He was born in
Geneva and received his early music education there. In 1835 he went to
Paris, where he studied under
Frédéric Chopin and met
Franz Liszt. The latter was particularly supportive and helped publish Bovy-Lysberg's Les Suissesses, Op. 1, a set of
waltzes for piano. By mid-1840s Bovy-Lysberg was becoming a well-known teacher and performer in Paris, but after the
French Revolution of 1848 he had to leave for his home town. He got married in 1848 and settled in his wife's castle in
Dardagny, near Geneva. He stayed there for the rest of his life, frequently giving recitals in Geneva and the neighbouring towns, organizing concerts and publishing his music. He also taught at the
Geneva Conservatory in 1848–9 and 1870–3. He composed more than 150 pieces, most of them short works for piano, very popular in Geneva salons of his time, but almost completely unknown today. A street in Geneva is named after him, rue Bovy-Lysberg.
Selected works
Piano
Op. 1. Les Suissesses. 5 Valses brillantes.
Op. 3. 4 Romances (I. A Marie. II. Rêve. III. Espoir. IV. Souvenir)
Op. 4. Le Lac de Brientz. Quadrille
Op. 6. Les Amaranthes. 4 Valses brillantes.
Op. 8. Les Roses d'automne. Valses brillantes.
Op. 9. La Reine des Prés. Valse brillante.
Op. 10. Trois nocturnes
Op. 11. Fantaisie
Op. 14. Six Etudes de Salon
Op. 15. 4 Romances
Op. 16. Fantaisie sur: Guillaume Tell de Rossini
Op. 17. Rose des Alpes. Valse brillante.
Op. 18. 6 Caprices
Op. 20. Etude pour la Maine gauche seule.
Op. 21. Fantaisie brillante sur la cavatine fav. de La Niobe de Pacini
Op. 23. Divertissement brillante.
Op. 25. Deuxieme barcarolle
Op. 26. La Napolitana. Etude de Légèreté.
Op. 27. 3 Romances sans paroles (I. Regrets. II. Invocation. III. Aveu)
Op. 28. Terpsichore. Caprice.
Op. 29. Deux Nocturnes
Op. 30. 3 Romances sans paroles (I. Près d'une chapelle. II. Soir d'Automne. III. Rayon de Bonheur)
^
abRiemann, Hugo (1896). Musiklexikon. Translated by Shedlock, John South. London: Augener. p. 461.
^
abGrove, George; Fuller-Maitland, J. A. (John Alexander) (1904).
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians;. Harvard University. New York, The Macmillan Company; London, Macmillan & Co., ltd. p. 794.
^
abFétis, François-Joseph (1878–1880). Biographie universelle des musiciens (in French). Vol. Supplément et complément, Tome 2. Paris: Firmin Didot Frères (published 1837). pp. 138–139.
He was born in
Geneva and received his early music education there. In 1835 he went to
Paris, where he studied under
Frédéric Chopin and met
Franz Liszt. The latter was particularly supportive and helped publish Bovy-Lysberg's Les Suissesses, Op. 1, a set of
waltzes for piano. By mid-1840s Bovy-Lysberg was becoming a well-known teacher and performer in Paris, but after the
French Revolution of 1848 he had to leave for his home town. He got married in 1848 and settled in his wife's castle in
Dardagny, near Geneva. He stayed there for the rest of his life, frequently giving recitals in Geneva and the neighbouring towns, organizing concerts and publishing his music. He also taught at the
Geneva Conservatory in 1848–9 and 1870–3. He composed more than 150 pieces, most of them short works for piano, very popular in Geneva salons of his time, but almost completely unknown today. A street in Geneva is named after him, rue Bovy-Lysberg.
Selected works
Piano
Op. 1. Les Suissesses. 5 Valses brillantes.
Op. 3. 4 Romances (I. A Marie. II. Rêve. III. Espoir. IV. Souvenir)
Op. 4. Le Lac de Brientz. Quadrille
Op. 6. Les Amaranthes. 4 Valses brillantes.
Op. 8. Les Roses d'automne. Valses brillantes.
Op. 9. La Reine des Prés. Valse brillante.
Op. 10. Trois nocturnes
Op. 11. Fantaisie
Op. 14. Six Etudes de Salon
Op. 15. 4 Romances
Op. 16. Fantaisie sur: Guillaume Tell de Rossini
Op. 17. Rose des Alpes. Valse brillante.
Op. 18. 6 Caprices
Op. 20. Etude pour la Maine gauche seule.
Op. 21. Fantaisie brillante sur la cavatine fav. de La Niobe de Pacini
Op. 23. Divertissement brillante.
Op. 25. Deuxieme barcarolle
Op. 26. La Napolitana. Etude de Légèreté.
Op. 27. 3 Romances sans paroles (I. Regrets. II. Invocation. III. Aveu)
Op. 28. Terpsichore. Caprice.
Op. 29. Deux Nocturnes
Op. 30. 3 Romances sans paroles (I. Près d'une chapelle. II. Soir d'Automne. III. Rayon de Bonheur)
^
abRiemann, Hugo (1896). Musiklexikon. Translated by Shedlock, John South. London: Augener. p. 461.
^
abGrove, George; Fuller-Maitland, J. A. (John Alexander) (1904).
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians;. Harvard University. New York, The Macmillan Company; London, Macmillan & Co., ltd. p. 794.
^
abFétis, François-Joseph (1878–1880). Biographie universelle des musiciens (in French). Vol. Supplément et complément, Tome 2. Paris: Firmin Didot Frères (published 1837). pp. 138–139.