Short bio Melanie Bonis
Birthday:
1858 in Paris, France
Died:
1937 in Sarcelles, France
Active:
1890s - 1930s
Genre:
Classical
Period:
Post-Romantic
Full biography Melanie Bonis
Mélanie Hélène Bonis, who was professionally known as Mel Bonis, was a French late-Romantic composer who lived between 1858 and 1937. She was a prolific and gifted composer who wrote over 300 pieces of music, including works for solo piano, chamber music, songs, and choral music. She is also known to have composed several operas that remained unpublished and were unfortunately lost to history.
Born in Paris in 1858, Mel Bonis came from a modest family and began her musical education at the Paris Conservatory at the age of seven. She excelled in her studies and won several awards, including the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1900. Despite her achievements, Bonis experienced discrimination as a female composer, and she tried to overcome this by using the pseudonym "Mel Bonis."
Bonis often infused her music with vivid imagery, sensitivity, and emotional depth, and her compositions reflect her Romantic tendencies. She was particularly fond of composing chamber music, and her output in this genre includes string quartets, piano trios, and other works for mixed ensembles. Other notable works include songs, choral music, and solo piano pieces.
Despite her talent, Bonis's music suffered from significant neglect during her lifetime and after her death. Only in recent years have her works been rediscovered and appreciated by modern audiences. In 2022, a Netflix docudrama helped to bring further recognition to Bonis's music and life story. Today, Bonis is celebrated as an important and unique voice in early 20th-century music and as a pioneer for women composers.
Compositions featuring Melanie Bonis
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pieces (6) for piano, 4 hands, Op. 130 | 7:12 min | Keyboard | 1930 |
| 2 | Boston Valse (Valse lente) for piano, Op. 119 | Keyboard | 1928 | |
| 3 | Miocheries, for piano, Op. 126 | Keyboard | 1928 | |
| 4 | Une flûte soupire (A Flute Sighs), for piano, Op. 117/1 | 2:17 min | Keyboard | 1928 |
| 5 | Berceuse Triste (Sad Lullaby), for piano, Op. 118 | 2:08 min | Keyboard | 1927 |
| 6 | Cloches Lointaines, for piano, Op. 121 | 3:34 min | Keyboard | 1927 |
| 7 | Au Crépuscule (At Dusk), for piano, Op. 111 | 3:19 min | Keyboard | 1922 |
| 8 | Élégie sur le mode antique, for mezzo-soprano or baritone & piano, Op. 110 | 2:04 min | Vocal Music | 1918 |
| 9 | La Cathédrale Blessée (The Wounded Cathedral), for piano, Op. 107 | 7:51 min | Keyboard | 1915 |
| 10 | Album pour les Tout-Petits, for piano, Op. 103 | 13:14 min | Keyboard | 1913 |
| 11 | Omphale, for piano, Op. 86 | 4:39 min | Keyboard | 1910 |
| 12 | Phœbé, for piano, Op. 30 | 2:52 min | Keyboard | 1909 |
| 13 | Viviane, for piano | 2:41 min | Keyboard | 1909 |
| 14 | Un soir, for medium voice & piano, Op. posth. 77 | 2:26 min | Vocal Music | 1908 |
| 15 | Ave Maria, for voice & piano, Op. 68 | 2:21 min | Vocal Music | 1905 |
| 16 | Romance sans paroles (Romance without Words), for piano, Op. 56 | 1:45 min | Keyboard | 1905 |
| 17 | Sonata for flute & piano | 16:58 min | Chamber Music | 1904 |
| 18 | Sontata for cello & piano | 14:46 min | Chamber Music | 1904 |
| 19 | Carillon Mystique, for piano, Op. 31 | 6:36 min | Keyboard | 1898 |
| 20 | Méditation, for piano, Op. 33/1 | 3:57 min | Keyboard | 1898 |
| 21 | Mélisande, for piano, Op. 34 | 2:28 min | Keyboard | 1898 |
| 22 | Suite en forme de valses, for piano, 4 hands | 12:49 min | Keyboard | 1898 |
| 23 | Romance sans paroles (Romance without Words), for piano, Op. 29 | 3:11 min | Keyboard | 1897 |
| 24 | Ballade, for piano, Op. 27 | 7:19 min | Keyboard | 1896 |
| 25 | Berceuse (Lullaby), for piano, Op. 23/1 | 5:28 min | Keyboard | 1895 |
| 26 | Pensées d'Automne (Thoughts of Autumn), for piano, Op. 19 | 3:44 min | Keyboard | 1894 |
| 27 | Près du Ruisseau (Near the Stream), for piano, Op. 9 | 2:19 min | Keyboard | 1894 |
| 28 | Gai Printemps, impromptu for piano, Op. 11 | 2:26 min | Keyboard | 1889 |
| 29 | Prelude for piano in E flat major, Op. 10 | 1:50 min | Keyboard | 1889 |
| 30 | Invocation, for voice & piano | 2:42 min | Vocal Music | 1887 |
| 31 | Etiolles, waltz for piano, Op. 2 | 4:39 min | Keyboard | 1884 |
| 32 | Air vaudois, for flute & piano, Op. 108 | 4:11 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 33 | Andante et Allegro, Op. 133, for flute & piano | 5:20 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 34 | Ballade for piano | 8:04 min | Keyboard | - |
