Jean Wiener

Jean Wiener (19 March 1896 – 8 June 1982) was a French pianist and composer whose career spanned the interwar jazz boom, the golden age of French cinema, and the post‑war avant‑garde. Born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris where he studied alongside Darius Milhaud and absorbed the teachings of Erik Satie. After graduating he became a house pianist at the famed Gaya bar and later at the iconic Le Boeuf sur le Toit, venues that connected him with the nascent French jazz scene. A chance meeting with fellow pianist Clément Doucet in 1924 launched the popular duo Wiener et Doucet, whose performances blended classical repertoire with hot dance and jazz, and whose recordings between 1925 and 1937 helped legitise jazz in Parisian music halls. Beyond performance, Wiener was a tireless promoter of new music. He championed the works of the Les Six—including Milhaud and Francis Poulenc—as well as the Second Viennese School composers Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern, often programming their pieces in concerts he organized. His own compositions reflect this synthesis, marrying French wit and elegance with jazz syncopation, evident in works such as the Concerto Franco‑Americain and his numerous solo piano pieces like Sonatine Syncopée (1921) and Sonate Sans Nom (1973). After World War II Wiener devoted himself primarily to film music, scoring more than three hundred movies ranging from Marcel Carné’s Le Crime de Monsieur Lange (1936) to Robert Bresson’s Mouchette (1967). He also wrote the opening theme for ORTF’s programme “History without Words.” His memoir, Allegro Appassionato (1978), offers a vivid account of Parisian cultural life across eight decades. Wiener’s personal legacy includes his son Stéphane Wiéner, an accomplished alto player, and his daughter Elizabeth Wiener, a multi‑talented actress, singer, and songwriter. He died in Paris in 1982, leaving a rich archive of recordings, scores, and a reputation as a bridge between French classical tradition and modern popular styles.