Clemence de Grandval, born in 1828 was a well known composer in 19th century Paris. Her family was wealthy, and the composer Friedrich Flotow, a family friend, gave her composition lessons. She had piano lessons from Chopin. Later she studies with Camille Saint-Saëns. She had a wide range of friends, from the music establishment, throughout her life.
She wrote five operas and a number of other major works. In 1878 she wrote an oboe concerto. The concerto became a familiar examination piece at the Paris Conservatoire, in its oboe and piano form. Despite this popularity the orchestral score seems to have disappeared.
The oboe was not a characteristic instrument for the Romantic period, but she was a close friend the brilliant oboist Georges Gillet. That may explain why she wrote a lot for the oboe.
She died in Paris in 1907.
