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Ernest Chausson (January 20, 1855 – June 10,
1899) was a France|French composer.

He was born in Paris into an upper middle-class
family. He frequented the Paris salons, where he
met such celebrities as Fantin-Latour, Odilon
Redon, and Vincent d'Indy. He dabbled in writing
and drawing before definitely deciding on his
career.

He completed his law studies and became a lawyer
at the court of appeals, but never completed his
practical stage. In October of 1879, he began
attending the classes of Jules Massenet at the
Paris Conservatoire at age 25.  He had already
composed some piano pieces and songs, but the
first manuscripts that have been preserved are
those corrected by Massenet. He subsequently
studied under César Franck.

In 1882 and 1883, he makes the pilgrimage to
Bayreuth, the first time with d'Indy to see the
premier of Parzival, and the second with his new
bride Jeanne Escudier.

From 1886 until his death, he was secretary of the
Société Nationale de Musique. He received many
of the Paris artistic elite in his salon,
including Duparc, Fauré, Debussy, Mallarmé,
Turgenev, Albeniz, and Monet. He also assembled an
important collection of impressionist art.

His work is commonly divided into three periods,
the first of which is dominated by Massenet and
exhibits fluid and elegant melodies. The second
period dating from 1886 is marked by a more
dramatic character, benefitting by his contacts
with the artistic milieux in which he moved. The
third period dates from his father's death in 1894
and was influenced by his reading of the symbolist
poets and Russian literature, particularly
Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy.

He died in Limary, Seine-et-Oise, at the age of 44
as a result of a bicycle accident. He was buried
in the Cimetière du Père Lachaise in Paris.

His work shows the influence of Jules
Massenet|Massenet, César Franck|Franck, Richard
Wagner, and Johannes Brahms. His compositional
style bridges the gap between Massenet and Franck
and the later generation of French composers such
as Claude Debussy.

He is primarily noted for his many song|songs; his
orchestral output was comparatively small.
Surviving works include a Symphony in B flat
major, Poème for violin and orchestra (an
important piece in the violin repertoire) and
Poème de l'amour et de la mer for voice and
orchestra.

==See also==

List of compositions by Ernest Chausson