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Benjamin Godard

Biography (read more)

Benjamin Godard was a French composer of the Romantic period, born in Paris, where he later taught composition at the Conservatoire from 1887. A prolific composer across genres, his output includes eight operas, five symphonies, two piano concertos, two violin concertos, chamber music, and over a hundred songs; he is best remembered today for the “Berceuse” from his opera Jocelyn (1888). He died of tuberculosis in Cannes in 1895 at the age of 45.

Though largely absent from the operatic and symphonic repertoire today, Godard remains known through the enduring popularity of the Jocelyn “Berceuse,” and his smaller-scale works, particularly the Symphonie légendaire, are considered among his finest achievements. Aligned musically with Mendelssohn and Schumann, he was an outspoken opponent of Wagner’s antisemitism and was honored as a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1889.

Compare recordings piece by piece — 1 work of Benjamin Godard with more than one performance on the site →

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Repertoire

Berceuse (Jocelyn)
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Performed by Arthur Jussen

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 31: I. Andante – Allegro vivace— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 31: II. Scherzo. Allegretto non troppo— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 31: III. Andante quasi adagio— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 31: IV. Allegro ma non troppo. Vivace— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 148: I. Con moto – Allegro – Moderato— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 148: II. Andante –— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 148: III. Scherzo. Allegretto— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 148: IV. Andante maestoso – Moderato— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 104: I. Moderato— Bengt Forsberg
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Performed by Bengt Forsberg

Godard: Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 104: II. Adagio non troppo— Bengt Forsberg
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Performed by Bengt Forsberg

Godard: Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 104: III. Vivace ma non troppo – Andante – Vivace –…— Bengt Forsberg
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Performed by Bengt Forsberg

Godard: 2 Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 61: I. Aubade— Bengt Forsberg
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Performed by Bengt Forsberg

Godard: 2 Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 61: II. Scherzo— Bengt Forsberg
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Performed by Bengt Forsberg

Godard: Introduction and Allegro, Op. 49: I. Lento— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Godard: Introduction and Allegro, Op. 49: II. Allegro— Howard Shelley
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Performed by Howard Shelley

Premier Mai, Caprice for Piano, Op. 69— Guiomar Novaes
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Performed by Guiomar Novaes

12 Nouvelles études artistiques, Op. 107: No. 12 in B-Flat Major— Josef Lhévinne
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Performed by Josef Lhévinne