Edmond Dédé facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edmond Dédé
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Edmond Dédé
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 20, 1827 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 1903 (aged 75) Paris, France |
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Edmond Dédé (born November 20, 1827 – died January 5, 1903) was an American musician and composer. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His family were Creoles who had been free for many generations.
In 1855, Edmond moved to Europe to study music in Paris. He then lived in France for the rest of his life. He wrote many pieces of music. Some famous ones are Quasimodo Symphony and Le Palmier Overture. For over 40 years, he worked as a conductor in Bordeaux, France. He led orchestras at several theaters there.
Biography
Early Life and Learning
Edmond Dédé was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His family had been free in the city for four generations. His father worked in the market and also taught music.
As a young boy, Edmond first learned to play the clarinet. But he soon switched to the violin. He was considered a child prodigy on the violin. This means he was incredibly talented at a very young age. He played his own music and pieces by other famous composers.
Edmond's teachers included violinists Constantin Debergue and Ludovico Gabici. Gabici was the director of the St. Charles Theater Orchestra. Edmond also learned music theory from Eugène Prévost and Charles-Richard Lambert.
After his studies, Edmond worked as a cigar maker. He saved money so he could travel to Europe. He first went to Paris and then to Belgium. Around 1857, he returned to Paris. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He learned from famous teachers like Jean-Delphin Alard and Fromental Halévy.
Life in Bordeaux
In the early 1860s, Edmond Dédé moved to Bordeaux, France. He became an assistant conductor for the ballet at the Grand Théâtre. A few years later, he worked at the Théâtre l'Alcazar. This was a popular music hall in the city. Later, in the 1870s, he moved to the Folies Bordelaises. Edmond kept writing his own music. He wanted his pieces to be played at the more famous Grand Théâtre.
Samuel Snaer, Jr. was an African-American conductor. He led the first performance of Dédé's Quasimodo Symphony in New Orleans. This happened on May 10, 1865. Many important free people of color and Northern white people attended. Edmond Dédé was not there for this first performance.
After settling in Bordeaux in 1864, Edmond Dédé only returned to New Orleans once. This was in 1893. During his trip, his ship sank, but he was rescued. When he arrived in New Orleans, three special concerts were held in his honor. He took part in these concerts. Many important musicians from New Orleans were there.
Edmond Dédé died on January 5, 1903, in Paris. Many of his musical works are kept at the National Library of France in Paris.
On November 20, 2021, Google honored Dédé with a "Google Doodle." This was to celebrate his 194th birthday.
Personal Life
In 1864, Edmond Dédé married a Frenchwoman named Sylvie Leflet. They settled in Bordeaux. They had one son, Eugène Dédé. Their son also became a music hall conductor and wrote popular songs.
Edmond Dédé was Catholic.
Major Compositions
- Mon Pauvre Coeur (1852)
- Quasimodo Symphony (1865)
- Le Palmier Overture (1865)
- Le Serment de L'Arabe (1865) (written while he was in Algeria)
- Méphisto Masqué (186?) (for ophicleide and orchestra, or piano solo)
- Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d'Ispahan (1887) (an opera in four acts)
