Adolphe Blanc
Encyclopedia
Adolphe Blanc was a French composer of chamber music. At the age of 13 he was sent to study violin at the Paris Conservatoire. Though he studied under Fromental Halévy
, and though his one-act comic opera
Les Deux Billets was performed in 1868, Blanc's refined music lies in the Romantic Viennese tradition of hausmusik for private performance, music that was essentially peripheral to the public musical life of contemporary Paris, centered on opera
, and Blanc has been largely overlooked. There are three string trio
s, four string quartet
s, seven string quintet
s of various configurations, 15 piano trios, piano quartets and quintets as well as settings and arrangements, songs, pieces for piano and violin, choral works and some orchestral works.
He was conductor at the Théâtre Lyrique
in Paris, 1855 – 1860.
None of his music, save perhaps the Septet opus 40, can be called familiar. The following have been recorded:
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
, and though his one-act comic opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Les Deux Billets was performed in 1868, Blanc's refined music lies in the Romantic Viennese tradition of hausmusik for private performance, music that was essentially peripheral to the public musical life of contemporary Paris, centered on opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and Blanc has been largely overlooked. There are three string trio
String trio
A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. The term is generally used with reference to works of chamber music from the Classical period to the present.-History:...
s, four string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
s, seven string quintet
String quintet
A string quintet is a musical composition for a standard string quartet supplemented by a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola or a second cello , but occasionally a double bass. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who favoured addition of a viola, is considered a pioneer of the form...
s of various configurations, 15 piano trios, piano quartets and quintets as well as settings and arrangements, songs, pieces for piano and violin, choral works and some orchestral works.
He was conductor at the Théâtre Lyrique
Théâtre Lyrique
The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century . The company was founded in 1847 as the Opéra-National by the French composer Adolphe Adam and renamed Théâtre Lyrique in 1852...
in Paris, 1855 – 1860.
None of his music, save perhaps the Septet opus 40, can be called familiar. The following have been recorded:
- Trio for piano, clarinet and cello op. 23
- Quintet for piano, flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon op. 37
- Septet for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass, op. 40 (1860)
- Sonatine concertante for two pianos, op. 64
External links
- Kammermusikverlag Kassel: Hans-Ruprecht Bitterhof, "Adolphe Blanc"
- Klassika: A list of compositions
- Adolphe Blanc Septet in E, Op.40 Sound-bites
- Trios, piano, strings, no. 4, op. 35 (From the Sibley Music Library Digital Score Collection)
- Romance, piano, oboe, horn, op. 43 (From the Sibley Music Library Digital Score Collection)