Mélanie “Mel” Bonis (21 January 1858, Paris – 18 March 1937, Sarcelles, Val-d’Oise, France) was a French composer and pianist.
Bonis began studying piano at an early age, being self-taught until the age of 16 when she was introduced to French composer César Franck. From there she studied with Franck and Ernest Guiraud at the Paris Conservatoire alongside Claude Debussy and Gabriel Pierné. During her time at the Conservatoire, she was an exceptional student, earning first prize in harmony and second prize in accompaniment. In addition to this she adopted the pseudonym “Mel” to avoid feminine connotations with her name Mélanie.
Her time at the Conservatoire was ended prematurely with her marriage to a businessman by her parents, who disapproved of her studying music. Some time after her marriage, she became reacquainted with a colleague from her time at the Paris Conservatoire who encouraged her to continue composing. It was also during this time that Bonis was accepted into and later became secretary of the “Société des compositeurs de musique” (SCM). Within this organization, Bonis collaborated with composers such as Massenet, Saint-Saëns, and Fauré. Additionally, she won two composition prizes within this society.
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