Reynaldo Hahn Biography - A Very Quick Guide

Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor and critic, best known for his songs and refined contributions to French musical culture in the early 20th century. Born in Caracas, he moved to Paris as a child and studied at the Conservatoire, where his teachers included Jules Massenet. Hahn became closely associated with the literary and artistic circles of Paris and was a lifelong friend of Marcel Proust, whose salon he frequented from a young age. His career encompassed work as a composer, music critic for Le Figaro, and later director of the Paris Opéra.

Hahn wrote operas, ballets, orchestral music and chamber works, but he is remembered primarily for his mélodies, including Si mes vers avaient des ailes and À Chloris, which exemplify his elegant, melodic style. His stage works, such as the operetta Ciboulette (1923), also achieved lasting success. Hahn’s music is characterised by clarity, lyricism and a nostalgic attachment to earlier French styles. He died in Paris in 1947, leaving a legacy that remains central to the repertoire of French art song.