Paul Henri Büsser (16 January 1872 – 30 December 1973) was a French classical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, and conductor.

Biography

Büsser was born in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

of partly German ancestry. He entered the Paris

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

in 1889, where he studied organ with

César Franck César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in modern-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of his birth was p ...

and composition with

Ernest Guiraud Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, M ...

. After serving as secretary to

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

, he received valuable advice from him, who helped him obtain a position as organist at

Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns ...

. In 1893, he won the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

, and on his return from Italy he began a career as a conductor. At the personal request of

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

, Büsser led the fourth performance, and numerous subsequent performances, of '' Pelléas et Mélisande''. He also became a protégé of

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...

and was one of his closest friends during the last two decades of his life (Massenet died in 1912). In 1921, Büsser began teaching at the Paris Conservatoire, and was promoted to professor of composition in 1931. Noted students include Prix de Rome winner

Henri Challan Henri Edmond Émile Challan (12 December 1910 in Asnières – 18 February 1977 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris) was a French composer and music educator. He had a long association with the Conservatoire de Paris where he was both a student and ...

, the Japanese composer Tomojirō Ikenouchi (1906–1991) and

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

(1916–2013). The

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

elected him as member in 1938. He married the famous dramatic soprano

Yvonne Gall Yvonne Gall (6 March 1885 – 21 August 1972) was a French operatic lyric soprano. Biography Gall was born on 6 March 1885 in Paris.Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''

Le malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H. ...

''. He composed in a sophisticated compositional style with finely crafted orchestration, but remained faithful to 19th-century French tradition. His orchestrations of Debussy's ''Petite suite'' and ''Printemps'' are considered standards, as is his crisp, authoritative conducting of the first nearly complete 1930 early electrical HMV recording of Gounod's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'' featuring the great tenor

César Vezzani César Vezzani (8 August 1888 – 11 November 1951) was a French/Corsican operatic tenor who became a leading exponent of French ''grand opera'' through several decades. (Some sources give his date of birth as 1886.) Career César Vezzani was bo ...

in the title role and the renowned bass

Marcel Journet Marcel Journet (25 July 1868 – 7 September 1933), was a French, bass, operatic singer. He enjoyed a prominent career in England, France and Italy, and appeared at the foremost American opera houses in New York City and Chicago. Biography ...

, who as a Metropolitan star had sung and recorded Méphistophelès' key arias and ensembles with Caruso on Victor acoustical records earlier in the century. These recordings have all been transferred to CD. Late in his life, he was made a Grand Officier de la

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Büsser died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

at the age of 101, just short of his 102nd birthday. He lived for many years at 71

Avenue Kléber Avenue Kléber is an avenue in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, one of the twelve avenues that converge on Place Charles de Gaulle. It was named after Jean Baptiste Kléber, a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. Before 1879, it ...

Works

Opera

* ''Hélène'', before 1890, incomplete * ''Les Accordailles'', 1890, unperformed * ''Jane Grey'', 1891 * ''Les Marivaudages'', 1891, unperformed * ''Daphnis et Chloé'', 1897 * ''Le Miracle de perles'', 1898, unperformed * ''Blanc et noir'', 1900 * ''Colomba'', 1921 * ''Les Noces corinthiennes'', 1922 * ''La Pie borgne'', 1927 * ''Rhapsodie arménienne'', 1930 * ''Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'', 1948 * ''Roxelane'', 1948 * ''Diafoirus 60'', 1963 * ''La Vénus d'ille'', 1964

Ballet

* ''La Ronde des saisons'', 1905 (Paris Opera, choreography by Joseph Hansen)

Incidental music

* ''Appassionato'', 1910 * ''Les Trois sultanes'', 1923 * ''Manon'', 1925 * ''Histoire de France'', 1929

Chamber music

* ''Petite suite'' for flute and piano, Op. 12 * ''Pièce'' for trombone and piano'', Op. 33 * ''Appassionato'' for viola and piano, Op. 34, 1910 * ''Prelude et scherzo'' for flute and piano, Op. 35 * ''Morceau de concert (Concert Piece in D)'' for horn and piano, Op. 39 * ''Variations'' for trumpet in C or Bb (or cornet) and piano, Op. 53, c. 1914 (Concours du Conservatoire National de Musique Paris) * ''Églogue'' for oboe and piano, Op. 63 (Concours du Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris) * ''Catalane sur des airs populaires'' for viola and orchestra or piano, Op. 78, 1926 * ''Rhapsodie arménienne'' for viola and piano, Op. 81, 1930 * ''Andalucia sur des thèmes andalous'' for flute and piano, Op. 86 (Concours du Conservatoire National de Musique Paris) *''Aragon sur des airs populaires d' Espagne'' for clarinet and piano , Op. 91, c. 1934 * ''La Chasse de Saint Hubert'' for horn and piano, Op. 99, c. 1937

Writings

* ''De Pelléas aux Indes galantes—De la flûte au tambour'' (memoires), 1955

Sources

Arthur Hoérée Arthur Hoérée (16 April 1897, Brussels – 2 June 1986, Paris) was a Belgian musicologist, critic, conductor and composer. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels from 1908 to 1912, then at the Conservatoire de Paris. He was a lecture ...

& Richard Langham Smith: "Büsser usser (Paul-) Henri", in Stanley Sadie (ed.), ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (New York: MacMillan, 1992) .

External links

Classical Composers Database Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Busser, Henri 1872 births 1973 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) 19th-century French composers 19th-century organists 20th-century classical composers 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Conservatoire de Paris alumni French centenarians French male classical composers French male conductors (music) French opera composers French people of German descent Male opera composers Prix de Rome for composition Musicians from Toulouse Pupils of César Franck Pupils of Ernest Guiraud Men centenarians