Cécile Chaminade for kids: her life, her music, and what to play first

Cécile Chaminade was a French composer and pianist who lived from 1857 to 1944. She wrote about 400 pieces, most of them short works for piano and songs. They sold in huge numbers, and amateur pianists played them in homes across Europe and North America. The best first piece for a child is her Concertino for flute, eight minutes of sweeping tunes and fast fingers.

Quick facts

• Born: 1857, in Paris, France
• Died: 1944, in Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Era: Romantic
• Played: piano
• Known for: the Concertino for flute, the “Scarf Dance,” and hundreds of piano pieces and songs

The life in short

Chaminade’s mother was a pianist and singer, and she gave Cécile her first lessons. Cécile wrote her first pieces as a small child.

The composer Georges Bizet was a neighbor. He heard her play when she was about eight and called her “my little Mozart.” He told her parents to send her to the Paris Conservatory.

Her father said no. He did not think it proper for a girl of her class to attend a music school. She was allowed to study in private with teachers from the Conservatory.

She gave her first public concert at 18. From then on, she played her own music across France and then abroad. She was a favorite in England, where she played for Queen Victoria.

In 1908, she toured the United States and played in 12 cities. By then, American women had formed music clubs named after her. There were about 200 Chaminade Clubs.

In 1913, France gave her the Legion of Honor. She was the first woman composer to receive it.

Musical fashion changed after the First World War. Her music was heard less, and she spent her last years in Monte Carlo, out of public view.

What the music sounds like

Chaminade wrote tunes that stay in the ear. Her piano pieces are elegant and clear, with a strong melody on top and a light, dancing rhythm below. Most last three or four minutes.

She gave them titles that set a scene: “Autumn,” “The Flatterer,” “Scarf Dance.”

Her pieces sit well under the hands. A student in the middle grades can learn one and sound polished.

Pieces to play first

Concertino for flute. She wrote it in 1902 as a test piece for flute students at the Paris Conservatory. It opens with a broad, singing tune and ends with a race. Flute players still learn it today.

“Scarf Dance.” A graceful piano piece from her ballet Callirhoë. It was one of the best-selling piano pieces of its time.

“Autumn.” A concert study for piano. A calm tune opens and closes it, and a storm blows through the middle.

“The Flatterer.” A short, charming piano piece with a tune that curls and bows.

Things to do together

Follow the flute. Play the Concertino. Your child traces the flute’s line in the air, up when it climbs and down when it falls.

Scarf dance. Play the “Scarf Dance” and dance with a real scarf. Let it float on the long notes.

Find the storm. In “Autumn,” raise a hand when the calm ends and the storm begins. Lower it when the calm returns.

Ask a grandparent. Chaminade’s music sat on many piano benches 100 years ago. An older relative may remember a piece from a family songbook.

Why her name faded

In her lifetime, Chaminade’s music was known around the world. Critics later dismissed her music as light, and for decades it was seldom played in concert halls.

That has changed. Pianists and flute players have brought her pieces back, and listeners find them as well made as they are pleasant.

For piano and flute students

The flute Concertino is a standard piece for advanced students. Some of her piano pieces are set for exams and festivals. Ask the teacher for one that fits.

Print and play

Fill in a composer study notebook page for Cécile Chaminade. Read about more composers in women composers for kids. To learn about the instrument in her best-known piece, read the flute for kids. For the era she lived in, read Romantic era music for kids.

For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.