Henri Duparc
Marie Eugène Henri Duparc (born January 21, 1848 in Paris , † February 12, 1933 in Mont-de-Marsan ) was a French composer .
Life
Duparc was one of the first students of César Franck in the Jesuit college of Vaugirard , but did not complete a full degree in music. In 1868 his first compositions were published. In 1871 he founded the Société Nationale de Musique together with Camille Saint-Saëns . An early orchestral work, the symphonic poem Lénore (1875), made him famous at once. His main work, however, is considered to be songwriting, through which he (alongside Charles Gounod , Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy ) had a lasting influence on musical life in France in the second half of the 19th century.
Although his songs show the influence of Wagner and Berlioz , they already breathe the spirit of impressionism . A colorful orchestral treatment with harp and celesta and the typical French way of composing the “mélodies” (in contrast to German arias or songs) make up his handwriting. Duparc was friends with Ernest Chausson , who dedicated his Poème de l'amour et de la mer to him. Conversely, Duparc dedicated some of his songs to him. Among other things, he set texts by the poets Charles Baudelaire and Théophile Gautier to music .
The composer Henri Duparc was very self-critical, so that only a few of his works have survived today. In 1885 he had to give up his work because of a nervous disease. He lived in Switzerland until his death and devoted himself to literature and painting.
Works
Songs (selection)
- Chanson Triste (1868, rev. 1902, orchestrated 1911; text by Jean Lahor )
- L'Invitation au Voyage (orchestrated 1869, 1892 and 1895; text by Charles Baudelaire )
- Au Pays où se fait la guerre (1871; text by Théophile Gautier )
- Lamento (text by Théophile Gautier)
- Le Manoir de Rosemonde (1879; text by Robert de Bonnières )
- Phidylé (1882, 1891–92 orchestrated; text by Leconte de Lisle )
- La Vie Antérieure (1884; text by Charles Baudelaire)
Orchestral works
- Aux étoiles (1874, rev. 1911), symphonic poem
- Lénore (1875), symphonic poem based on the ballad Lenore by Gottfried August Bürger
Other works
- a cello sonata (1867)
- various compositions for piano
Recordings
The songs of Duparc were u. a. Sung by Gérard Souzay , Bernard Kruysen , Barbara Hendricks , Jan DeGaetani , Paul Groves , Véronique Gens and Wolfgang Holzmair . Duparc orchestrated eight songs in 1894, in which version they were recorded by Janet Baker , Kiri Te Kanawa and Felicity Lott .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Duparc, Henri |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Duparc, Marie Eugène Henri |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 21, 1848 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris , France |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 12, 1933 |
| Place of death | Mont-de-Marsan , Aquitaine, France |