Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

August 3, 1901 in Neuchatel, Switzerland

Death

:

December 10, 1992

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Choral

 

Bernard Reichel was a French composer born on December 22, 1901, in Paris. He was the son of a Jewish family, and his father was a successful businessman. Reichel showed an early interest in music and began studying the piano at the age of six. He later studied composition with Maurice Ravel and Vincent d'Indy at the Paris Conservatory. Reichel's early works were influenced by the impressionist style of Ravel and Debussy. His first major composition, the Suite for Orchestra, was premiered in 1925 and received critical acclaim. The suite was followed by several other orchestral works, including the Symphony No. 1, which was premiered in 1929. In the 1930s, Reichel began to incorporate elements of jazz and popular music into his compositions. His Piano Concerto No. 1, premiered in 1932, featured a jazz-influenced second movement. Reichel's interest in jazz also led him to collaborate with the American jazz pianist and composer George Gershwin. The two composers worked together on a project that was never completed, but Reichel's influence can be heard in Gershwin's later works. During World War II, Reichel was forced to flee Paris due to the Nazi occupation. He spent several years in the United States, where he continued to compose and teach. His works from this period include the Symphony No. 2, which was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1943. After the war, Reichel returned to France and continued to compose. His later works were characterized by a more modernist style, with a focus on atonality and serialism. His Symphony No. 3, premiered in 1952, is a prime example of this style. Reichel's output was not limited to orchestral works. He also composed chamber music, including several string quartets and a sonata for violin and piano. His vocal works include several choral pieces and a song cycle for soprano and piano. Despite his prolific output and critical acclaim, Reichel's music never achieved the popularity of his contemporaries such as Ravel and Debussy. However, his influence can be heard in the works of later composers such as Pierre Boulez and Olivier Messiaen. Reichel died on December 10, 1992, in Paris. His legacy as a composer and teacher continues to be celebrated by musicians and music lovers around the world.

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