André Alphonse Toussaint Wormser (1 November 1851 – 4 November 1926) was a French Romantic composer.

André Wormser

Life and career

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André Wormser was born in Paris and studied with Antoine Marmontel and François Bazin at the Paris Conservatoire.[1] As a very wealthy man, Wormser was able to afford a membership in the social club Cercle artistique et littéraire.[2]

In 1872, Wormser won the Premier Prix in piano at the Paris Conservatoire,[3] and in 1875, he won the Prix de Rome for his cantata Clytemnestre. He is best known for the pantomime L'Enfant prodigue (1890),[4] which was performed all over Europe and revived at the Booth Theatre in New York in 1916 (as the three-act play Perroit the Prodigal).[5] He passed away in Paris.

Notable students include Charles Malherbe.

Works

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Portrait of André Wormser by Albert Besnard (1877).

Wormser composed choral and orchestra music, opera and works for solo instrument and voice. Selected works include:

  • L'Enfant prodigue, pantomime (1890; scenario by Michel Carré)
  • L'Étoile, Ballet-pantomime en deux actes (Opéra, Paris, 31 May 1897; choreography by Joseph Hansen)
  • Ballada for Oboe and Piano (1909)
  • Clytemnestre, cantata (1897)
  • Rêverie (Gypsy Suite) for violin and piano
  • Adèle de Ponthieu, opera (1887)
  • Rivoli, opera (1896)

References

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  1. ^ "Wormser, Andre Alphonse". Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  2. ^ Smith, Richard Langham; Potter, Caroline (2006). French music since Berlioz.
  3. ^ Margell, Tad. "The Paris Conservatoire Concours Oboe Solos:The Gillet Years (1882-1919)" (PDF). IDRS Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-21. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Wormser, André". Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Pierrot the Prodigal". Retrieved 23 February 2012.
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