Pierre Eugène Onfroy de Bréville (21 February 1861 – 24 September 1949) was a French composer.

Biography

Pierre de Bréville was born in

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a Communes of France, commune in the Meuse (department), Meuse Departments of France, département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more moder ...

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

. Following the wishes of his parents, he studied law with the goal of becoming a diplomat. However, he abandoned his plans after a few years and entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

. He began his musical studies with

Théodore Dubois Clément François Théodore Dubois (24 August 1837 – 11 June 1924) was a French Romantic composer, organist, and music teacher. After study at the Paris Conservatoire, Dubois won France's premier musical prize, the Prix de Rome in 1861. He bec ...

(1880–1882), later taking courses under the direction of

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 pa ...

. He became a professor, teaching counterpoint at the Schola Cantorum in Paris (1898–1902). Following a twelve-year break, he taught classes in chamber music composition at the

(1914–1918). He established himself as a music critic and became well known for his reviews and commentary in ''

Mercure de France The 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. The gazette was published ...

'', ''Le Courrier musical'' and ''La Revue blanche''. He died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. Although de Bréville was not prolific, he lavished attention to 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 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 P ...

and

Ernest Chausson Amédée-Ernest Chausson (; 20 January 1855 – 10 June 1899) was a French Romantic composer who died just as his career was beginning to flourish. Life Born in Paris into an affluent bourgeois family, Chausson was the sole surviving child of ...

Selected compositions

;Stage * ''L'anneau de Çakuntala'' (The Ring of Shakuntala), Incidental Music for the play ''

Abhijñānaśākuntalam ''Abhijnanashakuntalam'' (Devanagari: अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम्, IAST: ''Abhijñānaśākuntalam''), also known as ''Shakuntala'', ''The Recognition of Shakuntala'', ''The Sign of Shakuntala'', and many other variant ...

'' by Kālidāsa * ''Le Pays des fées'', Incidental Music * ''La Princesse Maleine'', Opera * ''Les Sept Princesses'' (The Seven Princesses), Incidental Music * '' Éros vainqueur'' (Eros, Conqueror), Lyric Opera in 3 acts, 4 scenes (1905); libretto by

Jean Lorrain Jean Lorrain (9 August 1855 in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime – 30 June 1906), born Paul Alexandre Martin Duval, was a French poet and novelist of the Symbolist school. Lorrain was a dedicated disciple of dandyism and spent much of his time amongs ...

; first performance 7 March 1910,

Théâtre de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

(with

Claire Croiza Claire Croiza (14 September 1882 – 27 May 1946) was a French mezzo-soprano and an influential teacher of singers. Career Claire Croiza (née Conelly, or O'Connolly) was born in Paris, the daughter of an expatriate American father and an Italia ...

in the title role) * ''Les Egyptiens'', Ballet, an overture to a piece by

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

;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 Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle (; 22 October 1818 – 17 July 1894) was a French poet of the Parnassian movement. He is traditionally known by his surname only, Leconte de Lisle''. Biography Leconte de Lisle was born on the French overseas ...

;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 Moréas Jean Moréas (; born Ioannis A. Papadiamantopoulos, Ιωάννης Α. Παπαδιαμαντόπουλος; 15 April 1856 – 31 March 1910), was a Greek poet, essayist, and art critic, who wrote mostly in the French language but also in Greek ...

* ''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

:# ''Venise marine''; words by

Henri de Régnier Henri-François-Joseph de Régnier (28 December 1864 – 23 May 1936) was a French symbolist poet, considered one of the most important of France during the early 20th century. Life and works He was born in Honfleur ( Calvados) on 28 December 1 ...

:# ''Berceuse''; words by

:# ''Sous les arches de roses''; words by

Charles van Lerberghe Charles van Lerberghe (21 October 1861 – 26 October 1907) was a Belgian author who wrote in French and was particularly identified with the symbolist movement. The growing atheism and anticlerical stance evident in his later work made it popula ...

* ''Héros, je vous salue'' for voice and piano (1916); words by

* ''France'' for voice and piano (1917); words by

* ''Sainte'' for voice and piano (1922); words by Stéphane Mallarmé * ''Bonjour mon cœur'' for voice and piano (1925); words by

Pierre de Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet or, as his own generation in France called him, a " prince of poets". Early life Pierre de Ronsard was born at the Manoir de la Possonnière, in the village of ...

* ''La Terre les eaux va buvant'' for voice and piano (1925); words by

* ''Ô mon ange gardien'' for voice and piano (1925); words by Francis Jammes * ''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-Villars Henry Gauthier-Villars (8 August 1859 – 12 January 1931), known by the pen name Willy , was a French ''fin de siècle'' writer and music critic who is today mostly known as the mentor and first husband of Colette. Other pseudonyms used by Gauthi ...

* ''La Cloche fêlée'' for voice and piano (1926); words by

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited ...

* ''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'' ;Choral * ''Hymne à Venus'', Vocal duo or chorus in 2 parts in phrygian mode (c.1885); words by Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam * ''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 cappella * ''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''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Breville, Pierre de 1861 births 1949 deaths People from Bar-le-Duc 20th-century classical composers French male classical composers French ballet composers French opera composers Male opera composers Schola Cantorum de Paris faculty Conservatoire de Paris alumni Conservatoire de Paris faculty French music critics French male non-fiction writers Members of the Ligue de la patrie française 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians