[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[ARSCLIST] Alfred Bachelet
Does anyone have any information about the French composer Alfred Bachelet (1864-1944)?
He composed a central piece in French Art Song literature, Chère nuit, and several other things that do get played, and at least one opera that does not. He seems to have been a friend of Reynaldo Hahn, and their lifespans are similar.
The range of dates for Chère nuit on the web is astounding; most sources place it between 1938 and 1940.
A clue was provided in that the song was written for Nellie Melba - in which case it certainly could not be dated to this period. I found a first edition listed in the British Library dated to 1897, which makes a lot more sense.
David N. Lewis
Assistant Classical Editor, All Music Guide
Maybe music was not intended to satisfy the curious definiteness of man. Maybe it is better to hope that music may always be transcendental language in the most extravagant sense. ~ Charles Ives