Paul Henri Büsser (16 January 1872 – 30 December 1973) was a French classical composer, organist, conductor and teacher. Among his teachers were César Franck, Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet. In addition to his own compositions Büsser edited and orchestrated a wide range of music – mostly but not exclusively French – dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries. He was at various times in his career the conductor of the Paris Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, and professor of composition at the Conservatoire de Paris.
In 1900 Büsser was appointed conductor at the Théâtre du Château-d'Eau in Paris. In 1902 he directed the off-stage chorus at the premiere of Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande at the Opéra-Comique, and took over the remaining performances when the original conductor, André Messager, stepped down after the third performance to meet other contractual commitments. Debussy was at first less impressed by Büsser's conducting than by Messager's,[2] but Büsser soon mastered the work and the composer inscribed a score of the opera to him "with the grateful friendship of Claude Debussy".[3] He later asked Büsser to orchestrate his Petite Suite.[4]
Büsser edited and arranged a considerable amount of music. In 1913 he contributed to the final volume of the complete edition of the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau.[1] In the 1950s he edited the music of Les Indes galantes by Rameau, and OberonbyCarl Maria von Weber, described by The New York Times as two of the major stagings at the Paris Opéra in the postwar years.[6] The breadth of his musical sympathies and his concern for historical as well as modern music were reflected in the title of his memoirs, De Pelléas aux Indes galantes (1955).[7] His arrangements include many of works by French composers, such as Lully as well as Rameau, and later ones including Berlioz, Franck, Bizet and Fauré, as well as works by Mozart, Schubert and Verdi.[1]
According to Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Büsser's music for the concert hall is "firmly rooted in the French 19th-century tradition" of Gounod and Saint-Saëns, but in his best known music, written for the theatre, Wagner's influence is strong, as, to a lesser degree, is that of Debussy.[1]
Late in his life Büsser was made a Grand Officier of the Légion d'honneur. At the age of 86 he married a retired opera singer, Yvonne Gall.[6] He died in Paris just short of his 102nd birthday.[6]
