AMÉLIE-JULIE CANDEILLE - FRANCE
BORN 31 JULY
BORN 31 JULY
Amélie-Julie Candeille was a French composer, librettist, writer, singer, actress, comedian, and instrumentalist.
Contemporary discussions of her music highlight the supremacy of melody and use of simple harmonies used throughout her works. She composed in the style of Grétry, whom she greatly admired. Her works for keyboard, which she composed for her personal performances, are virtuosic – her surviving musical works include a concerto for keyboard, three keyboard sonatas (some with violin accompaniment), and a duo for piano. Many other works are lost, including additional keyboard sonatas, duos, fantasias and variations. Modern editions of the concerto for keyboard, three arias and the overture from Catherine are available through Hildegard Publishing.
- Three sonatas for harpsichord, with violin accompaniment.
- Concerto for piano and strings.
- Two great-sonatas for piano, opus 8 (under the name Julie Simons).
- Fantaisie for piano (dedicated to Mme Rivière).
- Nocturne for piano (fantaisie n. 5, Op. 11).
♫ LISTEN
Sonata in G: II. Adagio con espressione by Amélie-Julie Candeille
CARMELA MACKENNA
BORN 31 JULY
BORN 31 JULY
Carmela Mackenna Subercaseaux was a Chilean pianist and composer. Born in Santiago, Chile, to Alberto Mackenna Astorga and Carmela Subercaseaux, she was the great-granddaughter of Chilean hero Juan Mackenna and aunt of composer Alfonso Leng. She studied music theory with Bindo Paoli in Santiago and continued her studies in piano and composition with Conrad Ansorge and Hans Mersmann in Berlin. in 1934 she made her debut as a composer in Berlin with Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.
Carmela showed an early inclination towards creative expression, including painting, writing and music. In 1917, for example, after a piano recital presented by Bindo Paoli’s students, she was lauded in the press for having the “soul of an artist.” Nevertheless, years earlier she had determined that pursuing a career in the arts was inappropriate for someone of her social standing. After brief periods in Great Britain and Uruguay, in 1926 she and her husband settled in Berlin where they lived for a number of years. In addition to her duties as a diplomatic official, while in Berlin Carmela also continued studying the piano with Conrad Ansorge (1862-1930) and began studying composition with Hans Mersmann (1891-1971). While in Europe, the couple separated. Carmela continued in her role as cultural attaché until 1939; later, she visited Paris, Brussels, Cairo and New York. Returning to Santiago, she did not join the active musical life of that city; rather, she fell into an isolation that lasted until her death.