Beer, Jules

Composer; son of Michael Beer, and nephew of Giacomo Meyerbeer; born 1833 in Paris, where he still (1902) resides. His first attempts at composition were two one-act comic operas, "En Etat de Siège" and "Les Roses de M. de Malesherbes," which were respectively performed before a private audience in 1859 and 1861. His next work was an opera entitled "La Fille d'Egypte," which was produced at the Théâtre Lyrique April 23, 1862. He then attempted works of greater magnitude; and in March, 1871, "Elisabeth de Hongrie," a grand opera by him, in four acts, was given at the Théâtre de la Monnaie at Brussels. Beer has since produced several other operatic works, none of which, however, has met with marked success. In addition to the foregoing, he has set to music Psalm cxxxvii., a work of colossal proportions for soli, chorus, and orchestra, which was performed for the first time on Jan. 23, 1868, at Paris, with Manduit, Caron, and Warot as the principal soloists.

Although these works are somewhat deficient when judged from a high artistic standpoint, they nevertheless deserve to be ranked far above the usual standard of amateur productions. Among the pianoforte compositions of Beer may be mentioned "La Marguerite," "Le Chant des Feuilles," and several other morceaux de salon.

Bibliography:

  * F. F. Félis, Biographie Universelle des Musiciens.



S. J. So.