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Louis Nourrit
Louis Nourrit (4 August 1780, Montpellier – 23 September 1831, Brunoy) was an early 19th-century French tenor. Throughout his operatic career, Nourrit also operated as a diamond merchant. Biography After he left Montpellier, he was admitted at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1802 where he received lessons from Pierre-Jean Garat. In 1805 he made his debut at the Paris Opéra as Renaud in Gluck's '' Armide''. After serving as the understudy to Étienne Lainez for a few years, he was promoted to the Opéra's leading tenor in 1812. He took part in the premieres of ''Les Abencérages'' by Luigi Cherubini (1813) and ''Olimpie'' by Gaspare Spontini (1819). Other roles included those of Orphée in ''Aladin ou La lampe merveilleuse'', an opéra féerie of 1822 by Nicolò), Harem in '' La caravane du Caire'' by Grétry, and Colin in ''Le devin du village''. In 1821 he saluted his son Adolphe's tenor debut in Gluck's '' Iphigénie en Tauride'', by appearing in the minor role of a Scy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Caravane Du Caire
''La Caravane du Caire'' is an opera or opéra-ballet in three acts by André Grétry, set to a libretto by Étienne Morel de Chédeville. Tradition has it that either the libretto was partially writtenCharlton. or the idea of it was allegedly suggestedPitou, p. 95. by the Count of Provence, who would go down in history as Louis XVIII of France. The opera was first performed at the Palace of Fontainebleau on 30 October 1783 and had its public premiere at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, the period venue of the Paris Opera, on 15 January 1784. It was the most successful of Grétry's large-scale works that are lighter in tone: it received over 500 performances at the Paris Opera up to 1829, being billed every year between 1785 and 1791, and, except for 1818, between 1806 and 1828, besides enjoying further irregular stagings during the Revolutionary period. Roles Synopsis Act 1 A caravan is heading to Cairo. Among the travellers are the slave dealer Husca and his slaves Zà ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodolphe Kreutzer
Rodolphe Kreutzer (15 November 1766 – 6 January 1831) was a French violinist, teacher, conductor, and composer of forty French operas, including ''La mort d'Abel'' (1810). He is probably best known as the dedicatee of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47 (1803), known as the ''Kreutzer Sonata'', though he never played the work. Kreutzer made the acquaintance of Beethoven in 1798, when at Vienna in the service of the French ambassador, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (later King of Sweden and Norway). Beethoven originally dedicated the sonata to George Bridgetower, the violinist at its first performance, but after a quarrel he revised the dedication in favour of Kreutzer. Biography Kreutzer was born in Versailles, and was initially taught by his German father, who was a musician in the royal chapel, with later lessons from Anton Stamitz. He became one of the foremost violin virtuosos of his day, appearing as a soloist until 1810. He was a violin professor at the Conse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Mort D'Abel
' (''The Death of Abel'') is an opera by the French composer Rodolphe Kreutzer. The libretto, by François-Benoît Hoffman, deals with the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. It was first performed in a three-act version at the Salle Montansier by the Académie Impériale de Musique (the Paris Opéra) on 23 March 1810 under the title ''Abel''. A revival at the Salle Le Peletier in 1823, in which the second act was cut, impressed the young Hector Berlioz. Background ' was one of a number of French operas and oratorios on Biblical themes to appear in the first decades of the 19th century. This fashion was inspired by a performance of Haydn's '' The Creation'' at the Paris Opéra in 1800. Examples of the genre include Kalkbrenner's staged oratorios ''Saul'' and ', Lesueur's ' and, most famously, Méhul's ''Joseph'' (1807). Alexandre Dratwicki in the book accompanying the Van Waas recording, p. 62 The French Emperor Napoleon did not share the enthusiasm for putting Bible stories ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles-Simon Catel
Charles-Simon Catel (10 June 1773 – 29 November 1830) was a French composer and educator born at L'Aigle, Orne. Biography Catel studied at the Royal School of Singing in Paris. He was the chief assistant to François-Joseph Gossec at the orchestra of the National Guard in 1790. A member of the Institute, he jointly composed pieces of military music for official state ceremonies, including ''L'Hymne à la Victoire'' (Victory Hymn), with words by Ponce-Denis Écouchard-Lebrun. He was appointed inaugural professor of harmony at the Conservatoire de Paris, but was destitute in 1814. Amongst his students were the Prix de Rome winning composers Joseph Daussoigne-Méhul and Victor Dourlen, the Belgian composer Martin-Joseph Mengal, and the famous, if eccentric, harpist Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. Catel died in Paris. His works include a ''Treatise on Harmony'' (1802), which was used by the young Berlioz, several concert band works, several dramatic compositions at the Opéra Nation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Les Bayadères
''Les bayadères'' is an opera in three acts by the composer Charles-Simon Catel. The French-language libretto, by Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy, is based on Voltaire's story ''L'education d'un prince''. It was first performed on 8 August 1810 by the Paris Opéra at the Théâtre des Arts with the famous soprano Caroline Branchu in the lead role of Laméa. ''Les bayadères'' was Catel's most popular opera. Performance history The success of the work was helped by a first-rate cast and the luxury of the spectacle. Among the star singers were Madame Branchu, Henri-Étienne Dérivis and Louis Nourrit. The dancers included Émilie Bigottini and Pierre Gardel. By the end of the third act, 130 performers were on stage. Arthur Pougin calculated that the whole production cost 150,000 francs, including 90,000 francs on costumes, a considerable sum for the day. Jean-Baptiste Rey was due to conduct, but he died in July. His replacement was Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis. Later revivals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fernand Cortez
''Fernand Cortez, ou La conquête du Mexique '' (''Hernán Cortés, or The Conquest of Mexico'') is an opera in three acts by Gaspare Spontini with a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Joseph-Alphonse Esménard. It was first performed on 28 November 1809 by the Académie Impériale de Musique (Paris Opera) at the Salle Montansier. Background and performance history The opera was originally intended as political propaganda to support the Emperor Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808. Cortez symbolises Napoleon while the bloodthirsty Aztec priests are meant to represent the Spanish Inquisition. The emperor himself is said to have suggested the theme of the opera to Spontini and the premiere was held in his presence. The popularity of the piece declined with the waning of the French army's fortunes in Spain and Portugal. The 1809 premiere was famous for its spectacular effects, including the appearance of 17 live horses on stage. Critics complained about the adventurous harmon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auguste Nourrit
Auguste Nourrit (1808-1853) was a 19th-century French tenor and opera director, younger brother of famous Adolphe Nourrit and son of tenor Louis Nourrit. Life Auguste Nourrit made his debut at the Opéra-Comique of Paris in 1826 and stayed there a few years before moving to the Hague in 1833 in order to head the Théâtre français. After a brief stint at the Comédie-Française, he directed the Theatre of Antwerp in 1836–1837. In the early 1840s, he made a long tour of the United States and Canada: he sang especially in New Orleans, New York, then in Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto. In 1847, he was appointed director of the Théâtre de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ... in Brussels but had to give up in November, due to financial meltdown. Exte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Le Siège De Corinthe
''Le siège de Corinthe'' (English: ''The Siege of Corinth'') is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini set to a French libretto by Luigi Balocchi and Alexandre Soumet, which was based on the reworking of some of the music from the composer's 1820 opera for Naples, ''Maometto II'', the libretto of which was written by Cesare della Valle. ''Le siège'' was Rossini's first French opera (known also in its Italian version as ''L'assedio di Corinto'') and was first given at the Salle Le Peletier of the Paris Opéra on 9 October 1826 Composition history The opera commemorates the siege and ultimate destruction of the town of Missolonghi in 1826 by Turkish troops during the ongoing Greek War of Independence (1821–1829). The same incident – condemned throughout Western Europe for its cruelty – also inspired a prominent painting by Eugène Delacroix (''Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi''), and was mentioned in the writings of Victor Hugo. The reference ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity. Born in Pesaro to parents who were both musicians (his father a trumpeter, his mother a singer), Rossini began to compose by the age of 12 and was educated at music school in Bologna. His first opera was performed in Venice in 1810 when he was 18 years old. In 1815 he was engaged to write operas and manage theatres in Naples. In the period 1810–1823 he wrote 34 operas for the Italian stage that were performed in Venice, Milan, Ferrara, Naples and elsewhere; this productivity necessitated an almost formulaic approach for some components (such as overtures) and a certain amount of self-borrowing. Durin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Daussoigne-Méhul
Joseph Daussoigne-Méhul (10 June 1790 – 10 March 1875) was a French composer and music educator. He served as the first director of the Royal Conservatory of Liège from 1826–1862; having been appointed to that post by William I of the Netherlands. In addition to his duties as director, he also taught courses in harmony and composition at the school. Among his notable pupils were Adolphe Samuel, César Franck, and Jean-Théodore Radoux, the latter of whom succeeded him as conservatory director. In 1859, he was made a Commander of the Order of Leopold. Life and career Born Louis-Joseph Daussoigne in Givet, Ardennes, he legally changed his name to Joseph Daussoigne-Méhul on 12 August 1845 when he was 55 years old. He and his younger brother had been adopted by their uncle, the composer Étienne Méhul, in 1797 when he was seven years old. His brother served as a lieutenant in the French Army during the War of 1812 and was killed in action. In 1799, Daussoigne-Méhul entered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iphigénie En Tauride
''Iphigénie en Tauride'' (, ''Iphigenia in Tauris'') is a 1779 opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck in four acts. It was his fifth opera for the French stage. The libretto was written by Nicolas-François Guillard. With ''Iphigénie,'' Gluck took his operatic reform to its logical conclusion. The recitatives are shorter and they are ''récitatif accompagné'' (i.e. the strings and perhaps other instruments are playing, not just continuo accompaniment). The normal dance movements that one finds in the French ''tragédie en musique'' are almost entirely absent. The drama is ultimately based on the play ''Iphigenia in Tauris'' by the ancient Greek dramatist Euripides which deals with stories concerning the family of Agamemnon in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Performance history ''Iphigénie en Tauride'' was first performed on 18 May 1779 by the Paris Opéra at the second Salle du Palais-Royal and was a great success. Some think that the head of the Paris Opéra, Devismes, had at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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