Théodore Lack (3 September 1846 – 25 November 1921) was a French
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, ...
and
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 ...
.
Life
Born in
Quimper
Quimper (, ; ; or ) is a Communes of France, commune and Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France.
Administration
Quimper is the ...
, he studied under
Antoine François Marmontel
Antoine François Marmontel (; 18 July 1816 – 16 January 1898) was a French pianist, composer, teacher and musicographer. He is mainly known today as an influential teacher at the Paris Conservatory, where he taught many musicians who became l ...
(pianoforte),
Lefébure-Wély (composition) and
François Bazin (harmony). He started teaching piano in Paris in 1863 and achieved acclaim as a piano pedagogue.
A very precocious boy, he was appointed organist in his native town at the age of 10 and held this post until he entered the
Paris Conservatory
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 1860. He graduated in 1864 as winner of many prizes.
[Baker's Biographical dictionary of musicians 3rd edition 1919. ]
The same year he was appointed teacher of pianoforte at the Conservatory. He published a piano method, for which he won Claude Debussy to contribute a piece, ''
The Little Nigar
''The Little Nigar'' (CD 122, L. 114) is the original title by composer Claude Debussy for a short piece for piano, composed in 1909 for a piano method and published the same year. It was later also published as a single piece, entitled ''The L ...
''. He never left Paris after his admission to the Conservatory. From 1875 to 1905 he was a member of the committee on admission and of the jury of examinations. In 1881 he became an "Officier de l'Académie".
He was known as representing "the finest of
salon music
Salon music was a popular music genre in Europe during the 19th century. It was usually written for solo piano in the Romantic music, romantic style, and is often performed by the composer at events known as "Salon (gathering), Salons". Salon compo ...
".
He published in 1916 ''Les classiques favoris du piano''. This collection contains several volumes. The first is intended for beginners and contains 50 songs of various composers.
Early in his career he wrote several compositions featuring, or using as accompaniment, a now-obscure instrument called the
pyrophone
A pyrophone, also known as a "fire/explosion organ" or "fire/explosion calliope" is a musical instrument in which notes are sounded by explosions, or similar forms of rapid combustion, rapid heating, or the like, such as burners in cylindrica ...
, and apparently was the only composer to specifically write for it.
[See hi]
Prière pour voix de soprano et choeur avec accompagnement de pyrophone (3 octaves) Violoncelle et, piano
for example. The claim that he was the only composer to write for it comes fro
The Amazing Adventures of Kastner's Pyrophone (Part One)
an article by Rob Sommerlad.
He 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 ...
.
Selected works
Piano music
*''Tarentelle'', Op. 20
*''Boléro'', Op. 27
*''Études élégantes'', Op. 30
*''Valse espagnole'', Op. 40
*''Scènes enfantines'', Op. 61
*''Études de Mlle. Didi'', Op. 85
*''Souvenir d'Alsace'', Op. 106
*''Polonaise de concert''
*Sonatina in F Major op. 257, no 2 lV: Finale
Method
* ''Méthode de Piano'', Op. 269, for piano 4-hands
book
* Les classiques favoris du piano (1916)
*première livre : Volume Debutants: index:
- PETITE MARCHE – Daniel Gottlob Türk
- AIR – Daniel Gottlob Türk
- BERCEUSE – Daniel Gottlob Türk
- MENUET en Do majeur 1 – Johann Wilhelm Hässler
- GAVOTTE – Georg Philipp Telemann
- MENUET en Do majeur – Johann Christian Bach
- MENUET en Do majeur – Johann Georg Leopold Mozart
- GIGUE – Johann Georg Witthauer
- BADINERIE – Daniel Gottlob Türk
- BOURRÉE – Johann Christoph Graupner
- MENUET en Do majeur 2 – Johann Wilhelm Hässler
- MELODIE – Robert Schumann
- RIGAUDON – Georg Philipp Telemann
- ALLEGRETTO – Johann Georg Witthauer
- CONTREDANCE – Ludwig van Beethoven
- MENUET en Do majeur – Jean-Philippe Rameau
- RIGAUDON – William Babell
- DE BONNE HUMEUR – Joseph Haydn
- MENUET en Do majeures – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- MENUET en Fa majeur – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- ALLEGRO – Jean Théodore Latour
- DANCE ALLEMANDE – Ludwig van Beethoven
- FANFARE – William Duncombe
- EN FREDONNANT – Robert Schumann
- LE PETIT RIEN – François Couperin
- AIR – Henry Purcell
- MENUET – Georg Philipp Telemann
- LA POUPÉE MALADE – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- DANSE JOYEUX – Daniel Gottlob Türk
- NOVELETTE – Gustav Cornelius Gurlitt
- SONATINE – Jean Théodore Latour
- ROMANCE – Gottlob Neefe
- ADAGIO – Muzio Clementi
- MENUET en La mineur – Georg Friedrich Händel
- MENUET en Ré majeur – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- TENDRE SOUVENIR – Daniel Steibelt
- MENUET en Ré mineur – Johann Sebastian Bach
- BOURRÉE – George Frideric Handel
- MENUET en La mineur – Jean-Philippe Rameau
- BURLESQUE – Johann Georg Leopold Mozart
- MUSETTE – Johann Sebastian Bach
- VIEILLE CHANSON FRANÇAISE – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- FINAL – Joseph Haydn
- ECOSSAISE – Johann Wilhelm Hässler
- MENUET en Sol majeur – Johann Sebastian Bach
- PREMIER CHAGRIN – Robert Schumann
- ALLEGRO – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- MENUET en Sol mineur – Johann Sebastian Bach
- LES PLAINTES D’UNE POUPEÉ – César Franck
- MARCHE – Johann Sebastian Bach
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lack, Theodore
1846 births
1921 deaths
19th-century French classical composers
Composers for piano
19th-century French male classical pianists
19th-century French classical pianists
French classical composers
French male classical composers
Pupils of Antoine François Marmontel