Jean Jules Auguste Wiernsberger (5 July 1857 – 15 December 1925) was a French composer from

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

Life and music

Wiernsberger was born in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

. He received his first music lessons from his father Jean Wiernsberger (1833–1890) and left Alsace following the annexation of 1871 with his family to settle in Paris. He then entered the Paris Conservatory where he was a pupil of

Émile Durand Émile Durand (; 16 February 18307 May 1903) was a French musical theorist, teacher and composer. He was better known for his theoretical writings than for his compositions. Biography Émile Durand was born in 1830, at Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d' ...

Napoléon Henri Reber Napoléon Henri Reber (21 October 1807 – 24 November 1880) was a French composer. Life and career Reber was born in Mulhouse, Alsace, and studied with Anton Reicha and Jean François Lesueur, wrote chamber music, and set to music works of Fr ...

and

Antoine Marmontel Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

. He obtained a second prize for piano in 1876 and continued his studies in Basel. On his return to France in 1878, he settled in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, taking an active part in local musical life. He was a music teacher, directed the choir Alsace-Lorraine Orphéon, and from 1884 the choirs of the Reims Philharmonic Society. His opera ''Rioval'' was premiered at the Opéra de Reims on 18 February 1886. His lyrical drama ''Rosemonde'' was created in

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

on 25 February 1892. His Violin Sonata, Op. 32 was awarded first prize by the Société des Compositeurs de Musique in 1896. From 1897 to 1899, he was editor of the ''Revue musicale Sainte-Cécile''. In 1899, he won the Chartier Prize of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

for his chamber music production and was awarded the "Palmes académiques" (in 1905 he was promoted to the rank of "Officier de l'instruction publique"). Wiernsberger settled in Paris, was artistic secretary of the

Gaveau Gaveau of Paris was a French piano manufacturer. The company was established by Joseph Gabriel Gaveau in 1847 in Paris and was one of the three largest piano makers in France (after Érard and Pleyel). Its factory was located at Fontenay-sous-Bois ...

piano factory and published light music under the pseudonym Nestor Sappé. It was under this name that he took legal action against SACEM, which he won,''Le Droit d'auteur'', 15 February 1905. concerning a dispute over the redistribution of copyright. Later he edited numerous works by composers of the baroque and classical periods for the publisher Heugel for educational purposes. As a composer he mainly wrote "mélodies" (art songs), piano pieces and chamber music. Wiernsberger died aged 68 in

Villers-Cotterêts Villers-Cotterêts () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France, France. It is notable as the signing-place in 1539 of the ''Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts'' discontinuing the use of Latin in official French documents, and as the ...

Selected compositions

Stage works * ''Rioval'', "scène lyrique" (libretto: Emmanuel Ducros), Reims, 18 February 1886 * ''Rosemonde'', Tournai, 25 February 1892 Orchestral music * ''Souvenir d'autrefois'', Op. 17 (two marches) (1877) * ''Stances'', Op. 21, for violin and orchestra (piano reduction available) (1887) Chamber music * ''Sérénade'', Op. 13, for violin and piano (1882) * ''Suite'', Op. 14, for piano trio * Piano trio, Op. 18 * ''Mélodie'', Op. 28, for violin and organ or piano (1897) * Violin Sonata, Op. 32 (1900) * ''Deux Cantilènes'', Op. 40, for viola (or violin) and piano (1904) Piano music * ''Variations-études'', Op. 4 (1878) * ''Moments perdus. 5 esquisses'' (1879) * ''Souvenir de l'Ermitage'', Op. 7 (1881) * ''Romance sans paroles'', Op. 8 (1882) * ''Tarentelle'', Op. 18 (1890) * ''Au bord du Lac Léman'', Op. 22 (1889) * ''Berceuse'', Op. 37 (1901) * ''Brises printanières'', Op. 38 (1904) Songs * ''À une femme'' (words by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

) (1878) * ''Barcarolle'' (Édouard Guinand), Op. 10 (1881) * ''Boléro'' (É. Guinand), Op. 11 (1881) * ''Avant l'orage'' (Emmanuel Ducros) (1884) * ''Au bord du ruisseau'' (E. Ducros) (1884) * ''Sur la plage. Rêverie'' (A. Febvre) (1889) * ''Sérénade d'hiver'' (E. Guinand) (1891) * ''Chansons lointaines. Six mélodies'' (Pierre Reyniel) (1924) Choral music * ''Chanson des blés. Choeur à 3 voix égales'' (Paul Miret) (1880) * ''En guerre!'', for 4-part male choir, Op. 12 (1882)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiernsberger, Jules Auguste 1857 births 1925 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century French composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century French composers Composers for piano French choral conductors French conductors (music) French opera composers French Romantic composers Musicians from Mulhouse Pupils of Antoine François Marmontel Pupils of Napoléon Henri Reber