Mel Bonis

[1] In 1874, at the age of sixteen, she began her studies at the Conservatoire, and attended classes in accompaniment, harmony, and composition, where she shared the benches with Claude Debussy and Gabriel Pierné[2] and received tuition from César Franck.

[3] At the Conservatoire, she met and fell in love with Amédée Landély Hettich (5 February 1856 – 5 April 1937),[4] a student, poet, and singer, setting some of his poems to music.

[7] In the 1890s, Bonis re-encountered Hettich, who was by then a respected vocal teacher and writer on music, married to a Polish harpist.

[5] Hettich encouraged Bonis to return to composition and was able to introduce her to some of the major publishers, after which her career began to succeed.

Bonis and Hettich embarked on an affair, which led to the birth of an illegitimate child, Madeleine (Jeanne-Pauline-Madeline Verger), on 8 September 1899.

On 22 April 1905, she received an 'honourable mention' for her (now lost) Suite pour harpe chromatique et deux instruments à vent.

An 84-page autobiographical book of personal reflections, "Souvenirs et Réflexions", was published by her daughter, Jeanne Brochot (née Domange), through 'les éditions du Nant d'enfer', Évian, in 1974.