Émile Durand

Émile Durand ( born February 16, 1830 in Saint- Brieuc, † May 7, 1903 in Neuilly -sur -Seine ) was a French composer and music educator.

After his first lessons from his father studied Durand 1845 at the conservatory of Montpellier in Napoléon Alkan solfege, in François Bazin harmony and Jacques Fromental Halévy at composition. In 1853 he received a Second Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata Le Rocher d' Appenzell to a text by Edouard Monnais.

From 1850, Durand was a professor of solfège at the Conservatoire de Paris. From 1871, he taught as a successor of Bazin harmony. From 1877 to 1880 Claude Debussy was here his pupil, who later became his piano trio dedicated to him. 1883 Durand drew back from teaching.

Durand's most successful composition was the song Le Biniou on a text by Hippolyte Guérin, published up to the present in new instrumentation. Similarly became popular also Comme à 20 ans to a text by Emile Barateau. In addition, he published a series of music education journals.

Works

• L' Elixir de Cormelius, opéra comique, UA 1868
• L' Astronome de Pont- Neuf, musical experiment, UA 1869
• Sourire de Bretagne Fantasy for oboe, violin and clarinet with piano accompaniment, 1888

Writings

• Traité d'harmonie théorique et pratique, 1881
• Traité d' accompagnement pratique au piano, 1884
• Traité de composition musicale, 1899
• Solfège élémentaire
• Solfège Melodique
• Traite de transposition