Andre Messager

Full biography Andre Messager

André Messager (1853-1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist, and conductor who achieved popularity in France and England with his operettas and compositions. He was born on December 30, 1853, in Montluçon, Allier, France.

Messager began his career as an organist in his hometown and later moved to Paris, where he found success as a conductor and composer. He wrote in a light, elegant style that was typically Parisian, and he became director of the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1898 and artistic director of the Paris Opera in 1919.

Messager composed operas, ballets, and operettas, but he is perhaps best known for his Savoy operas, which are light and witty musical comedies that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the only French composer to write an original Savoy opera. His later works included two operas in English.

Some of Messager's notable compositions include the operettas "Véronique," "Les P'tites Michu," and "Passionnément," as well as the ballets "Les Deux Pigeons" and "La Belle au bois dormant."

In addition to his compositions, Messager was also a respected conductor, leading performances of works by other composers, including Wagner, Puccini, and Verdi. Overall, Messager was a significant figure in French musical culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.