Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947)
Reynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, singer, and music critic, best known for his refined mélodie songs. He was born in Caracas but moved to Paris with his family as a child, where he studied under Jules Massenet at the Paris Conservatory. Hahn quickly became a favourite of Parisian social circles.
He published his first songs at the age of fourteen and composed his first opera, L’Île du rêve, at twenty-three. His oeuvre includes operas, ballets, stage music, and piano works. He also worked as a music critic for Le Figaro from 1934 and was appointed director of the Paris Opera in 1945.
Hahn met Marcel Proust in May 1894 at Madeleine Lemaire’s art salon. At the time, Hahn was nineteen and already a recognised composer, while Proust was twenty-two and a student at the Sorbonne. Their relationship began romantically and lasted about two years, but subsequently developed into a lifelong friendship. Proust wrote Hahn numerous letters, sharing his literary ambitions and personal reflections. Hahn, in turn, composed music for Proust’s texts, such as the Portraits de peintres series, and supported the writer throughout his career.
Hahn was active in Parisian social and cultural life. He performed at Princess Mathilde’s salon as early as six years old and later regularly attended dinners hosted by the writer Alphonse Daudet, which brought together many of the leading artists and writers of the time.
Sources:
Private Proust: Letters and Drawings to Reynaldo Hahn. Houghton Library (Lowell Room), February 4 – April 28, 2013. Guest Curator: François Proulx (Lecturer, Department of Comparative Literature, Harvard University). https://library.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/static/collections/proust/index.html
Tadié 2000, pp.155,210,541.
Corr., I, 139,172, II, 22.
Lettres, pp.67,1237-1242.
Corr., III, p.472 (278); XVIII, p.588 (343); XIV, p.357 (176).
Buja, Maureen, “Musicians and Artists: Hahn and Proust and Others”. Interlude August 12th, 2021. https://interlude.hk/musicians-and-artists-hahn-and-proust-and-others-portraits-de-peintres/
Photo: Atelier Nadar, ca. 1890–1898. Album de référence de l’Atelier Nadar, vol. 55. Département Estampes et photographie, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. gallica.bnf.fr. Digitally colourised print. Public Domain.