Aubert, Louis (François Marie)

Aubert, Louis (François Marie), French composer and writer on music; b. Paramé, Ille-et-Vilaine, Feb. 19, 1877; d. Paris, Jan. 9, 1968. He entered the Paris Cons, when he was still a child and studied with Diémer (piano), Lavignac (theory), and Fauré (composition). Diémer was the soloist in the premiere of Aubert’s Fantaisie for Piano and Orch. in Paris on Nov. 17, 1901. His opera La Forêt bleue was first performed in Geneva on Jan. 7, 1913. Aubert’s symphonic poem Habanera (Paris, March 22, 1919) proved highly successful. While he composed many subsequent scores, he also devoted much time to music criticism. In 1956 he was made a member of the Institut de France. He publ. the vols. L’Orchestre (Paris, 1951) and Notice sur la vie et les travaux de Gustave Charpentier (Paris, 1956). Aubert’s compositions reveal the general influence of Debussy and Ravel.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: La Forêt bleue (1912; Geneva, Jan. 7, 1913). Ballet: La Momie (1903); Chrysothémis (1904); La Nuit ensorcelée (1922); Cinéma (1953); La Belle Hélène (1953). ORCH.: Suite brève (1900; Paris, April 27, 1916; also for 2 Pianos); Fantaisie for Piano and Orch. (Paris, Nov. 17, 1901); Habanera (1918; Paris, March 22, 1919); Dryade (1921); Caprice for Violin and Orch. (1925); Feuilles d’images (Paris, March 7, 1931); Offrand aux victimes de la guerre (1947); Le Tombeau de Châteaubriand (1948). CHAMBER: Suite brève for 2 Pianos (1900; also for Orch.); Sillages for Piano (1913); Piano Quintet (n.d.); Improvisation for 2 Guitars (1960). VOCAL: La Légende du sang for Narrator, Chorus, and Orch. (1902); 6 Poèmes arabes for Voice and Orch. (1907); Crépuscules d’automne, song cycle (1908; Paris, Feb. 20, 1909); Nuit mauresque for Voice and Orch. (1911); Les Saisons for Soloist, Chorus, and Orch. (1937).

Bibliography

L. Vuillemin, L. A. et son oeuvre (Paris, 1921); M. Landowski and G. Morançon, L. A. (Paris, 1967).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire