Hahn, Reynaldo

Reynaldo Hahn – La Fête chez Thérèse

(b. Caracas , 9 August 1874 – d. Paris , 28 January 1947)

ballet-pantomime

Preface
Reynaldo Hahn was born to a Roman Catholic Basque mother and a German Jewish father in Caracas, Venezuela where his father had created a thriving commercial business. The family were close friends with Guzman Blanco, the head of state. When he fell out of favor the Hahns emigrated to Paris in 1878. In 1885 the young Reynaldo entered the preparatory class of the Conservatoire and joined the boys‘ choir which developed his fine singing voice.1 There he studied solfège, piano, harmony, and compositions. Hahn would become a renowned singer who would perform extensively in recitals and salon settings, often accompanying himself in his own works. From 1909 to 1932 he also made many recordings singing his own songs as well as songs and arias by other composers, later followed by recordings as an accompanist for other musicians and as a conductor.2

As a young student, Hahn became a protégé of Jules Massenet (1842-1912) who not only helped him develop his own musical style and language but became good friends with him. Even during Hahn’s affair with Marcel Proust (1895-96), Massenet and his wife continued their cordial social and personal relationship with the two men. The intimate warmth of their exchange of letters demonstrated that the Massenets viewed and accepted Hahn and Proust as a couple.3 Hahn wrote about his experiences with Massenet as a teacher, documenting the master’s approach in the classroom. He made special mention that Massenet advised his students to first recite the verses which they wanted to set to music, and to demonstrate this, the master quoted a scene from one of his operas in spoken voice and then performed his musical setting.4 This approach no doubt was helpful to Hahn who was a prolific composer of song and opera. According to Hahn and other students, Massenet never tried to impose his – or any particular – compositional style on his pupils. Rather, he helped them develop their own musical language and personality.5 Hahn and Massenet remained close friends until the latter’s death in 1912. …

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