| 35 | Barcarolle for piano | 5:09 min | Keyboard | - |
| 36 | Barcarolle for piano in E flat major, Op. 71 | 4:38 min | Keyboard | - |
| 37 | Berceuse for piano | 3:08 min | Keyboard | - |
| 38 | Bourée for piano | 1:52 min | Keyboard | - |
| 39 | Chanson d'amour (Song of Love), for voice & piano, Op. 94 | 2:22 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 40 | Cloches Iointaines, for piano | 3:17 min | Keyboard | - |
| 41 | Desdémona, for piano, Op. 101 | 2:41 min | Keyboard | - |
| 42 | Dolorosa, for piano, Op. 138 | 2:33 min | Keyboard | - |
| 43 | Dès l'aube (At Dawn), for voice & piano, Op. 18 | 1:39 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 44 | Echo, for piano, Op. 89 | 3:03 min | Keyboard | - |
| 45 | Ecologue, for piano, Op. 12 | 3:40 min | Keyboard | - |
| 46 | Elève toi, mon âme (Arise, My Soul), for voice & cello, Op. 22 | 3:37 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 47 | Epithalame (Epithalamium), for 3 voices & piano, Op. 75 | 3:28 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 48 | Etude de concert, for piano, Op. 136 | 3:07 min | Keyboard | - |
| 49 | Habanera, for piano, 4 hands, Op. 130/5 | 2:09 min | Keyboard | - |
| 50 | Il pleut! for piano | 2:09 min | Keyboard | - |
| 51 | Immortelle tendresse (Eternal Tenderness), for voice & piano, Op. 88 | 3:35 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 52 | Impromptu, for piano, Op. 1 | 3:28 min | Keyboard | - |
| 53 | L'oiseau bleu (The Bluebird), for 2 voices & piano | 1:55 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 54 | La cathédrale blessée, for piano | 7:12 min | Keyboard | - |
| 55 | La chanson du rouet, for piano | 3:02 min | Keyboard | - |
| 56 | La Mer (The Sea), for voice & piano, Op. 58 (after an Italian melody) | 4:46 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 57 | Le chat sur le toit (The Cat on the Roof), for voice & piano, Op. 93 | 2:52 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 58 | Le ruisseau (The Brook), for 2 voices & piano, Op. 21 | 2:27 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 59 | Le Songe de Cléopâtre, for 2 pianos, Op. 180/1 | 7:54 min | Keyboard | - |
| 60 | Les Gitanos, for piano, 4 hands, Op. 15/2 | 3:01 min | Keyboard | - |
| 61 | Madrigal, for 3 voices & piano, Op. 53 | 4:41 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 62 | Marionnettes, for piano, Op. 42 | 1:55 min | Keyboard | - |
| 63 | Menuet for piano | 2:30 min | Keyboard | - |
| 64 | Mirage, for voice & piano, Op. 171 | 2:11 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 65 | Méditation for cello & piano | 3:01 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 66 | Narcisse, for piano, Op. 90 | 2:56 min | Keyboard | - |
| 67 | Noël pastoral (A Pastoral Christmas), for voice & piano, Op. 20 | 4:24 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 68 | Ophélie, for piano, Op. 165 | 4:59 min | Keyboard | - |
| 69 | Pavane for piano | 2:58 min | Keyboard | - |
| 70 | Piano Quartet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 69 | 24:43 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 71 | Piano Quartet No. 2 in D major, Op. 124 | 24:34 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 72 | Pieces (5) for piano | Keyboard | - | |
| 73 | Pièce, for flute & piano, Op. 189 | 4:23 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 74 | Pourriez vous pas me dire (Can't You Tell Me), for voice & piano, Op. 55 | 1:56 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 75 | Près du ruisseau, for piano | 2:52 min | Keyboard | - |
| 76 | Prélude, for piano, Op. 51 | 2:19 min | Keyboard | - |
| 77 | Regina coeli, for 2 voices, violin & piano | 3:06 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 78 | Reproche tendre (A Tender Reproof), for voice & piano, Op. 49 | 2:23 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 79 | Romance sans paroles, for piano | 2:30 min | Keyboard | - |
| 80 | Salomé, for piano, Op. 100 | 4:36 min | Keyboard | - |
| 81 | Sauvez-moi (Save Me), for voice & piano | 2:52 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 82 | Scherzo Final, for flute &piano, Op. posth. 187 | 4:34 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 83 | Scènes de la forêt, for flute, horn & piano, Op. 123 | 16:41 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 84 | Septuor-Fantaisie ou Concerto, for piano, 2 flutes, 2 violins, viola & violoncello, Op. 72 | 12:39 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 85 | Sevilliana, for piano | 3:17 min | Keyboard | - |
