Jean Jules Aimable Roger-Ducasse

Born Apr. 18, 1873, in Bordeaux; died July 19, 1954, at Taillan, near Bordeaux. French composer.

At the Paris Conservatory, Roger-Ducasse studied piano with C. Bériot and composition with G. Fauré. In 1909 he was appointed inspector of singing-teaching in the Paris public schools. From 1935 to 1940 he was a professor at the Paris Conservatory.

Among Roger-Ducasse’s works is his well-known mimo-drama Orphée (1913). His other works include the comic opera Cantegril (1931), numerous orchestral compositions, including the symphonic poems Sarabande (with choir) and Ulysse et les sirènes, instrumental ensembles, piano pieces, and art songs. Characteristic of his creative work, whose development was influenced by musical impressionism, was a fidelity to French national traditions.