Bourgault-Ducoudray, Louis-Albert

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Bourgault-Ducoudray, Louis-Albert

Bourgault-Ducoudray, Louis-Albert, French composer; b. Nantes, Feb. 2, 1840; d. Paris, July 4, 1910. At the age of 18 he composed his first opera, L’Atelier de Prague (Nantes, 1858). He was a pupil of Ambroise Thomas at the Paris Cons., taking the Grand Prix de Rome in 1862 with a cantata, Louise de Mézières. He founded an amateur choral society in Paris (1868). He spent some time in research in Greece, after which he publ. Souvenirs d’une mission musicale en Grèce, 30 mélodies populaires de Grèce et de l’Orient, and Études sur la musique ecclésiastique grecque (1877). He was appointed prof, of music history at the Paris Cons, in 1878.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: Thamara (Paris Opéra, Dec. 28, 1891); Michel Colomb (Brussels, May 7, 1887); Anne de Bretagne (Nantes, Dec. 1892); Myrdhin (Nantes, March 28, 1912); L’Atelier de Prague (Nantes, 1858). orch.:Le Carnaval d’Athènes (from his Danses grecques, orig. for Piano, 4-Hands); Rapsodie cambodgienne. piano: Various pieces. vocal:François d’Amboise, cantata (1866); Stabat Mater (1868); La Conjuration des fleurs; Symphonie religieuse; etc.; numerous songs, including 30 mélodies populaires de la Basse-Bretagne, with French trs. (1885).

Bibliography

M. Emmanuel, Éloge funèbre de L.-A. B.- D.(Paris, 1911; with complete catalogue of works).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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