Édouard Deldevez
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Édouard Marie Ernest Deldevez (31 May 1817 – 6 November 1897) was a French
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
ist,
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...
at important Parisian musical institutions,
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 def ...
, and music teacher.


Biography

Deldevez was born and died in Paris. He won many prizes as a violinist. He progressed from violinist at the
Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...
to conductor. He was principal conductor of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire from 1872 to 1885. At the Paris
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
Deldevez conducted the revival of '' La Fille du Regiment'' (with
Marie Cabel Marie Cabel (31 January 1827 – 23 May 1885) was a Belgian coloratura soprano. She is probably best remembered for having created the role of Philine in Ambroise Thomas's opera ''Mignon''. Biography Early life and career Born Marie-Josèphe Dr ...
) in 1857, ''
Rose et Colas ''Rose et Colas'' is a French opéra-comique in 3 acts by Michel-Jean Sedaine, music by Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (; – ) was a French composer and a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts (1813). He is ...
'' (first performance at the theatre, as well as 50th performance in 1862), the premiere of '' Lalla-Roukh'' on 12 May 1862, the first production at the Salle Favart of '' La Servante maîtresse'' on 12 August 1862 ( Galli-Marié's debut at the house), runs of ''
La dame blanche ''La dame blanche'' (, ''The White Lady'') is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no fewer than five works of the Scottish wri ...
'' (including the 1,000th performance there in December 1862), ''
Le pré aux clercs ''Le pré aux clercs'' (, ''The Clerks' Meadow'') is an opéra comique in three acts by Ferdinand Hérold with a libretto by François-Antoine-Eugène de Planard based on Prosper Mérimée's ''Chronique du temps de Charles IX'' of 1829.Pougin A ...
'', '' Fra Diavolo'' (including the 500th performance in March 1863), and a revival of ''
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
'' in 1866. At the Paris Opera, Deldevez conducted ''
La Juive ''La Juive'' (, ) is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra National de Paris, Opéra de Paris, on 23 February 1835. Composition history ''La Juive'' ...
'' at the opening night of the
Palais Garnier The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the ...
in 1875, and the premiere of Massenet's '' Le roi de Lahore'' in 1877, along with revivals of ''
La Favorite ''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', frequently referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le com ...
'', ''
Guillaume Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for Shooting an apple off one's child's head, shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a cro ...
'', ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'', ''
Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history '' ...
'', ''
Le Prophète ''Le prophète'' (''The Prophet'') is a grand opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, which was premiered in Paris on 16 April 1849. The French-language libretto was by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, after passages from the ''Essay on the ...
'' and ''
Robert le Diable ''Robert le diable'' (''Robert the Devil'') is an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer between 1827 and 1831, to a libretto written in French by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. ''Robert le diable'' is regarded as one of the first ...
''. In 1867, Deldevez published his ''Notation de la musique classique''. He wrote a number of other books and became a chevalier of the
Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
in 1874. He published his memoires in 1890. Some confusion exists concerning his name, which is occasionally misclassified as "Ernest", though not in reliable sources of the period. One source records the name as "Edmé Édouard Deldevez." The standard French edition of his musicological works reedited in 1998 and 2005 by Jean-Philippe Navarre gives only "Édouard-Marie-Ernest Deldevez."


The Sudre theory

Deldevez became part of a group of musicians around François Sudre (1787–1864) who were attempting to develop a way of transmitting language through music. Sudre trained Deldevez and
Charles Larsonneur Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...
to play and interpret his alphabet. A given note would represent a word or a letter of the alphabet. The trio toured France, answering questions from the audience using Sudre's violin. A military application quickly presented itself. A bugler on a battlefield could transmit orders to a regiment by playing an appropriate tune. This promising hypothesis came to nothing because the system was too vulnerable to wind and weather. Clearly grasping at straws, Sudre then offered the military a set of musical
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
s, but they declined the suggestion. In 1829, Sudre began to develop the system that is now known as the Do Re Mi method of notating music.


Works

His compositions include the operas ''Lionel Foscari'' (1841), ''Le Violon enchanté'' (1848), ''L'Éventail'' (1854), and ''La Ronde des sorcières'', along with several lyric scenes and ballets. His ''Messe de Requiem'', Op. 7 is dedicated to the memory of Berton, Chérubini, and Habeneck.Score of Requiem at the IMSLP
Other works include ''Six Songs Without Words'' for piano, ''Three Piano Preludes'', three-part hymns, and a cantata performed at the Paris Opera on 15 February 1853. Fétis F-J. ''Biographie universelle des musiciens'', supplement, vol. 1 (Paris, 1878), p. 250. Deldevez also wrote the original score for the ballet ''
Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French c ...
'' (Paris, 1846). However, an 1881 revival by
Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...
included additional numbers by
Ludwig Minkus Ludwig Minkus (), also known as Léon Fyodorovich Minkus (23 March 1826, Vienna – 7 December 1917, Vienna), was an Austrian composer of ballet music, a violinist and teacher of music. Minkus is noted for the music he composed during his caree ...
(1826–1917), and this score is more widely known and used.


References


External links


Société des concerts du Conservatoire
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deldevez, Edme 1817 births 1897 deaths 19th-century French classical composers 19th-century French conductors (music) 19th-century French violinists 19th-century French male musicians French male classical violinists Knights of the Legion of Honour French ballet composers French male classical composers French male conductors (music) French Romantic composers Musicians from Paris Chief conductors of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire