and novelist of the Symbolist school....
; first performance 7 March 1910, Théâtre de la Monnaie, BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(with Claire CroizaClaire CroizaClaire Croiza was a French mezzo-soprano and an influential teacher of singers.-Career:Claire Croiza was born in Paris, the daughter of an expatriate American father and an Italian mother, and as a child she excelled at piano and singing...
in the title role) - Les Egyptiens, Ballet, an overture to a piece by Maurice MaeterlinckMaurice MaeterlinckMaurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
Orchestral works
- La Nuit de décembre
- Stamboul, Orchestral Suite
Concertante
- Tête de Kenwark, Scène lyrique for cello and orchestra after a dramatic poem by Leconte de Lisle
Chamber music
- Sonata No.1 in C minor for violin and piano (1918–1919)
- Une flûte dans les vergers for flute and piano (1920)
- Pièce for oboe (or flute, or violin) and piano (1923)
- Poème dramatique for cello and piano (1924)
- Prière (D'après le Cantique de Molière) for cello and organ (or piano) (1924)
- Sonatina for oboe (or flute, or violin) and piano (1925)
- Sonata No.2 "Sonate fantaisie en forme de rondeau" for violin and piano (1927)
- Sonata in D minor for cello and piano (1930)
- Fantaisie appassionata for cello and piano (1934)
- Sonata for violin and piano (1942)
- Sonata for violin and piano (1943)
- Sonata for viola and piano (1944)
- Concert à trois for violin, cello, and piano (1945)
- Sonata for violin and piano (1947)
- Fantaisie for guitar
- Trio à cordes
- Trio d'anches
Organ
- Suite brève for organ (or harmonium) (1896)
- Prélude, méditation et prière for organ without pedals (1912)
- Deuxième suite brève en cinq parties for organ (or harmonium) (1922)
Piano
- Fantaisie: Introduction, fugue et finale (c.1900)
- Portraits de maîtres (Portraits of Masters) (1907)
-
- Gabriel Fauré
- Vincent d'Indy
- Ernest Chausson
- César Franck
- Impromptu et choral (1912)
- Stamboul: rhythmes et chansons d'Orient, 4 Pieces (1921)
- Prélude et fugue (1923)
- Sonate en ré bémol (Sonata in D) (1923)
- Sept esquisses (7 Sketches) (1926)
- Quatre sonates (1939)
- Fantasia appassionata
Vocal
- La forêt charmée for voice and piano (1891); words by Jean MoréasJean MoréasJean Moréas , was a Greek poet, essayist, and art critic, who wrote mostly in the French language but also in Greek during his youth.-Background:...
- Epitaphe for voice and piano (1899); words taken from the tombstone of Marie Dupuis in the "Église de Senan"
- Le Furet du bois joli for voice and piano (1899); words by Jean Bénédict
- Poèmes de Jean Lorrain mis en musique (Poems of Jean Lorrain Set to Music) (1899?)
-
- La mort des lys
- La belle au bois
- La petite Ilse
- Quatre mélodies pour voix moyennes (Four Songs for Medium Voice) with piano accompaniment (1912)
- Une jeune fille parle; words by Jean MoréasJean MoréasJean Moréas , was a Greek poet, essayist, and art critic, who wrote mostly in the French language but also in Greek during his youth.-Background:...
- Venise marine; words by Henri de RégnierHenri de RégnierHenri François Joseph de Régnier was a French symbolist poet, considered one of the most important of France during the early 20th century....
- Berceuse; words by Henri de RégnierHenri de RégnierHenri François Joseph de Régnier was a French symbolist poet, considered one of the most important of France during the early 20th century....
- Sous les arches de roses; words by Charles van LerbergheCharles van LerbergheCharles van Lerberghe was a Flemish symbolist poet writing in French.His poetry was set by Gabriel Fauré in the song cycles La chanson d'Ève and Le jardin clos....
- Héros, je vous salue for voice and piano (1916); words by Henri de RégnierHenri de RégnierHenri François Joseph de Régnier was a French symbolist poet, considered one of the most important of France during the early 20th century....
- France for voice and piano (1917); words by Henri de RégnierHenri de RégnierHenri François Joseph de Régnier was a French symbolist poet, considered one of the most important of France during the early 20th century....
- Sainte for voice and piano (1922); words by Stéphane MallarméStéphane MallarméStéphane Mallarmé , whose real name was Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of the early 20th century, such as Dadaism, Surrealism, and Futurism.-Biography:Stéphane...
- Bonjour mon cœur for voice and piano (1925); words by Pierre de RonsardPierre de RonsardPierre de Ronsard was a French poet and "prince of poets" .-Early life:...
- La Terre les eaux va buvant for voice and piano (1925); words by Pierre de RonsardPierre de RonsardPierre de Ronsard was a French poet and "prince of poets" .-Early life:...
- Ô mon ange gardien for voice and piano (1925); words by Francis JammesFrancis JammesFrancis Jammes was a French poet. Coming from an ancient family, he spent most of his life in his native region of Béarn and the Basque Country and his poems are known for their lyricism and for singing the pleasures of a humble country life...
- Baiser for voice and piano (1926); words by Émile Cottinet
- Cantique de 1ère communion for soprano, violin and organ (or piano) (1926); words by Henry Gauthier-VillarsHenry Gauthier-VillarsHenry Gauthier-Villars or Willy, his nom-de-plume, was a French fin-de-siecle writer and music critic who is today mostly known as the mentor and bisexual first husband of Colette...
- La Cloche fêlée for voice and piano (1926); words by Charles BaudelaireCharles BaudelaireCharles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
- 12 Rondels de Charles d'Orléans for voice and piano (1930); words by Charles d'Orléans
- Bernadette
- La Petite Ilse
- Cœur ardent
- L'Heure mystique
- Héros, je vous salue for voice and piano (1916); words by Henri de Régnier
Choral
- Hymne à Venus, Vocal duo or chorus in 2 parts in phrygian modePhrygian modeThe Phrygian mode can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek tonos or harmonia sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern conception of the Phrygian mode as a diatonic scale, based on the latter...
(c.1885); words by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-AdamAuguste Villiers de l'Isle-AdamJean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was a French symbolist writer.-Life:Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, to a distinguished aristocratic family... - Messe (Mass) for soprano, tenor, baritone, mixed chorus (STB), string quartet, harp and organ (1890s)
- Sainte Rose de Lima, Scène mystique for soprano, female chorus and orchestra (1890s); words by Félix Naquet
- Tantum ergo sacramentum veneremur cernui, Hymne au Saint Sacrement for mezzo-soprano, female chorus and organ (c.1900)
- Les Cèdres du Liban (Cedars of Lebanon) for mixed chorus a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
- Motets pour la messe des morts
- Salut for soloists, female chorus and organ or harmonium
Writings
- Les Fioretti du père Franck, (1935-1938), a biography of César Franck
- Une histoire du théâtre lyrique en France