Alphonse Lebefaude

Alphonse Marcel François Lebefaude was born in 1859 in Angoulême (France). He studied organ under Ludovic Bisch, the organist of the Cathedral of St. Pierre in Angoulême from 1857 to 1926. On 23 March 1884, he married Marie Joséphine Blanche Christien, who was also born in Angoulême. In 1885, a string quartet by Alphonse Lebefaude received the 4th prize in a local composition competition, and at that time he was also a member of the string quartet “Quatuor Dubois”, centered around the violinist Paul Dubois.
Alphonse Lebefaude then became a music teacher at the local “École Saint-Paul” and remained in this position for 50 years until his retirement. Besides that, Alphonse Lebefaude supported the local choir “L’Orphéon d’Angoulême” already since 1878, first as vice-president, later as its president and choir master. He was also involved in the founding of the “Société des Concerts Populaires d’Angoulême” and conducted the orchestra several times. After the passing of Ludovic Bisch, Alphonse Lebefaude became the organist of the Cathedral of St. Pierre and choir master of the church choir
.Alphonse Lebefaude died on 1 November 1941 in Angoulême (France) at the age of 82. It seems that Alphonse Lebefaude dedicated his complete life to the musical development of his hometown. For more than 60 years, he was an outstanding musician and shaped the musical history of Angoulême

Alphonse Lebefaude composed an “Andante religioso” for string quartet in 1886 and an "Ave verum” for solo, choir and orchestra in 1915.