| 86 | Soir, matin, Op. 76 | 8:15 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 87 | Sonata, for flute, cello & piano in C sharp minor, Op. 64 | 17:37 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 88 | Songe (Dream), for voice & piano | 3:19 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 89 | Sorrente, for voice & piano, Op. 61 | 2:25 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 90 | Suite dans le style ancien, for flute, violin, viola & piano, Op. 127/1 | 12:43 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 91 | Suite for flute, violin & piano, Op. 59 | 10:01 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 92 | Suite for violin & piano, Op. 114 | 15:20 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 93 | Suite Orientale, for flute, cello & piano, Op. 48 | 11:54 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 94 | Sur la plage (On the Beach), for voice & piano, Op. 3 | 3:40 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 95 | Sérénade for cello & piano | 3:45 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 96 | Une flûte soupire, for flute & piano, Op. 117/2 | 2:03 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 97 | Viens (Come), for voice & piano, Op. 6 | 1:41 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 98 | Villanelle, for voice & piano, Op. 4 | 3:23 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 99 | Viola, for voice & piano | 2:24 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 100 | Violin Sonata | Chamber Music | - | |
| 101 | À Suzanne (For Suzanne), for voice & piano | 1:34 min | Vocal Music | - |
Albums featuring Melanie Bonis
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Mel Bonis - Mengyiyi Chen – Complete Music For Solo Piano, Volume One(CD, Album) | 2023 | Toccata Classics |
| 2 |  |
Mélanie Bonis, Diana Sahakyan – Femmes de Légende(CD, Stereo) | 2022 | Edition Kaleidos |
| 3 |  |
Mel Bonis – Myriam Barbaux-Cohen – Mel Bonis(SACD, Hybrid, Multichannel, Album) | 2022 | Ars Produktion |
| 4 |  |
Roussel, Debussy, Sollini, Chaminade, Tailleferre, Honegger, Ibert, Saint-Säens, Bonis, Poulenc - Luisa Sello, Philippe Entremont – 19th Century And 20th Century French Music With Flute(CD, Album) | 2022 | Da Vinci Classics |
| 5 |  |
Elfrida Andrée, Mel Bonis, Ethel Smyth - Annette-Barbara Vogel, Durval Cesetti – First Ladies (Three Romantic Violin Sonatas)(CD, Album) | 2021 | Toccata Next |
| 6 |  |
Amy Beach, Sonia Eckhardt-Gramatté, Louise Farrenc, Mel Bonis, Julia Smith (2), Thomas Albertus Irnberger, David Geringas, Barbara Moser (2) – It's A Girl(SACD, Hybrid, Multichannel, Album) | 2021 | Gramola |
| 7 |  |
Hélène de Montgeroult, Laurent Martin (2), Cécile Chaminade, Mélanie Bonis – Compositrices d’exception(CD, ) | 2019 | Ligia Digital |
| 8 |  |
Mélanie Bonis, Laurent Martin (2) – Le Diamant noir(CD, Mini, Album) | 2016 | Ligia Digital |
| 9 |  |
Giardini Quartet, Gabriel Fauré, Mel Bonis – Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 15 : Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 69(CD, Album) | 2014 | Evidence (7) |
| 10 |  |
Soir Et Matin - Musique Impressionniste Romantique(CD, Album) | 2013 | Gallo (4) |
| 11 |  |
Cécile Chaminade, Mel Bonis, Clara Schumann, Mariana Martinez - Didier Castell-Jacomin – Regards | 2012 | Continuo Classics |
| 12 |  |
Trio George Sand, Maurice Ravel, Mel Bonis, Gabriel Fauré – Trios Avec Piano(CD, Album) | 2010 | Zig Zag Territoires |
| 13 |  |
Mel Bonis, Cécile Chaminade, Anne-Laure Pantillon, Marc Pantillon – Une Flûte Soupire(CD, ) | 2009 | Pantillon Records |
| 14 |  |
Mel Bonis - Mozart Piano Quartet – Piano Quartets(CD, Album) | 2008 | MDG |
| 15 |  |
Mel Bonis, Laurent Martin (2) – L'Ange Gardien - Oeuvres Pour Piano(CD, Album) | 2007 | Ligia Digital |
| 16 |  |
Mel Bonis – Brigitte Balleys, Valérie Gabail, Eric Cerantola – L'Oeuvre Vocale(CD, Album) | 2006 | Doron Music |
| 17 |  |
Debussy · Jolivet · Bonis · Boulanger · Roussel · Tailleferre · Tansman - Kaspar Zehnder · Patrizio Mazzola – Works For Flute And Piano(CD, Album) | 1998 | Pan Classics |
| 18 |  |
3 Sonates(CD, Album) | 1998 | Voice Of Lyrics |
| 19 |  |
Luba Timofeyeva, Mel Bonis – Pièces Pour Piano(CD, ) | 1997 | Voice Of Lyrics |
| 20 |  |
Mélanie Bonis, Madeleine Stucki – Klavierwerke / Oeuvres pour piano / works for piano(CD, Album) | 1996 | Relief |
| 21 |  |
Anne Constantin & Alexandre Rojdestvenski, Franck, Debussy, Bonis – Sonates Pour Violon Et Piano(CD, ) | 1993 | Éditions musicales de la Salamandre |
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