Wiener, Jean

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Wiener, Jean

Wiener, Jean, French pianist and composer of Austrian descent; b. Paris, March 19, 1896; d. there, June 8, 1982. He studied with Gédalge at the Paris Cons. From 1920 to 1924 he presented the Concerts Jean Wiener, devoted to the energetic propaganda of new music. He presented several premieres of works by modern French composers, and also performed pieces by Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. He was the first Frenchman to proclaim jazz as a legitimate art form; also teamed with Clément Doucet in duo-piano recitals, in programs stretching from Mozart to jazz. His compositions reflect his ecumenical convictions, as exemplified in such works as Concerto franco-américain for Clarinet and Strings (1923) and a desegregationist operetta, Olive chez les nègres (1926). He also wrote an Accordion Concerto (1957) and a Concerto for 2 Guitars (1966), but he became famous mainly for his idiosyncratic film music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire