Henri David Gagnebin (13 March 1886 – 2 June 1977) was a Belgian-born Swiss composer.
Early Life
Gagenbin was born on 13 March 1886 in
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
, the son of Henri-Auguste Gagnebin, a pastor, and Adolphine Heshuysen, a native of the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. He had at least one sister, Elie,
who was later a professor at the
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzer ...
.
Career
His first studies were in
Bienne
, french: Biennois(e)
, neighboring_municipalities= Brügg, Ipsach, Leubringen/Magglingen (''Evilard/Macolin''), Nidau, Orpund, Orvin, Pieterlen, Port, Safnern, Tüscherz-Alfermée, Vauffelin
, twintowns = Iserlohn (Germany)
B ...
and
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
. He studied the piano with
Auguste Laufer and harmony with
Justin Bischoff. In 1905, he spent eight months in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where he studied composition with
Richard Rössler
Richard Rössler, also ''Roessler'' or ''Rößler'' (14 November 1880 – 23 June 1962) was a Baltic German pianist, organist, composer and music educator (academic teacher). In 1910, he married the pianist Dora Charlotte Mayer (1887–1951), a W ...
. In 1908, he moved to Paris, where he studied the
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
with
Louis Vierne
Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. As the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death, he focused on organ music, including six organ symphonies and a '' Messe solennelle ...
and composition with
Vincent d'Indy
Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the Par ...
. He stayed there for eight years, during which he was organist at the Lutheran Church of the Redemption. In 1916, he became organist at the Temple de Saint-Jean in Lausanne, and also taught courses at the conservatory. In 1925, he was invited to become director of the conservatory at
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, where he remained until his retirement in 1961.
Gagnebin worked in most musical genres, with the exception of
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
: he wrote symphonies, two ballets, a trio, four quartets, a large number of pieces for various instrumental groups, four toccatas for the piano, a piano concerto, more than one hundred pieces on Huguenot psalms, two church sonatas and a number of organ pieces. He was also a frequent contributor to music periodicals, including ''La Tribune de Genève''.
Death
Gagnebin died in Geneva on 2 June 1977.
References
1886 births
1977 deaths
20th-century classical composers
Swiss classical composers
Musicians from Liège
Swiss male classical composers
20th-century Belgian male musicians
20th-century Swiss composers
Belgian emigrants to Switzerland
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