Prod’homme, J(acques)-G(abriel)

Prod’homme, J(acques)-G(abriel) , industrious French librarian and music critic; b. Paris, Nov. 28, 1871; d. Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, June 18, 1956. He studied philology and music history at the Paris École des Hautes Études Sociales (1890–94), then became a writer on musical and other subjects in the socialist publications, among them La Revue Socialiste, Droits de l’Homme, and Messidor. An ardent believer in the cause of peace, he ed. in Munich the Deutsche-französische Rundschau, dedicated to the friendship between the French and German peoples (1899–1902). His hopes for peace were shattered by 2 devastating world wars within his lifetime. Back in Paris, he founded, with Dauriac and Écorcheville, the French section of the IMS (1902), serving as its secretary (1903–13). With La Lau-rencie, he founded the French Musicological Society (1902), serving as its secretary (1917–20) and vice-president (1929–36). He was curator of the library and archivist of the museum at the Paris Opéra (1931–0); was also librarian at the Paris Cons. (1934–40). He was made a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur (1928). With others, he tr. Wagner’s prose works (13 vols., 1907–25); also Wagner’s music dramas (1922–27) and Beethoven’s conversation books (1946).

Writings

(all publ. in Paris): Le Cycle Berlioz, in 2 vols.: La Damnation de Faust (1896) and L’Enfance du Christ (1899); with C. Bertrand, Guides analytiques de l’Anneau du Nibelung. Crépuscule des dieux (1902); Hector Berlioz 1803–1869: Sa vie et ses oeuvres (1905; 2^nd ed., rev., 1913); Les Symphonies de Beethoven(1800–1827) (1906; 15^th ed., 1938); Paganini (1907; 2^nd ed., 1927; Eng. tr., 1911); Franz Liszt (1910); with A. Dandelot, Gounod 1818–93: Sa vie et ses oeuvres d’après des documents inédits (2 vols., 1911); Ecrits de musiciens (XVe-XVIIIe siècles) (1912); Richard Wagner et la France (1921); La jeunesse de Beethoven, 1770–1800 (1921; 2^nd ed., 1927); L’Opéra, 1669–1925 (1925); Pensées sur la musique et les musiciens (1926); Beethoven raconté par ceux qui l’ont vu (1927); Mozart raconté par ceux qui l’ont vu 1756–1791 (1928); Schubert raconté par ceux qui l’ont vu (1928); with E. Crauzat, Paris qui disparaît: Les Menus plaisirs du roi; L’Ecole royale et le Conservatoire de Paris (1929); Wagner raconté par ceux qui l’ont vu (1929); Les Sonates pour piano de Beethoven, 1782–1823 (1937; 2^nd ed., rev., 1950); L’Immortelle bien-aimée de Beethoven (1946); Gluck (1948); François-Joseph Gossec, 1734–1829 (1949).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire