Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894)

Born in Ambert, in Auvergne, Emmanuel Chabrier was a brilliant pianist from childhood, but his family steered him towards law. He worked for nearly twenty years at the Ministry of the Interior while composing, and mixed with the painters and poets of his day (Manet, Verlaine).

In 1880 he left the civil service to devote himself to music. A journey to Spain inspired the rhapsody España (1883), which made him famous. He also wrote comic operas such as L’Étoile and Le Roi malgré lui.

His Pièces pittoresques for piano (1881) and Bourrée fantasque show a frank, rhythmic, humorous style with daring harmonies (unresolved sevenths and ninths) that point towards Debussy and Ravel.

For pianists, Chabrier is a school of character: crisp rhythm, sharp contrasts and a sense of colour that asks you to listen to every chord.