Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (18 August 184910 January 1895) was a French

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist and Romantic-era composer of Jewish extraction, best known for his opera '' Jocelyn''. Godard composed eight operas, five symphonies, two piano and two violin concertos, string quartets, sonatas for violin and piano, piano pieces and etudes, and more than a hundred songs. He died at the age of 45 in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

(

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

) of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and was buried in the family tomb in Taverny in the French department of

Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.< ...

Life and career

Godard was born in Paris in 1849. He entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

in 1863 where he studied under Henri Vieuxtemps (violin) and Napoléon Henri Reber (

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

) and accompanied Vieuxtemps twice to Germany. In 1876, his ''Concerto romantique'' was performed at the Concerts Populaires, and other of his large works were also performed at these concerts. In 1878, Godard was the co-winner of the Prix de la Ville de Paris. His winning composition, a dramatic symphony entitled ''Le Tasso'', remains one of his most admired works. From that time until his death Godard wrote a large number of compositions. These include eight

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, among them: '' Jocelyn'' (the "Berceuse" from which remains Godard's best-known composition), performed in Paris in 1888; ''Dante'', played at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

two years later; and ''La Vivandière'', left unfinished and completed by Paul Vidal (1863–1931). The last of these was heard at the Opéra-Comique in 1895, and was played in England by the Carl Rosa Opera Company. He became a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1887, and was made a Chevalier (Knight) of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in 1889.

Works

Godard's long list of works includes five symphonies: ''Symphonie gothique'' (1883), ''Symphonie orientale'' (1884), and ''Symphonie légendaire'' (1886); ''Concerto romantique'' for violin and orchestra (1876), two

piano concerto A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...

s, three

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s, four

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

s for violin and piano, a sonata for cello and piano, two piano trios, and various other orchestral works. Among his piano pieces may be mentioned Mazurka No. 2, Valse No. 2, ''Au Matin'', ''Postillon'', ''En Courant'', ''En Train'', and ''Les Hirondelles''. ''Florian's Song'' is also very popular and has been arranged for many instruments. Godard's fourth sonata for violin and piano contains a

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often r ...

written in the unusual time signature of . He wrote more than 100 songs. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, "Godard's compositions are unequal, if only because his productivity was enormous. He was at his best in works of smaller dimensions. Among his more ambitious works, the ''Symphonie légendaire'' may be singled out as being one of the most distinctive." Godard was opposed to the music of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

and also highly critical of Wagner's

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

. Godard's musical style was more in tune with those of

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

and

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

Operas

References

External links

*
Benjamin Godard Piano Trio No.1 in g minor, Op.32
��sound-bites and a discussion of the work
Piano trio no. 1, op. 32 (1872)
from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
Piano trio no. 2, op. 72, F major (1880)
from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
Symphonie gothique pour orchestre, op. 23 (1890)
from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
Troisième sonate pour piano & violon, op. 9 (1880)
from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
Fantasie persane : pour piano et orchestre ou 2 pianos, op. 152 (1900)
from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
Songs by Benjamin Godard on The Art Song Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godard, Benjamin 1849 births 1895 deaths 19th-century French classical composers 19th-century French violinists 19th-century French male musicians French male classical violinists 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Knights of the Legion of Honour Conservatoire de Paris alumni 19th-century French Jews French opera composers French Romantic composers Jewish classical composers French male opera composers Musicians from Paris Tuberculosis deaths in France Composers awarded knighthoods