Herman Bemberg

Who was Herman Bemberg?

Herman Emanuel Bemberg Ocampo was a French-Argentinean musical composer.

He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of German Argentine parents and studied at the Paris Conservatoire, under Massenet, whose influence, with that of Gounod, is strongly marked in his music. He won the Rossini Prize in 1885. As a composer, he was known by numerous songs and pieces for the piano, as well as by his cantata La Mort de Jeanne d'Arc, the comic opera Le Baiser de Suzon, and the grand opera Elaine.

Among Bemberg's songs the dramatic recitative Ballade du Desespere was well known, and Chant Hindou was quite popular and frequently included in anthologies. He died in Bern, Switzerland.