Clémence de Grandval (21 January 1828 – 15 January 1907), born as Marie Félicie Clémence de Reiset and also known as Vicomtesse de Grandval and Marie Grandval, was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

of the

Romantic era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

. She was a person and composer of stature during her life, although less remembered subsequently. Many of her works were published under

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Biography

Marie Félicie Clémence de Reiset was the youngest of four children, born in 1828 into a well-to-do family in the Chateau de la Cour du Bois at

Saint-Rémy-des-Monts Saint-Rémy-des-Monts () is a Communes of France, commune in the Sarthe Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department References

...

. Her father was an

Officier de la 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. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

and a talented

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, while her mother wrote and published stories. Her parents received many composers and artists, including Jean-Baptiste-Philémon de Cuvillon, Auguste-Joseph Franchomme, Louis-Nicolas Cary and Paul Scudo. At a very young age, she received

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

lessons from composer and family friend Friedrich Flotow, and later studied with

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

. Because her family was wealthy, she was able to work as a composer without financial concerns. She married the Vicomte de Grandval and they had two daughters, Isabelle and Thérèse. She subsequently studied for two years with

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

(he dedicated his ''Oratorio de Noel'' to her), and continued to work as a composer after her marriage. However, her social position led her to publish several of her works under pseudonyms. These included Caroline Blangy, Clémence Valgrand, Maria Felicita de Reiset and Maria Reiset de Tesier. Grandval was the recipient of the inaugural

Prix Rossini The Prix Rossini for composition was a prize for young librettist and composers which was granted by the French . The prize was funded by a provision in composer Gioachino Rossini's will which took effect in 1878 after the death of his widow. First ...

, winning in 1881 with her librettist

Paul Collin Paul Collin (12 July 1843 – 5 February 1915) was a French poet, writer, translator and librettist. Life and career Collin was born in Conches-en-Ouche. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, his family produced administrative officers in the mi ...

. Her earliest works were sacred and performed in churches, but she went on to write a number of operas and various popular songs and instrumental works, including many pieces for oboe. Unfortunately, the orchestral scores of some of her pieces have been lost. During the 1870s, Grandval played a major role in the

Société Nationale de Musique Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...

, and was the most played composer in this society. She also gave much money to the organisation. During the second part of the 19th century, she was a very popular composer who was admired by many critics. She died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1907.

Notable compositions

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Grandval wrote many pieces for

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

, and wrote several

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 ...

Opera

* ''Le sou de Lise'' (1860) * ''Les fiancés de Rosa'' (1863) * ''La comtesse Eva'' (1864 * ''La pénitente (1868) * ''Piccolino'' (1869) * ''Mazeppa'' (1892)

Choral

* Mass (1867) * Stabat mater (1870),

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

* ''Sainte-Agnès'' (1876),

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

* ''La fille de Jaïre'' (1881), oratorio

Concertante

* Oboe concerto in D minor, Op. 7

Chamber

* 2 pieces for

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

(1885) * 4 pieces for

cor anglais The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially ...

and piano *Deux Pieces, ob, vc, pf, 1884; published by June Emerson: WP references: https://www.juneemersonwindmusic.com/DEUX-PIECES-Romance-Gavotte.html

Songs

* "Noël!" (1901)

Awards

* 1880: Concour Rossini, for her oratorio ''La fille de Jaïre''. * 1890: Cartier Prize,

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 ...

, for her chamber music.

References

External links

*
Biography of Clémence de Grandval
*Women of note
http://womenofnote.co.uk/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grandval, Clemence De 1828 births 1907 deaths 19th-century French classical composers 20th-century French classical composers People from Sarthe French opera composers French vicomtesses French Romantic composers French women opera composers 20th-century French women composers 19th-century French women composers