Benjamin Godard

File:Benjamin Godard bust by Diosi.jpg

Godard was born in Paris in 1849. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1863 where he studied under Henri Vieuxtemps (violin) and Napoléon Henri Reber (harmony) 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 operas, among them: Jocelyn (the "Berceuse" from which remains Godard's best-known composition), performed in Paris in 1888; Dante, played at the Opéra-Comique 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 in 1889.

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 concertos, three string quartets, four sonatas 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 written in the unusual time signature of Quintuple meter. 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."{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Godard, Benjamin Louis Paul|volume=12|page=170}}

Godard was opposed to the music of Richard Wagner and also highly critical of Wagner's antisemitism. Godard's musical style was more in tune with those of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann.

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• {{cite book|last=Sadie|first=Stanley (Ed.)|author-link=Stanley Sadie|year=1994|orig-year=1992|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Opera|others=vol. 2, E-Lom, chpt: "Godard, Benjamin (Louis Paul)" by John Trevitt and Robert Orledge|title-link=The New Grove Dictionary of Opera|publisher=MacMillan|location=New York|isbn=0-935859-92-6}}

{{Commons category|Benjamin Godard}}

• {{IMSLP|id=Godard%2C_Benjamin_Louis_Paul|cname=Benjamin Godard}}
• [http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/godard-piano-trio-1-op32.htm Benjamin Godard Piano Trio No.1 in g minor, Op.32]—sound-bites and a discussion of the work
• [http://hdl.handle.net/1802/4853 Piano trio no. 1, op. 32 (1872)], from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• [http://hdl.handle.net/1802/5483 Piano trio no. 2, op. 72, F major (1880)], from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• [http://hdl.handle.net/1802/4322 Symphonie gothique pour orchestre, op. 23 (1890)], from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• [http://hdl.handle.net/1802/4128 Troisième sonate pour piano & violon, op. 9 (1880)], from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• [http://hdl.handle.net/1802/4565 Fantasie persane : pour piano et orchestre ou 2 pianos, op. 152 (1900)], from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• [http://theartsongproject.com/benjamin-godard/ Songs by Benjamin Godard on The Art Song Project]

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Category:1849 births

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Category:19th-century French classical composers

Category:19th-century French violinists

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Category:19th-century deaths from tuberculosis

Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour

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