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Messager

André Messager (1854–1929) was a French composer and conductor who studied at the École Niedermeyer in Paris under Camille Saint-Saëns. He became one of the outstanding conductors of his generation, serving as musical director of the Opéra-Comique, the Paris Opéra, and Covent Garden between 1901 and 1907. In 1902 he conducted the world premiere of Pelléas et Mélisande at the Opéra-Comique; Debussy dedicated the published score to him in recognition of his determined advocacy during a famously difficult path to the stage. His own works include the operetta Véronique and the ballet Les Deux Pigeons, still performed by the Royal Ballet.

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