Emmanuel Bondeville

Emmanuel Bondeville was a French composer and music administrator, born 29 October 1898 in Rouen, and died 26 November 1987 in Paris.

Biography

As a young man he was organist at the church of Saint-Nicaise in Rouen and Notre-Dame in Caen. Bondeville lost both his parents when he was 16, and took on various jobs – organist, bank clerk, translator - to get by.[1] He made his beginnings in music around 1923 writing works for piano, symphonic poems, opéras-comiques and opéras. During this time he also travelled around Europe and worked as an assistant in a music shop. He eventually had lessons in harmony and counterpoint from Jean Déré.[1] In 1935 he became musical director of the radio stations Radio Tour Eiffel, Radio Paris, Radiodiffusion française then artistic director of Radio Monte-Carlo.

From 1949 to 1951 Bondeville was director of the Opéra-Comique,[2] followed by a similar position at the Opéra de Paris from 1952 to 1969.

He was married twice : to mezzo-soprano Viorica Cortez, to whom he dedicated his opera Antoine et Cléopatreand later to Dominique Plessis (with whom he broadcast programmes entitled ‘Une saison d'opéra’ on France-Inter)

Works

Titles, honours

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Landormy P. La Musique Française après Debussy. Gallimard, Paris, 1943.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wolff S. Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900-1950). André Bonne, Paris, 1953.