Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (8 August 1857 – 13 April 1944) was a French composer and pianist. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer.
Biography
Born in Batignolles (a village then outside Paris), Chaminade was raised in a musical family. She received her first piano lessons from her mother. Her father forbade it because he believed it was improper for a girl of Chaminade's class. and music composition with Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard and Benjamin Godard.
thumb|left|Chaminade as sketched in St. Louis by [[Marguerite Martyn, November 1908]]
Chaminade experimented in composition as a young child, composing pieces for her cats, dogs and dolls. In 1869, she performed some of her music for Georges Bizet, who was impressed with her talents.. In her early years, she gave recitals throughout France, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland. In 1892, she debuted in England, where her work was popular. She visited England again in 1907 and performed at the Aeolian Hall in London, and in Bath. Queen Victoria was known to enjoy Chaminade's music and in 1901 at her funeral, the Prélude for Organ, Op. 78, by Chaminade was played.
Chaminade married a music publisher from Marseille, Louis-Mathieu Carbonel, in 1901.
In 1908, she performed concerts in twelve cities in the United States. and such pieces as the "Scarf Dance" or the Ballet No. 1 were to be found in the music libraries of many lovers of piano music of the time. She composed a Konzertstück for piano and orchestra, the ballet music to Callirhoé and other orchestral works. Her songs, such as "The Silver Ring" and "Ritournelle", were also great favorites.
Chaminade was the recipient of numerous honours, both in France and abroad. In 1888 and 1892, she was honoured by the Académie Française. In 1897, she was honoured by Queen Victoria and given the Jubilee Medal. She received the Laurel Wreath from the Athens Conservatory and the Order of the Chefakat by Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire.
Chaminade was relegated to obscurity for the second half of the 20th century, her piano pieces and songs mostly forgotten, with the exception being the Concertino for flute and orchestra in D major, Op. 107, composed for the 1902 Conservatoire de Paris flute competition; it is her most popular piece today. This is also quoted as "Ce n'est pas une femme compositeur, c'est un compositeur femme." ("This is not a woman who composes, but a composer who is a woman.")
Most of her compositions were published during her lifetime and were financially successful.