Henri Büsser
Henri Büsser (January 16, 1872 – December 31, 1973) was a French classical music composer and conductor.
Biography
Paul-Henri Büsser was born in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France. He entered Conservatoire in Paris in 1889 where he studied oragn with César Franck and composition with Ernest Guiraud. As musical secretary to Charles Gounod, he received valuable advice, and with Gounod's assistance, was appointed ordainst at Saint-Cloud. In 1893, winner of the Prix de Rome for music and began a career as a conductor upon his return. At the personal request of Claude Debussy, Büsser lead the fourth and all subsequant performaces of Pelléas at Mélisande. Büsser also became a protégé of Jules Massenet, and was one of the elder composer's closest friends during the last two decades of his life.
Büsser began teaching at the Conservatoire in Paris in 1921, and was professor of composition at the beginning in 1931. Noted students include the Japanese composer Tomojiro Ikenouchi (1906-1991). He was elected to the Académie in 1938.
He married the noted soprano Yvonne Gall (1885-1972).
Büsser composed masses and other vocal music, but his most important works were written for the stage. His ten staged operas include Daphnis et Chloé, Colomba, and Les noces corinthiennes. Several works demonstrate his comic wit, especially Le carosse du Saint Sacrement and Roxelane, as well as the farce Diaforus 60, which is an update of Molière's Le malade imaginaire. His works show a sophisticated compositional style and finely crafted orchestration, however, he remained faithful of French 19th century traditions.
Henri Büsser died in Paris in 1973 at the age of 101.
Operas
- Hélène, before 1890, incomplete
- Les accordailles, 1890, unperformed
- Les Marivaudages, 1891, unperformed
- Daphnis et Chloé, 1897
- Le miracle de perles, 1898, unperformed
- Blanc et noir, 1900
- Colomba, 1921
- Les noces corinthiennes, 1922
- La pie borgne, 1927
- Rhapsodie arménienne, 1930
- Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement, 1948
- Roxelane, 1948
- Diafoirus 60, 1963
- La Vénus d'Ille, 1964
Writings
- De Pelléas aux Indes galantes—De la flûte au tambour, (memoires), 1955
Sources
- Sadie, Stanley (Ed.) [1992] (1994). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, vol. 1, A-D, chpt: "Büsser [Busser], (Paul-)Henri" by Arthur Hoérée & Richard Langham Smith, New York: MacMillan. ISBN 0-935859-92-6.