Napoléon Henri Reber (21 October 1807 – 24 November 1880) was a French composer.

Life and career

Reber was born in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, and studied with

Anton Reicha Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Beethoven, he is now best rem ...

and Jean François Lesueur, wrote chamber music, and set to music works of French poets. He became professor of harmony at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

in 1851, succeeded

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera ''La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

as professor of composition in 1862 and served as inspector of the branch conservatories. In 1853, he was elected to the chair previously occupied by

George Onslow George Onslow may refer to: *George Onslow (British Army officer) (1731–1792), British politician and army officer *George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow (1731–1814), British peer and politician *George Onslow (composer) André George(s) Louis ...

in the

Académie des Beaux Arts An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

. His instrumental arrangement of Frédéric Chopin's ''Funeral March'' from the '' Funeral March Sonata'' was played at the graveside during Chopin's burial at

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

in Paris on 30 October 1849. He was made a chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1855, and an officer in 1870. On his death, he was succeeded as a member of the Institut by Camille Saint-Saëns. Notable students include Adolphe Danhauser and Jules Massenet. Reber died in Paris.

Works

Among his works are a ballet, '' Le Diable amoureux'' (written jointly with François Benoist, 1840); the

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

s, ''Le Nuit de Noël'' (1848), ''Le Père Gaillard'' (1852), ''Les Papillotes de M. Benoist'' (1853), and ''Les Dames capitaines'' (1857); four symphonies, and much chamber music. He wrote a ''Traité d'harmonie'' (1862), which went through many editions. Reber's compositions include a string quintet (his

opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

1; with extra cello), two string quartets, a piano quartet (1866) and seven piano trios, and the four symphonies mentioned below: * Symphony No. 1 in D minor * Symphony No. 2 in C major (published by Richault of Paris) * Symphony No. 3 in E major (apparently by 1850; published by Richault of Paris ) * Symphony No. 4 in G major (apparently by 1850; published by Richault of Paris Symphony 4. )

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reber, Napoleon Henri 1807 births 1880 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century French composers Conservatoire de Paris faculty Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Conservatoire de Paris alumni French ballet composers French male classical composers French male non-fiction writers French music theorists French opera composers French Romantic composers Male opera composers Musicians from Mulhouse Pupils of Anton Reicha Pupils of Jean-François Le Sueur 19th-century French male musicians 19th-century musicologists