Cécile Chaminade

Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade was a French composer and pianist. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, a first for a female composer.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article on Cécile Chaminade.

From the period sources

Cécile Chaminade, born in Paris in 1861, was recognized as both a composer and a piano virtuoso, residing in her native city (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900). She received her musical education from Lecouppey, Savard, and Marsick, with Benjamin Godard instructing her in composition (A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1900). By the age of eight, she was already writing church music, and at eighteen, she gave her first concert (Grove’s Dictionary, 1904). Her works, which include the “ballet-symphonie” Callirhoé (Marseilles, 1888) and the “symphonic lyrique” Les Amazones (Anvers, 1888), were brought forward during numerous concert tours, particularly in England, where she was a regular visitor from 1892 (Grove’s Dictionary, 1904).

Chaminade published over sixty piano pieces, described as chiefly romantic in style, alongside a great number of “fascinating songs,” leading A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1900) to state that “as a song-writer she ranks high among contemporaries.” Her Concertstück for piano with orchestra was performed in London in 1896, with Chaminade herself appearing as the soloist (Grove’s Dictionary, 1904). While her productions were noted for their “real charm and clever writing,” Grove’s Dictionary (1904) suggested they “do not rise above the level of agreeable salon-music,” and the American Supplement (1922) placed her among “lesser composers” of the “old school” who were “greatly indebted to Gounod.” Her compositions were also published by the London firm Enoch & Sons (Grove’s Dictionary, 1904).