Louis-Aimé Maillart (March 24, 1817 – May 26, 1871) was a French composer, best known for his operas, particularly '' Les Dragons de Villars'' and ''Lara''.

Biography

Maillart was born in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

(

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019."Maillart, Aimé"
''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 28 June 2021 He studied at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

from 1833, learning composition from Aimé-Ambroise-Simon Leborne and Fromental Halévy, and violin from Guérin. In 1841 he won France's premier music prize, the Prix de Rome, which brought with it three years' study at the French Academy in Rome. After returning to France he composed his first opera, ''Gastibelza, ou Le fou de Tolède'', which was chosen as the opening work at the Opéra-National (later the Théâtre Lyrique) in 1847. There followed five more operas between then and 1864, all first performed in Paris. Of his operas, ''Les dragons de Villars'' (1856) and ''Lara'' (1864) are the best known. ''Les dragons de Villars'' premiered at the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien). The company was founded in 1847 as the Opéra-N ...

;Clément and Larousse, pp. 236–237 it was also given in Germany under the title ''Das Glöckchen des Eremiten''. ''Lara'' was based on a poem of the same name by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

. Maiilart died in Moulins, Allier in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

region of France at the age of 54, and was buried in the

Cimetière de Montmartre The Cemetery of Montmartre (french: link=no, Cimetière de Montmartre) is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis ...

. '' Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' says of him, "Maillart’s music is characterized by graceful melodies, a colourful, theatrical style and skilful instrumentation".

Operas

*''Lionel Foscara'' (cantata) (1841) *''Gastilbelza (l'homme à la carbine)'' (1847) *''Le moulin des tilleuls'' (1849) *'' Les dragons de Villars'' (1856) *''Les pêcheurs de Catane'' (1860) *''Lara'' (1864)

References and sources

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maillart, Aime 1817 births 1871 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century French composers 19th-century French male musicians Burials at Montmartre Cemetery French classical composers French male classical composers French opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from Montpellier Prix de Rome for composition