Audran, (Achille) Edmond

Audran, (Achille) Edmond, notable French composer, son of Marius-Pierre Audran; b. Lyons, April 12, 1840; d. Tierceville, Aug. 17, 1901. He was a student of Jules Duprato at the École Niedermeyer in Paris, graduating in 1859. In 1861 he became maître de chapelle of the church of St. Joseph in Marseilles, where he composed sacred music and attracted notice with his operetta Le Grand Mogol (Feb. 24, 1877). Settling in Paris, he scored a major success with his comic opera Les Noces d’Olivette (Nov. 13, 1879). Even more successful was his next score, La Moscotte (Dec. 29, 1880), one of the finest operettas of the day. No less successful was his next score, Gillette de Narbonne (Nov. 11, 1882). The revised version of Le Grand Mogol (Sept. 19, 1884) made it a repertoire staple. Among his later successful works were La Cigale et la fourmi (Oct. 30, 1886), Miss Helyett (Nov. 12, 1890), L’Onde Célestin (March 24, 1891), L’Enlèvement de la Toledad (Nov. 17, 1894), and La Poupée (Oct. 21, 1896).