Hahn, Reynaldo

1875 - Reynaldo Hahn, born on the 9th of August in Caracas, Venezuela. He was a naturalised French composer, conductor, music critic and diarist. Best known as a composer of songs, he wrote in the French classical tradition of the mélodie.

1888 - Composed Si me vers avaient des ailes to a poem by Victor Hugo; it was an instant success when published by Le Figaro.

1894 - By the age of nineteen, he had written many songs about love; however, his worldly sophistication masked shyness about his own personal feelings.

1896 - One of those projects, Portraits de peintres, is a work consisting of spoken text with piano accompaniment.

1920 - 1930 - He also served, as general manager of the Cannes Casino opera house.

1945 - Forced to leave Paris during the Nazi occupation, he returned at the end of the war to fulfill his appointment as director of the Paris Opéra.

1947 - Died on the 28th of January in Paris, France.