Vasseur, Léon (Félix Augustin Joseph)

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Vasseur, Léon (Félix Augustin Joseph)

Vasseur, Léon (Félix Augustin Joseph), French organist, conductor, and composer; b. Bapaume, Pas-de-Calais, May 28, 1844; d. Paris, July 25, 1917. He studied at the École Niedermeyer in Paris, and in 1870 became organist of the Versailles Cathedral. After a few years, he turned to composing light music and also conducting theater orchs. He wrote about 30 operettas, but his most successful was La Timbale d’argent (Paris, April 9, 1872). Other operettas include Le Voyage de Suzette (Paris, 1890), Au premier hussard (Paris, Aug. 6, 1896), and La Souris blanche (Paris, Nov. 9, 1897; in collaboration with de Thuisy). He also publ. sacred music, including L’Office divin (a collection of masses, offertories, antiphons, etc.), 20 motets des grands maîtres,a method for organ or harmonium (Paris, 1867), and transcriptions for harmonium and piano.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire