Georges Lamothe


Marie Émile Georges Lamothe was a prolific French composer, pianist and harmonium player. Apart from a large number of salon pieces for the piano, he was also known as an accompanist to popular theatrical performances including puppet plays.

Career

Lamothe was born in Paris in 1842, the exact date cannot be established. Baker's Dictionary, which wrongly claims that he was born in 1837, also states that his work-list exceeded "over 1,000 op.-numbers". In contrast, the online catalogue of the French national library, counts 503 entries under his name, which also includes arrangements of Lamothe's works by other composers. The highest opus number in this catalogue is 310, but many other works are listed without opus numbers, and around 15 to 20 opus numbers have been allocated two or three works. The exact quantity of works aside, he certainly was a very productive composer, with his first publications appearing in 1861 when he was barely 19 years of age.
His parents were Jean Paul Émile Alexandre Lamothe, a lawyer, and Marie Madeleine Désirée, née Chatelain. No information about his teachers or places of musical education has survived. He may have been a student of the Paris Conservatory, but his name is not included in publications that listed prize-winners of this institution.
The contemporary French press often described him as an organist; for example, an 1881 issue of Le Figaro called him the "organist of Her Majesty, the Queen of Spain", and, in fact, he received the title "Organiste de la Chambre royale de Sa Majesté la reine Isabella II d'Espagne" in December 1878. However, although he performed in Spain, he is not recorded as ever having spent any extended period of time at the Spanish court, so it must have been an honorary title only. Furthermore, this activity should not be confused with that of a church organist. Lamothe wrote for and performed on a portable "orgue expressif", better known as harmonium. On a number of public occasions, Lamothe promoted the products of the harmonium maker "Alexandre père et fils", for example at the World Exposition in Paris of 1889. An 1882 newspaper notice mentions him as giving teaching courses on the "orgue-harmonium" in the Salons Mangeot, 21 avenue de l'Opéra, Paris. As a performer on the piano and the harmonium, Lamothe enjoyed international popularity: besides performing all over France, in Spain and Portugal, he also toured through England in 1875 and the United States for two months in 1876.

Incidental music and accompaniments

Lamothe's main musical activity appears to have been writing and performing incidental music for theatrical productions, including puppet plays. In 1864, Lamothe became a member of "Les Pierrots", a Parisian group of artists convened by the actor Montrouge, alongside Jean-François Berthelier, Coquelin Cadet, Joseph Darcier, Léon Fusier, Félix Galipaux, Eugène Silvain, and others. He was also a member of the "Pupazzi" of Louis Lemercier de Neuville, a group of puppet players performing all over France. In Paris, these shows were frequently performed in the Théâtre Robert-Houdin, with Lamothe being a close collaborator of its founder, the magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, for whose productions he was one of the accompanists on the piano. Compositions like La Malle des Indes, Op. 161 and Une Soirée chez Robert-Houdin are dedicated to Robert-Houdin.
In his autobiography, Lemercier de Neuville included a list of the accompanists that he worked with in the course of his career. It lists, among others, Georges Bizet, Charles Gounod, Gustave Nadaud, Léo Delibes, Edmond Audran, and Georges Lamothe. As composers who wrote specific music for his plays he included, besides Lamothe, Charles Domergue de la Chaussée, Olivier Métra, Émile Pessard, and Albert Renaud.

Honours

Apart from the title of the Queen of Spain's organist, he was also decorated in Spain with the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. In 1879 he was made a Chevalier of the Order of Christ, and he received the Cross of the Order of Charles III. In France, he was named an "Officier de l'Instruction Publique" in January 1890, an honour bestowed by the French government on distinguished teachers, also known as "Golden Palms" of the Ordre des Palmes académiques.

Death

Lamothe died suddenly in Courbevoie, Département Hauts-de-Seine, aged 52. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, he died from a stomach abscess; the music journal Le Ménestrel reported that he had suffered for three days from an infectious stomach disease. He was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, Division 44.

Selected compositions

Stage

Tout Paris, Paris, Théâtre Robert-Houdin, 19 November 1886Polichinelle et la mort, 1 act, Paris, Théâtre d’Application, 13 January 1892

Piano music

Le Collier d'ambre. Polka Le Feu follet. Polka, Op. 3 Italia. Polka brillante, Op. 5 Bouquet de roses. Polka-mazurka, Op. 17 Impériale, Polka brillante, Op. 21 Croquetaine. Polka -mazurka, Op. 22 Salut à la France. Scène maritime, Op. 24 Coquillette. Polka, Op. 26 Franconi. Polka élégante, Op. 27 Voilà l'plaisir, mesdames, Polka brillante, Op. 28 En Avant, Polka militaire, Op. 30 Sur la montagne. Harmonie du soir, Op. 31 Dormez ma belle. Berceuse, Op. 32 Altorf. Polka-mazurka, Op. 33 Promenade militaire. Fantaisie, Op. 34 Valse des perles, Op. 35 Au clair de la lune. Variations brillantes, Op. 36 Phoebé. Valse, Op. 41 Valse des amoureuses, Op. 42 Mandarine. Polka-mazurka, Op. 44 Fanfare-polka, Op. 45 Fleurs des champs. Trois danses, Op. 49 Eliane. Polka mazurka, Op. 50 Bella. Valse, Op. 51 Caprice espagnol. Morceau de salon, Op. 52 Promenade champêtre. Fantaisie pastorale, Op. 56 Cachucha-mazurk, Op. 57 Lisbonne. Boléro, Op. 58 Marche des souverains, Op. 60 A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Musique de scène, Op. 61 La Danse des roses. Air de ballet, Op. 62 Le Jardin des rêves. Mazurka, Op. 63 Pirouette. Polka, Op 64 La Lanterne. Polka mazurka, Op. 65 Poésie. Caprice, Op. 66 Un Souvenir. Étude de salon, Op. 67 Le Premier baiser. Valse, Op. 68 La Sympathique. Grande valse de salon, Op. 69 La Charmeuse. Valse, Op. 70 Soupir des feuilles. Rêverie-mazurka, Op. 71 Les Larmes. Rêverie musicale, Op. 72 Evohé. Chanson à boire, Op. 74 Les Saisons. Quatre fantaisies-études, Op. 75 La Napolitaine. Tarentelle, Op. 76 Le Val des fées. Mazurka de salon, Op. 80 France. Transcription militaire du choeur d'Ambroise Thomas, Op. 81 Marche vénitienne, Op. 82 Tolède. Boléro, Op. 84 Désespérance. Rêverie nocturne, Op. 85 Les Cloches de Pâques. Carillon avec variations sur l'hymne 'O filii', Op. 86 Frétillon-polka, Op. 87 Ko-Kli-Ko. Polka chinoise, Op. 90 Brise des nuits. Valse, Op. 91 Gavotte Pompadour, transcrite et variée, Op. 95 Chants d’Alsace, Op. 100 La Marseillaise. Transcription militaire, Op. 101 Les Rives de l'Arno. Rêverie italienne, Op. 102 Eclat de rire. Polka fantaisie, Op. 103 Mélancolie. Valse, Op. 104 Buisson d'écrevisses. Polka, Op. 121 Un Désir. Suite de valses Les Délices, Valse, Op. 122 Danse arabe, Op. 133 La Fiancée. Valse brillante, Op. 135 Fontainebleau. Valse fanfare, Op. 136 Turquoise. Polka, Op. 138 Or et azur. Valse, Op. 139 Nuit et jour. Grande valse, Op. 155 Barque jolie. Grande valse sur des motifs de Victor Robillard, Op. 156 La Fée de la nuit. Valse brillante, sur les motifs de Ch. Pourny, Op. 157 Madrigal de François 1er , recueilli et transcrit, Op. 158 Les Bersagliers. Caprice militaire, Op. 159 Carnaval parisien. Fantaisie burlesque, Op. 160 La Malle des Indes. Galop brillant, Op. 161 Tramway-galop, Op. 163 Frascati. Valse, Op. 169 Songes roses. Suite de valses, Op. 170 Nuit d'Orient. Grande valse de salon, Op. 171 Le Message des fleurs. Valse, Op. 172 Le Pays des songes. Valse, Op. 174 Les Archers d'Armagnac. Morceau caractéristique, Op. 175 Rêverie sur l'eau. Barcarolle, Op. 176 Primavera. Mazurka, Op. 177 Royale gavotte, Op. 178 Chacone du bon vieux temps, Op. 179 Menuet du Roi, Op. 181 La Petite mariée, opéra bouffe de Ch. Lecocq. Fantaisie brillante, Op. 182 Le Réveil du régiment. Marche, Op. 185 Le Vieux Paris. Ronde nocturne, Op. 193 Etendard. Polka, Op. 196 Lulu-galop, Op. 197 Acrobate-galop, Op. 197 Flamberge au vent. Caprice militaire, Op. 198 Cavalcade-galop, Op. 202 Le Palanquin. Marche indienne, Op. 206 France et Navarre. Air ancien attribué à Henri IV, Op. 207 Rosée du matin. Valse brillante, Op. 208 Dora. Valse espagnole, Op. 209 Toujours et encore. Valse, Op. 211 Pour un sourire. Valse, Op. 212 Souvenir du village, Op. 214 La Petite muette, opéra-comique en 3 actes de Gaston Serpette. Fantaisie, Op. 215 La Fée des bruyères. Valse, Op. 216 La Bayadère. Air de ballet, Op. 217 Castor et Pollux, de Rameau. Mosaïque, Op. 218 Varsovie. Impromptu-mazurka, Op. 219 Brune et blonde. Valse brillante, Op. 220 Marche funèbre, Op. 221 Toujours à toi. Valse, Op. 223 Rêverie d'automne, Op. 224 Sous la feuillée. Rêverie-nocturne, Op. 225 Ciel de feu. Suite de valses, Op. 229 Gavotte de la Reine, Op. 236 Les Chevaliers du guet. Caprice militaire, Op. 237 La Corrida de los torros. Souvenir andaloux, caprice, Op. 242 Gavotte de Vestris, Op. 246 Chanson du vert-galant, Op. 247 Royal-défilé. Caprice militaire, Op. 253 C'est un rêve. Suite de valses sur la célèbre mélodie anglaise 'Dreaming' de Milton Wellings Un Jour. Suite de valses sur la célèbre mélodie anglaise 'Some Day' de Milton Wellings Lakmé, opéra de Léo Delibes. Caprice-valse François les bas bleus, opéra-comique en 3 actes de F. Bernicat et A. Messager. Fantaisie brillante, Op. 260 Sigurd, opéra de E. Reyer. Valse Vivette. Polka-mazurka sur les motifs du ballet 'La Farandole' de Théodore Dubois Marche des pupazzi. Mirlitonade, Op. 271 Sur la falaise. Rêverie-nocturne, Op. 273 Gavotte Marion de Lorme, Op. 274 Pavane Renaissance, Op. 278 Souvenir de Hongrie . Caprice, Op. 279 Tunis-marche, Op. 280 Le Cid. Valse sur les motifs de J. Massenet Marche des maillotins, Op. 283 Bagdad-marche. Polka-marche, Op. 288 Pendant la valse. Impromptu, Op. 301 Les Femmes de France. Valse Marche des chameliers. Souvenir d'Orient, Op. 302 Retraité française. Caprice militaire, Op. 303 Le Roi Soleil. Célèbre menuet Louis XIV, Op. 304 Derrière l'éventail. Marivandage, Op. 305 Une Soirée chez Robert-Houdin. Quadrille France et Russie. Caprice militaire, Op. 306 Veillées d'automne. Six pièces caractéristiques sans octaves, Op. 308 Pierre fines. Six danses faciles sans octaves, Op. 309 Soirées d'hiver. Six morceaux caractéristiques sans octaves, Op. 310 Côte d'azur, Valse

Organ and harmonium music

Le Fremersberg Loin du monde. Méditation, Op. 10 No. 31 Souvenirs du 'Capitaine Henriot', de Gevaert. Fantaisie brillante, Op. 14 Fantaisie brillante sur des motifs du 'Chalet', opéra d'Adolphe Adam, Op. 25 Une Fête aux champs. Fantaisie pastorale, Op. 37 Le Réveil des anges. Prière, Op. 88

Duos for piano and organ/harmonium

Impromptu villageois, Op. 12 Souvenir du St. Bernard. Angelus, Op. 13 Les Roses. Valse, Op. 162 Guillaume Tell. Grand duo, Op. 183 Paul et Virginie, opéra de Victor Massé. Grand duo, Op. 199 Opéras de Verdi. Six grands duos, Op. 230

Songs

Quand je n'avais pas de maîtresse. Chansonnette À l'ours. Cri populaire La Cabaretière. Chanson On n'a jamais fait d'om'lette. Paysannerie Les Regrets de Suzette. Rêverie Les Moissons. Chant villageois C'est pas fort. Exclamation populaire Adieu printemps. Mélodie Ton nom. Mélodie