Cécile Chaminade

Nearly all of French composer and pianist Cécile Chaminade’s (1857-1944) approximately 400 compositions were published during her lifetime for profit. After initial musical training from her mother, she studied privately with faculty from the Paris Conservatoire. Even though her father prohibited her from officially enrolling as a student at the Conservatoire, Chaminade became the first female composer admitted to the Légion d’Honneur in 1913.

Chaminade’s character pieces and mélodies were incredibly popular, and she promoted sales of them through extensive concert tours in Europe and the U.S. At the turn of the twentieth century, Chaminade clubs formed throughout the U.S., and the composer-pianist appeared in 12 U.S. cities from Boston to St. Louis in 1908. Although this tour was financially quite successful, critics were polarized in their receptions of her work. Her lyrical character pieces were deemed by some to be too feminine, while her pieces based on thematic development were considered too masculine.

Between 1901 and 1914, Chaminade made several piano recordings on piano rolls, and Aeolian produced additional piano rolls of her music after WWI. Although her music was considered by most to be out-of-fashion as the twentieth century progressed, Chaminade is remarkable among woman composers because many of her works were written specifically for publication sales. Her compositional output includes nearly 200 piano works, 125 mélodies, and chamber works.

Resources

• Public Domain Scores
• Podcast

Sources

Citron, Marcia J. “Chaminade, Cécile.” Grove Music Online. 2001.

Citron, Marcia J. Cécile Chaminade, a Bio-Bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.

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