Resource id #75
Image Source: Wikipedia

André Messager

André Charles Prosper Messager (French: [mɛsaʒe]; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage works, among which his ballet Les Deux Pigeons (1886) and opéra comique Véronique (1898) have had lasting success; Les P'tites Michu (1897) and Monsieur Beaucaire (1919) were also popular internationally.

Messager took up the piano as a small child and later studied composition with, among others, Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré. He became a major figure in the musical life of Paris and later London, both as a conductor and a composer. Many of his Parisian works were also produced in the West End and some on Broadway; the most successful had long runs and numerous international revivals. He wrote two operatic works in English, and his later output included musical comedies for Sacha Guitry and Yvonne Printemps.

As a conductor, Messager held prominent positions in Paris and London, at the head of the Opéra-Comique, the Paris Opéra, the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Although as a composer he is known chiefly for his light works, as a conductor he presented a wide range of operas, from Mozart to Richard Strauss, and he acquired a reputation as a conductor of Wagner. In Paris he conducted the world premieres of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Massenet's Grisélidis and Charpentier's Louise. At Covent Garden, he gave the British premieres of operas by Saint-Saëns and Massenet.

Messager's music became known for its melodic and orchestral invention, musical craftsmanship, and characteristically French elegance and grace. Although most of his works have been infrequently revived, historians of music consider him the last major figure in French opéra comique and opérette.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 30, 1833 (Montluçon), Died February 24, 1929 (Paris)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1938

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, director, conductor

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 76-96 of 96 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia (U.K.) WLX227 12-in. 2/22/1928 Entrée des tziganes Pierre Dupont ; Musique de la Garde Republicaine Band composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WLX228 12-in. 2/22/1928 Danse hongroise Pierre Dupont ; Musique de la Garde Republicaine Band composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL481 10-in. 6/14/1927 Couplet d'entrée Louise Dhamarys ; Fernand Heurteur Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL915 10-in. 2/17/1928 Air de Marie, acte 2 Jules Clémandh ; Georgette Simon Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL916 10-in. 2/17/1928 Romance de Marie, acte 3 Jules Clémandh ; Georgette Simon Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL917 10-in. 2/17/1928 Fabliau Jules Clémandh ; Louise Dhamarys Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1022 10-in. 4/14/1928 Elle m'aime! Élie Cohen ; Lucien Fugère Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1023 10-in. 4/14/1928 Trop lourd est le poids... Élie Cohen ; Lucien Fugère Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1079 10-in. 5/13/1928 J'aimais la vieille maison grise Marcelle Denya ; Georges Truc Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1080 10-in. 5/13/1928 Si vous croyez que je vais dire... Marcelle Denya ; Georges Truc Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1297 10-in. 11/13/1928 Quand on n'a pas le pied marin Pierre Chagnon ; Gustave Nelson Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1298 10-in. 11/13/1928 Les hommes sont bien tous les mêmes Pierre Chagnon ; Marcelle Denya Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1299 10-in. 11/13/1928 Duo du coup de roulis Pierre Chagnon ; Marcelle Denya ; Gustave Nelson Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1300 10-in. 11/13/1928 Tous les deux me plaisent Pierre Chagnon ; Marcelle Denya Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WLX1495 12-in. 2/11/1931 Le jour sous le soleil béni Yoshiko Miyagawa Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1581 10-in. approximately April 9, 1929 Duetto de l'âne Louise Dhamarys ; Ernest Géoris ; Georges Villier Vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL1592 10-in. 4/11/1929 L'escarpolette Louise Dhamarys ; Ernest Géoris ; Georges Villier Vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL3388 10-in. 12/1/1931 La maison grise Pierre Chagnon ; Robert Krabansky ; Georges Thill Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra and cello composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL3863 10-in. 7/13/1932 Je ne suis pas très exigeante Germaine Féraldy ; Jean Jacquin Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia (U.K.) CL6825 10-in. 11/7/1938 Duo de l'escarpolette Charpini et Brancato ; Lao Silésu Vocal duet, with piano composer  
Columbia (U.K.) CL6826 10-in. 11/7/1938 Duo de l'escarpolette Charpini et Brancato ; Lao Silésu Vocal duet, with piano composer  
(Results 76-96 of 96 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Messager, André," accessed April 23, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103767.

Messager, André. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 23, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103767.

"Messager, André." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 23 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103767

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.