Benjamin Godard

Benjamin Godard (Benjamin Louis Paul Godard) (1849–1895) was born in Paris in 1849. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1863 where he studied under Henri Vieuxtemps. In 1878, Godard was the co-winner of the Prix de la Ville de Paris. His winning composition, a dramatic symphony entitled Le Tasso, remains one of his most admired works. Godard was opposed to the music of Richard Wagner and his musical style was more in tune with those of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann. Godard's long list of works includes eight operas (Jocelyn, performed in Paris in 1888, and Dante, played at the Opéra-Comique two years later), five symphonies (Symphonie gothique, Symphonie orientale, and Symphonie légendaire), Concerto romantique for violin and orchestra, two piano concertos, three string quartets, four sonatas for violin and piano, a sonata for cello and piano, two piano trios, several piano pieces, and more than 100 songs.