Edmond Dédé was a Creole-born American musician and composer. He composed more than 80 pieces before got sick and died right before the end of 1860.
Edmond Dédé was born on October 10, 1827, in New Orleans. He was the first black man to be admitt into the New Orleans Philharmonic Society. In addition, he was one of the first black composers to have his music performed by a professional orchestra in the United States.
At age 20, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied music with Cornelius R. Wentworth and Henry A. Phillips. Afterward, he returned to New Orleans and worked as a musician and composer.
While living in New Orleans, he wrote many of his most famous pieces, such as “La Danse des Nègres” and “Le Crépuscule des Dieux.” He also wrote several popular songs in the city’s black community.
In 1860, Decé became ill and died shortly after that. His death was a significant loss to the New Orleans music community and the black community in general.
Biography of Edmond Dédé
Edmond Dédé (1827-1901) was a Black composer, conductor, and violinist from New Orleans. He was considered to be one of the first Black composers in America.
Dédé was born in Haiti and moved to New Orleans with his family as a child. He studied music with various teachers, including Manuel DeLamothe and François Hébert-Joseph. He also played in the New Orleans Opera Company and the St. Charles Theater Orchestra.
Dédé composed several operas, including The Voodoo Child (1883), based on a play by Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins. He also wrote symphonies, chamber music, art songs, choral works, and religious music. His opera La Mulâtresse Solitude (1894) was the first opera by a Black composer to be performed in the United States.
Dédé’s music was influence by Haitian folk music, European classical music, and African-American spirituals. He is an important figure in the history of Black music in America.
Sources:
Edmond Dédé. American Composers Alliance. Accessed March 2, 2021, from
What Makes Edmond Dédé so Special?
Edmond Dédé was born in New Orleans in 1827, the son of enslaved African Americans. He showed an early interest and aptitude in music and was given opportunities to study and perform by some generous patrons. Dédé became an accomplished musician and was one of the first Black composers to achieve a measure of commercial success with his work.
What makes Edmond Dédé so unique is that he overcame the many obstacles placed in front of him as a Black man in America during the 1800s. He succeeded as a musician when it was challenging for Black people to do so, and his work helped break down barriers for other Black musicians who came after him.
Dédé’s music was popular in the United States and Europe, and his peers highly respected him. He composed many pieces inspired by his African heritage, which helped increase awareness of African-American culture among the general public.
Edmond Dédé was a true pioneer in the world of music, and his accomplishments are an inspiration to all who strive to achieve success against the odds.
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Writing Tips from Edmond Dédé
Edmond Dédé (1827-1901) was a black composer and musician from New Orleans. He was an important figure in the development of Creole music, and his work influenced many later New Orleans composers.
Dédé was born in Haiti and moved to New Orleans as a child. He began playing the violin at an early age, and by his teens, he was performing in various local ensembles. In 1846, he joined the famous quadroon ballroom orchestra La Musique Creole. This group helped to popularize Creole music in New Orleans and beyond.
In the 1850s, Dédé began to compose his music. His best-known work is the operatic ballet La Belle Créole (1857), which tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a white man. The ballet scandalized polite society at the time, but it is now considered an essential work of early American opera.
Dédé continued to perform and compose until he died in 1901. His works were largely forgotten after his death, but they have recently been rediscovered and performed by modern musicians.
Here are some tips on writing from Edmond Dédé:
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Write about what you know.
Dédé was a master of Creole music, and his compositions influence by the music he heard daily. If you want to write authentically about a particular subject, it’s essential to have personal experience with it.
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Be original.
Dédé’s work was often controversial, but it was always original. He wasn’t afraid to experiment with new musical styles, and his work was all the better. When you’re writing, don’t scare to try something new. It might just pay off.
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Write from the heart.
Dédé’s music infused with emotion, and it’s clear that he poured his heart into his compositions. When you write, don’t be afraid to let your feelings show. It will make your work more honest and more effective.
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Quasimodo and Other Composed Pieces
Edmond Dédé is remembered for his work as an opera composer, but he also wrote some other less well-known pieces. Quasimodo, for example, is a piano composition dedicated to the memory of Dédé’s friend and fellow musician Victor Massé. It is a beautiful and moving piece demonstrating Dédé’s composer skill.
Other composed pieces by Dédé include several waltzes, a trio for piano and strings, and several songs. Though not as famous as his operas, these pieces are excellent examples of his talent. Edmond Dédé was a skilled and versatile composer, capable of writing both severe and lighthearted music.
A Tragic End
Edmond Dédé had a tragic end. In 1892, he was the conductor of an orchestra on the SS La Bourgogne, which sank in a collision with another ship, the SS Cromartyshire. Dédé went down with the ship and was among the more than five hundred people who lost their lives in the disaster.
At his death, he was only forty-three years old, but he left behind a rich musical legacy. Though he is not as well-known as some of his contemporaries, Edmond Dédé was one of the most important French composers of the nineteenth century.
