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Charlotte Sohy (July 7, 1887, in Paris - December 19, 1955, in Paris) was a French composer.

Charlotte Sohy
Sohy c.1910
Born
Charlotte Marie Louise Durey

(1887-07-07)July 7, 1887
Paris, France
DiedDecember 19, 1955(1955-12-19) (aged 68)
Paris, France
OccupationComposer
StyleModernist
SpouseMarcel Labey (m. 1909)
Children7

Life

As the daughter of an industrialist and a precocious child, she received a broad education including musical training from George Marty on piano and music theory. She was introduced to the musical world at a young age and was friends with both Nadia Boulanger and Mel Bonis. She continued her musical studies at the Schola Cantorum (Paris), where she studied organ with Alexandre Guilmant and later with Louis Vierne, as well as composition with Vincent d’Indy.[1]

On June 12, 1909 she married the composer Marcel Labey, with whom she had 7 children.[2] At their home at Rue Greuze 24 they organized musical gatherings, inviting personalities from the artworld.[2] She wrote the libretto for the lyrical drama Bérengère composed by her husband that was published in 1912 under the pseudonym Charles Sohy.

As a composer, Charlotte Sohy wrote masses, art songs, piano pieces, trios, string quartets, in addition to a symphony and the lyrical drama L'Esclave couronnée, composed between 1917 and 1921. She signed her works under the names of Sohy, Charlotte Sohy, Charles Sohy, Ch. Sohy, and Charlotte Sohy-Labey, and often used other pen names such as Louis Rivière or Claude Vincent.

She also wrote plays and a novel. Her musical compositions were performed by Paul Dukas, Maurice Ravel, and Gabriel Fauré frequently at the Salon of Marguerite de Saint-Marceaux, where she and her husband were regulars (he starting in 1908, she in 1913).[1] After the first World War, Charlotte Sohy's pieces were performed less often.[3]

In Florence Launay's list of the most important female composers who were active in the 19th century France, Sohy's life and creative period falls between those of Lili and Nadia Boulanger, who were her contemporaries. She is one of the approximately 20 women who, between 1789 and 1914, achieved professional status and public success as composers.

She was the cousin of Louis Durey, a member of Les Six.

Compositions

The complete works of Charlotte Sohy, published as Présence Compositrices, comprises 35 opus numbers.[1]

Vocal works

Choral music

Symphonic music

Chamber music

Works for piano

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b c Francis Paraïso (February 2021). "Charlotte Sohy" (PDF). Centre Présences Compositrices (in French). Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  2. ^ a b c Gerard Lecaillon (2019). Denise Scharley de l'Opéra de Paris Une vie de contralto (in French). Librinova. ISBN 979-1-026-24081-5. OCLC 1152302867.
  3. ^ a b "DUREY-SOHY Charlotte". Bru Zane Media Base (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
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