Mélanie Bonis
Mel Bonis at age 17, painting by Charles-Auguste Corbineau (1885).
Mel Bonis at about age 50, photo ca. 1908.
Mélanie Hélène Bonis, known as Mel Bonis (b. 4th arrondissement of Paris, 21 January 1858 – d. Sarcelles (Val-d'Oise), 18 March 1937) was a prolific French classical composer. She wrote more than 300 compositions, including works for piano solo and four hands, organ pieces, chamber music, mélodies, choral music, a mass, and works for orchestra.
Compositions
Chamber music
- Suite en trio pour flûte, violon et piano, opus 59 (1903),
- Fantaisie en septuor, pour piano, deux flûtes, deux violons, alto et violoncelle, opus 72 (1906),
- Scènes de la forêt (Forest Scenes), flute and piano, opus 123 (1927-1928),
- Suite dans le style ancien, for flute, violin and piano, opus 127/1 (1928),
- Suite orientale (Oriental Suite), opus 48,
- Soir, matin (Tonight, Morning) for piano and violin,
- Nocturne
- Quatuor piano et cordes en si bémol opus 68,
- Quatuor piano et cordes en ré opus 124,
- Sonate pour flûte et piano en do dièse mineur (Piano and Flute Sonata in A Minor) opus 64,
- Sonate pour violoncelle et piano en fa majeur opus 67,
- Sonate pour violon et piano en fa dièse mineur (Violin and Piano Sonata in D Minor) opus 112,
- Different pieces for violin and piano, flute and piano.
Music for piano
In nine volumes
- First volume: Femmes de Légende (Legendary Women)
- Second and third volumes: Pièces Pittoresques et Poétiques (Picturesque and Poetic Pieces), I and II
- Fourth volume: Concert pieces
- Fifth volume: Danses et Pièces Légères
- Sixth volume: Piano à quatre mains A
- Seventh volume: Pièces Pittoresques et Poétiques III, seven pieces
- Eighth volume: Piano à quatre mains B
- Ninth volume: Deux pianos à quatre main, Scherzo opus 40 and Variations opus 85
Children's music
- Children's Scenes, opus 92 (1912)
- Miocheries opus 126 (1928)
- Nine Easy Pieces (Neuf Pièces faciles), opus 148 (1936)
- 17 Children's Pieces (17 Pièces enfantines), opus 116 (1926)
- Album pour les tout Petits opus 103 (1913).
Organ music
- 21 Organ Pieces, Carrara Pergame (Italy) with Toccata, Cantabile, Choral, etc.
- 6 Unfinished Pieces
Vocal religious music
- Regina Cœli opus 45,
- Divers motets pour chœur
Orchestra
- Les Gitanos, opus 15- 3, Orchestration by Ad. Gauwin,
- Suite en forme de Valse
- Suite Orientale opus 48 (1900):: Prelude, opus 48-1
- Bourrée, Pavane, Sarabande (1909),
- Trois Femmes de Légende (Three Legendary Women) : Salome opus 100- 2, (for piano, Ophelia, opus 165- 2 posthumous (for piano), The Song of Cleopatra opus 180- 2.
Children's orchestra
- Burlesque Symphony, opus 185, posthumous: ballad
External links
- Biography on the site Musica et Memoria
- Biography on the site Musicologie.org
- Find-a Grave: Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris - Mel Bonis
- Biography of Mélanie Bonis run by her descendant Contains a list of her compositions and a discography.
- Free scores by Mélanie Bonis at the International Music Score Library Project
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