Chabrier, Alexis Emmanuel

1842-1894

He was born in Ambert, France, studied law in Paris and entered the office of the Minister of the Interior. In 1879 he resigned from this administrative appointment to devote himself to the study of music. He was almost wholly self-taught. At the Lycee St. Louis, he had been taught piano by Edouard Wolff, and had studied harmony and counterpoint with Aristide Hignard. Two years before he had written an opera bouffe, entitled L'fitoile, which was produced at the Bouffes Parisiens, and which attracted considerable attention. Another operetta  L'Education Manquee, was produced in 1879 and was a success also. From 1884 to 1886 Chabrier was choirmaster at Chateau d'Eau, and there he helped Lamoureux to produce the first two acts of Tristan and Isolde. While there he also produced a scena for mezzo and female chorus, La Sulamite, and selections from Gwendolin, afterward given in its entirety at Brussels, in 1886, and since then given with success under Mottl in Carlsruhe and Munich. In Le Roi Malgre Lui, he attempted an entirely different style from Gwendolin, and it is a charming example of a modernized form of opera comique. His orchestral rhapsody, Espana, which is built upon Spanish melodies, has done much to popularize Chabrier's name. His best work is said by musicians to have been done in Le Roi Malgre Lui, which was a brilliant success at the Opera Comique, Paris, but its run was brought to an end by the fire at that theatre. Chabrier's work is intensely poetical and in spite of his great admiration for  Wagner, is also marked by much individuality and originality. In order to train himself in orchestration, at the beginning of his musical career it is said he copied the entire score of Tristan and Isolde. He has produced many important works beside those mentioned, among them, his Pieces Pittoresques for the piano which have much beauty and originality; Suite Pastorale; March Joyeuse; a number of piano pieces; and many humorous songs. His unfinished opera, Briseis, only one-act of which was completed, was produced at the Opera, Paris, in 1899. "The libretto of his first work, L'Etoile," says Grove, "was used as the basis of The Lucky Star by Ivan Caryll and a number of adapters, produced at the Savoy Theatre, London, January, 1899, a single number from Chabrier's original music being introduced. This is the only example of the composer's work which has been heard on the English stage."