Amédée Joseph Gabriel Marie Manca-Amat, Comte de Vallombrosa (24 March 1880 – 9 February 1968) was a French
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
.
Early life
Born in
Cannes
Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, Amédée de Vallombrosa was the son of Riccardo Manca-Amat, 4th
Duke of Vallombrosa and Asinara (b. 1834), and Geneviève (b. 1836). He was the younger brother of
Antoine-Amédée-Marie-Vincent Manca Amat de Vallombrosa, Marquis de Morès, who was a well-known
frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary.
Australia
The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...
ranchman in the
Badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...
of
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...
during the final years of the
American Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
who was assassinated in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
in 1896.
His paternal grandparents were Vincenzo Maria Giuseppe Manca-Amat, 3rd Duke of Vallombrosa and Asinara and Léontine Alexandrine Claire de Galard de Béarn. His maternal grandparents were
Amédée-François-Régis de Pérusse des Cars,
Comte des Cars and
Duc des Cars,
Peer of France
The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages.
The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...
, and Augustine-Joséphine du Bouchet de Sourches de Tourzel (a granddaughter of
Louise-Élisabeth du Bouchet de Sourches,
Duchess of Tourzel
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...
). His aunt, Marie-Paule de Pérusse des Cars, was the first wife of
Louis, Duke of Blacas.
Career
Despite his family fortune, the Comte de Vallombrosa did not choose the path of business but devoted his life to music and the organ at an early age. He was the pupil, substitute and friend of the great organist
Charles-Marie Widor
Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...
and composed several pieces himself. In 1910, he succeeded Camille Rage to the great organ of the
Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles de Paris, while also holding the position of
Kapellmeister
( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...
. In 1928, he succeeded
Félix Raugel as head of chapel of the
église Saint-Eustache.
He continued to work on music until the end of his life. At more than 80 years old, he still played on the choir organ of the Saint-Eustache church.
Personal life
On 20 November 1906, he married Adrienne Lannes de Montebello in Paris. She was the daughter of Jean Alban Lannes, 2nd Baron de Montebello and Albertine de Briey and a granddaughter of
Gustave Olivier Lannes, Baron de Montebello (the fourth and youngest son of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Jean Lannes
Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (; 10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
He was one of Napol ...
,
Duke of Montebello, Prince of
Siewierz
Siewierz is a town in southern Poland, in the Będzin County in the Silesian Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Siewierz. Siewierz is located in Dąbrowa Basin (''Zagłębie Dąbrowskie''), which is part of the historical and geographical region of Less ...
).
Their daughter:
* Roselyne de Vallombrosa (1910–1988), who married Foulques de Sabran-Pontevès, 7th
Duke of Sabran (1908–1973), in 1936. The Duke was a son of Elzéar, Comte de Sabran-Pontevès and Princess Constance
of Croÿ.
The Comte de Vallombrosa died in the
7th arrondissement of Paris
The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. It is known for being, along with the 16th arrondissement and the ''commune'' of Neuilly-sur-Sein ...
on 9 February 1968, aged 87.
Descendants
Through his daughter Roselyne, he was a grandfather of Gersende de Sabran-Pontevès (b. 1942), who married
Prince Jacques, Duke of Orléans (b. 1941), a son of
Henri, Count of Paris, the
Orléanist pretender to the French throne, in 1969.
Their son, the Comte de Vallombrosa's great-grandson, is
Prince Charles Louis, Duke of Chartres.
References
External links
Amédée de Vallombrosaon Musicalics
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallombrosa, Amedee de
French classical organists
Knights of the Legion of Honour
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
1880 births
People from Cannes
1968 deaths
20th-century French organists
20th-century French male musicians
20th-century French classical musicians
French male classical organists