Despite the immense popularity of his works for musical theater in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Andre Messager has, to a large extent, been neglected by contemporary musicologists and musicians outside France. This book offers a new appraisal of Messager's life and work, correcting errors perpetuated in previous bibliographies, and documenting the broad scope of his contributions as a composer, conductor, and artistic director of several of the great operatic companies of Paris and London.
A biographical sketch, the first ever written in English, is followed by a comprehensive list of works that supplies details of first performances, their publication, and principal reviews. The list covers songs and instrumental compositions, as well as operettas and other works for the stage. The bibliography lists not only titles that deal specifically with Messager but also a number of general works that may prove useful in the study of the period in which Messager lived and worked. Archival materials are listed together with more generally available printed sources. The volume includes a discography, appendices, and an index. Providing comprehensive, up-to-date information in a convenient format, this bio-bibliography will be a valuable research tool for studies of French music of the period.
