Edmond Dédé
Edmond Dédé (born November 20, 1823 in New Orleans / Louisiana , † 1903 in Paris ) was an American composer , violinist and conductor of African American descent.
The son of a military bandmaster first played the clarinet and then took violin lessons from Constantin Debergue , a black violinist who ran a Philharmonic Society, and Ludovico Gabici , director of the orchestra at the St. Charles Theater and one of New Orleans' first music publishers. He later took counterpoint and composition lessons with Eugène Prévost , who directed the Théâtre d'Orléans orchestra , and with the New York-born musician Charles Richard Lambert , the father of the composers Sidney and Charles Lucièn Lambert .
Dédé lived temporarily in Mexico because of racial discrimination. After returning to New Orleans, he worked as a cigar maker. In 1852, the first ever composition by a black musician in New Orleans was his song Mon pauvre coeur . In 1857 he was able to travel to France with financial support from friends, where he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Jacques Fromental Halévy and Jean-Delphin Alard .
He then moved to Bordeaux, where he directed the Théâtre l'Alcazar orchestra for 27 years . As a respected violinist, he performed with his own works and compositions, primarily by Rodolphe Kreutzer . His Le Palmier Overture was created in 1865 and Le Sermente de L'Arabe during a trip to Algeria . In the same year Samuel Snaer conducted the world premiere of his Quasimodo Symphony in New Orleans . Dédé only returned once - in 1893 - to New Orleans for a concert tour. His son Eugène Arcade Dédé was also known as a composer.
Web links
- Edmund Dédé (1827-1903). African American Composer, Violinist & Conductor. A Creole Romantic in Exile , African Heritage in Classical Music
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dédé, Edmond |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 20, 1823 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New Orleans |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1903 |
| Place of death | Paris |