Dietsch, (Pierre-)Louis(-Philippe)
Dietsch, (Pierre-)Louis(-Philippe)
Dietsch, (Pierre-)Louis(-Philippe) , French conductor and composer; b. Dijon, March 17, 1808; d. Paris, Feb. 20, 1865. He studied at Choron’s Institution Royale de Musique Classique et Religieuse in Paris, then with A. Reicha (counterpoint) and M. P. Chenie (double bass) at the Paris Cons., winning a premier prix for the latter (1830). He played double bass in the orchs. of the Theatre-Italien and the Paris opéra. He was also maitre de chapelle at St. Eustache (1830–39) and at the Madeleine (from 1849), as well as chorus master at the opéra (from 1840). With Paul Foucher and Henri Revoil as librettists, he wrote the opéra Le Vaisseau fantome (opéra, Nov. 9, 1842), a subject also treated by Wagner in his opéra Der fLiégende Hollander. Dietsch’s opéra received only 11 hearings and then was totally forgotten. He became conductor of the Paris opéra in 1860, where he led the 3 notorious performances of the Paris version of Wagner’s Tannhauser in 1861. After an argument with Verdi, he resigned his post in 1863. He also wrote many masses and other sacred works.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire