Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier

Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier , 1841-94, French composer. His best-known works are an orchestral rhapsody, España (1883); an opera, Le Roi malgré lui (1887); and piano pieces, such as Habanera (1885) and Bourrée fantasque (1891). Chabrier's works display vivid harmonic and orchestral color and musical drollery. His music influenced such French composers as Ravel and Satie.

Chabrier, (Alexis) Emmanuel (b Ambert, Puy-de-Dôme, 1841; d Paris, 1894). Fr. composer, pianist, and conductor. Studied pf., vn., and comp. in boyhood, but had general education, entered law school, and worked as civil servant in Ministry of the Interior 1861–80, during which time he became friend of Manet, who painted him twice, and Fauré, Duparc, and Chausson. Hearing Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in Munich determined him to resign his govt. post and concentrate wholly on mus. After visiting Sp. wrote orch. rhapsody España, 1883. Became ass. ch.-master to Lamoureux in Paris in 1881. Became fervent admirer of and propagandist for Wagner. Works incl. operas L'étoile (1877), Une Education manquée (1879), Gwendoline (1885), Le Roi malgré lui (1887) and Briséis (1888–91, unfinished); Suite pastorale, orch. (1881); Joyeuse Marche, orch. (1888); pf. pieces and songs (incl. Ballade des gros dindons, 1889).