Thursday, August 25, 2011

Psyché – a song by Émile Paladilhe

Despite his name doesn’t seem to be well-known nowadays, Émile Paladilhe was quite a conspicuous figure during his lifetime. First of all, he was the youngest composer to win the Prix de Rome – a French award granting a privilege to live in Italy for three to five years. Just to note, some of the better-known composers (and men of art in general) failed to receive an award, with one of them – a painter Jacques-Louis David, – being so desperate to consider suicide. It’s not David coming in depression over nothing – Eric Satie also had been feeling sore for the same reason; the Prix de Rome was quite an indicator of recognition back in days.

Another fact of Paladilhe’s biography that deserves a special mention is that he died exactly after composing his last opus. Download a piece by this gifted and dedicated ‘til the very moment of his death composer here: Psyché (for piano and voice).

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