Who is Edmond Dédé?
Edmond Dédé was a black French creole American composer who was born to a French couple from the West Indies in New Orleans in 1827. His father was a militia unit’s bandmaster.
Dédé was originally introduced to the clarinet as a child, but it was with the violin that he found his true passion, and he was quickly labeled the child prodigy. From the initial Edmond to the latter Edmund, his name has been spelled in a variety of ways.
He studied violin with renowned violinists such as Constantin Debergue and Ludovico Gabici, who were born in Italy. He is best known for his works Mon Pauvre Coeur (1852), Quasimodo Symphony (1865), Le Palmier Overture (1865), and many others. Because of the hatred in the United States, he fled to Mexico and subsequently returned to the United States, where he worked as a cigar maker to gather money so that he could travel to Europe. Edmond Dédé passed away in Paris in 1903. Continue reading to learn more about this remarkable artist.
Edmond Dédé: Bio, Age, Ethnicity, Sibling
Edmond Dédé was born in 1827 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1809, his parents immigrated to the United States from the French West Indies. His father was the bandmaster for the militia battalion. His first inclination was to play the clarinet, but he quickly discovered that the violin was his true calling, and he demonstrated his talent so thoroughly that he became renowned as the kid violin prodigy. Constantin Debergue, a local free black musician and director of the local Philharmonic Society created by free Creoles of color, taught him the violin.
Later, he trained under Ludovico Gabici, the director of the St. Charles Theater Orchestra, an Italian-born artist. Dédé is also credited with being one of the city’s first music publishers. To hone his musical abilities, he studied counterpoint and harmony with French-born Eugène Prévost, winner of the 1831 Prix de Rome and leader of the orchestra at the Théâtre d’Orléans. He also studied with Charles-Richard Lambert, the father of Sidney and Charles Lucien Lambert and a conductor for the Philharmonic Society, a black musician from New York. He took a few lessons with Ludovico Gabici before fleeing to Mexico owing to the difficult environment. Dédé afterward returned and began working as a cigar maker in order to save money so that she might return to Europe.
Quick Facts
- Died At Age: 77
- Children: Eugene Arcade Dédé
- American Men Louisiana Musicians
- Died On: March 17, 1905
- U.S. State: Louisiana
- City: New Orleans, Louisiana
Paris
In 1852, he wrote “Mon pauvre Coeur,” which is the oldest surviving piece of sheet music by a New Orleans Creole of color. He traveled to Belgium and then France with the money he made and the support of his pals. He auditioned for and was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire de Musique (Paris Conservatory of Music) in 1857. It was here that he became friends with one of the conservatory’s teachers, the illustrious Jacques-François Halevy, with whom he had a long-lasting connection. Jean Delphin Alard, a well-known French violinist and teacher, also taught him. He moved to Bordeaux, France, after finishing his studies.
Dédé met and fell in love with Sylvie Leflet, the daughter of a local bourgeois, during his personal life. In 1864, the couple married, and their son Eugene Arcade was born in 1865. Dédé was born and went on to become a composer of classical music. Eugene’s father coordinated his ‘Mazurka En chasse.’ He took over as an instrumentalist and composer after Dédé.
Professional Career
Dédé had a long career as Orchestra Conductor at the Theatre l’Alcazar, where he worked for 27 years. He conducted light music performances at the Folies Bordelaises at this time. In 1865, he composed his most famous work, the ‘Quasimodo Symphony,’ which was originally performed in the New Orleans Theater on May 10, 1865 by African-American conductor and musician Samuel Snaer Jr. Dédé went on to write further music, including “Le Palmier Overture” and “Le Sermente de L’Arabe.”
In 1893, he paid his final journey to New Orleans on the liner Marseille, which was nearly sunk in a catastrophe at sea. Dédé survived, but his cherished Cremona violin was lost at sea. Despite his obvious devastations, he proceeded to perform with a new instrument, which received widespread acclaim. Dédé then said his goodbyes to his hometown with the song ‘Patriotisme,’ in which he lamented his fate of having to live far away due to “implacable prejudice” at home. The Société des Jeunes-Amis, a prominent local social group made up primarily of Creoles of color, then gave him honorary membership. However, due to ethnic disparities and his family’s relocation to France, he turned down the offer. In 1894, he returned to France to join the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers as a full member.
Important Compositions
Dédé’s works include operettas, ballets, chamber music, and popular songs. His music was influenced by a variety of factors, including his background in the United States, his French education, and his conducting of French repertory. His style can be described as typical mid-nineteenth-century with orchestral use.
- Chicago (Grande valse a l’Americaine), 1892
- Tond les chiens, coup’ les chats (Duo burlesque)
- Mirliton fin de siècle (Polka originale), 1892
- Rêverie champêtre, 1891
- En chasse, mazurka elegante
- Mephisto masque, Polka fantastique, for piano, 1889
- Battez aux champs, for voice & piano (Cantata dediee a S. M. l’Empereur Napoleon III)
- El Pronunciamento, marche espagnole for orchestra
- Patriotisme, for voice & piano, 1893
- Cora La Bordelaise, chansonnette for voice & piano, 1881
- Mon pauvre coeur, for voice & piano,1852
- Mon Sous Off!, chansonnette for voice & piano, 1876
- Francoise et Tortillard, Saynete comique
- Mon Sous Off!cier, Quadrille brilliante, 1877
- Symphony Quasimodo, 1865
Last Days
Edmond Dédé died in 1903 in Paris. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris has retained the majority of his works.
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