Clèrice, Justin
Clèrice, Justin
Clèrice, Justin, French composer; b. Buenos Aires (of French parents), Oct. 16, 1863; d. Toulouse, Sept. 9, 1908. He went to Paris as a teenager, which was to be the center of his activities. After studies with Delibes and Pessard at the Cons. (1882), he devoted himself to composing for the theater. He had his first success with O Moliero d’Alcalá (Lisbon, April 10, 1887). His efforts to obtain success in Paris came slowly, and he first attracted notice there with his songs. His first major stage score was Le Troisième Hussards (March 14, 1894), followed by the successful pantomime Leda (1896). His La Petite Vénus was first performed in London in an Eng. tr. as The Royal Star (Sept. 16, 1898). While such Parisian works as Ordre de l’Empereur (March 4, 1900) and Les Filles Jackson et Cie (Nov. 29, 1905) received only respectful attention at home, they were more warmly received abroad. Among his other works were Minnie (Paris, Feb. 6, 1905) and Au temps jadis (Monte Carlo, April 16, 1905).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire