Google Doodle pays homage to Creole composer Edmond Dede on his 194th birth anniversary

Google Doodle on Saturday, November 20, marked the 194th birth anniversary of Creole classical musician and composer Edmond Dede. Dede was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States on November 20 in 1827 and died on January 5 in 1903. His composition “Mon Pauvre Coeur” from the year 1851 remains one of the oldest surviving sheet music pieces.

Taking to its official Twitter handle, Google doodles shared the artistic graphic and paid a heartfelt tribute to Edmond Dede. The tweet read, "From the orchestras of NOLA to theatres of France— Creole violinist & composer Edmond Dédé was a world-class musician In fact, Dédé published one of the oldest pieces of sheet music by a New Orleans Black composer." According to Google Doodles page, Edmond Dede started learning clarinet from his father who was a bandmaster in a local military band, however, later he switched over to violin, an instrument at which he would soon be considered a prodigy. Soon, Dede left home in the United States and went to Mexico. 

More about Edmond Dede

The musician came back to the US in 1851, and during the same year, he published “Mon Pauvre Coeur.” To save money, he worked for a short time before leaving again to continue his classical studies in France, according to the Google Doodles page. In the late 1850s, he worked at Grand Theatre de Bordeaux. The musician also worked at the Theatre de l'Alcazar and the Folies Bordelaises.

His ballets, operettas and more than 250 songs gained massive success in France. In 1893, while he was on his way to the US for his only musical performance in New Orleans, Dede lost his favourite Cremona violin in a shipwreck; however, he managed to find a replacement just in time for his performance. Most of Edmond Dede’s sheet music have been preserved in the National Library of France and several American universities. Edmond Dede died on January 5, 1903, in Paris. 

Image: Twitter/@GoogleDoodles