André Cardinal Destouches (sometimes called des Touches) (

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

6 April 1672 – 7 February 1749) was a French

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 Defi ...

best known for the ''

opéra-ballet ''Opéra-ballet'' (; plural: ''opéras-ballets'') is a genre of French Baroque lyric theatre that was most popular during the 18th century, combining elements of opera and ballet, "that grew out of the '' ballets à entrées'' of the early seven ...

'' ''

Les élémens ''Les Élémens'' (''The Elements''), or ''Ballet des élémens'', is an opéra-ballet by the French composers André Cardinal Destouches and Michel Richard Delalande (or de Lalande). It has a prologue and four '' entrées'' (as well as, original ...

''.

Biography

Born in Paris, the son of Étienne Cardinal, a wealthy merchant, André Cardinal was educated by

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s. With the Jesuit Father

Guy Tachard Guy Tachard (; 1651 – 1712), also known as Père Tachard, was a French Jesuit missionary and mathematician of the 17th century, who was sent on two occasions to the Kingdom of Siam by Louis XIV. He was born in Marthon, near Angoulême. In 1 ...

, he went on a mission to

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

for two years, leaving in January 1687, and spending some time at the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in Siam in September. Coming back to France, in September 1688, he spent several months at the academy in the Manège royale, rue de Tournon. In 1692 he joined the army and participated in the invasion of

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

, discovering his musical talent while not occupied by combat. When his father died in August 1694, André Cardinal added "Destouches" to his name in memory of his father's title, Seigneur des Touches et de Guilleville. He quit the army in 1696 to pursue his musical aspirations. Destouches' opera ''

Issé Issé (; br, Izeg) is a Communes of France, commune on the banks of the river Don (Vilaine), Don in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France. It is situated 10 km southeast of Châteaubriant. Population Tr ...

'' was performed for

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

at the Trianon in 1697. Louis was impressed and said that he enjoyed his music as much as that of

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...

. The opera was successfully repeated at the Opéra a few weeks later. The following year found him dining with Boileau in the company of

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

. After a series of successful operas and the commencement of his successful collaboration with the librettist

Pierre-Charles Roy Pierre-Charles Roy (1683 — 23 October 1764) was a French poet and man of letters, noted for his collaborations with the composers François Francoeur and André Cardinal Destouches, to produce librettos for several opera-ballets, on classical s ...

, in 1713 the king appointed Destouches inspector general of the

Académie Royale de Musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, at a stipend of 4000 ''livres'' a year; later, in 1725

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

would appoint him superintendent of chamber music for the

Chambre du Roi ''La Chambre du Roi'' (), "the king's bedchamber"), has always been the central feature of the king's apartment in traditional French palace design Ceremonies surrounding the daily life of the king — such as the ''levée'' (the ceremonial raisi ...

, and then Director of the Académie. Under the

Régence The ''Régence'' (, ''Regency'') was the period in French history between 1715 and 1723 when King Louis XV was considered a minor and the country was instead governed by Philippe d'Orléans (a nephew of Louis XIV of France) as prince regent ...

, as Destouches' operas were revived at the Opéra, Destouches was able to purchase the ''terroir'' of

La Vaudoire LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

Sartrouville Sartrouville () is a commune in the Yvelines department, Île-de-France, north central France. it is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Name In the Middle Ages the name Sartrouville was recorded in Medieva ...

, conveniently close to Paris. The young Louis XV danced in Destouches' ballet ''

'' at the

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

, 31 December 1721, and the aged Destouches led the musicians for his daughters' masked ball on 13 January 1744. With the beginning of the public Concerts Spirituels in Paris, Destouches performed his ''De Profundis'' (1725) and his cantata ''Sémélé'' (1728) and

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

for large chorus ''O dulcis Jesu'' (also 1728); Queen

Maria Leszczyńska Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

commanded Destouches to recreate the concert series at the Tuileries. With the death of

Michel Richard Delalande Michel Richard Delalande e Lalande'' (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote orch ...

in 1726, Destouches assumed control of the

Musique du Roi Musique is the French word for music. Musique may also refer to: Music *Musique (disco band), a 1970s studio band produced by Patrick Adams *Musique, a British dance act consisting of Moussa Clarke and Nick Hanson best known for their 2001 song ...

. In 1724 he married Anne-Antoinette de Reynold de la Ferrière.Masson 1959, ''s.v.'' "1724". He was buried in the crypt of

Saint-Roch Saint-Roch may refer to: In Canada: *Saint-Roch, Quebec City, a neighbourhood of Quebec City *Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, a municipality * Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac, Quebec, a municipality *Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu, Quebec, a municipality *Saint-R ...

, Paris.

Works

*''

'' (''

pastorale héroïque Pastorale héroïque was a type of ballet héroïque, a form of the opéra-ballet genre of French Baroque opera. The first work to bear the name was Jean-Baptiste Lully's final completed opera ''Acis et Galatée'' (1686), although musical works on ...

''), libretto by

Antoine Houdar de la Motte Antoine Houdar de la Motte (18 January 167226 December 1731) was a French author. De la Motte was born and died in Paris. In 1693 his comedy, ''Les Originaux'' (Les originaux, ou, l'Italien), was a complete failure, and so depressed the author ...

(1697, in five acts 1708) ''Issé'' played at

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest c ...

(in German) and

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. *''

Amadis de Grèce ''Amadis de Grèce'' (''Amadis of Greece'') is an opera by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) on 26 March 1699. It takes the form of a ''tragédie en musique'' in a ...

'' (''

tragédie en musique Tragédie en musique (, ''musical tragedy''), also known as tragédie lyrique (, ''lyric tragedy''), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas in t ...

''), libretto by La Motte (26 March 1699) *''

Marthésie ''Marthésie, première reine des Amazones'' (''Marthesia, First Queen of the Amazons'') is an opera by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches, first performed at Fontainebleau on 11 October 1699. It takes the form of a ''tragédie en musi ...

'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by La Motte (11 October 1699) *''

Omphale In Greek mythology, Omphale (; Ancient Greek: Ὀμφάλη) was queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. Diodorus Siculus provides the first appearance of the Omphale theme in literature, though Aeschylus was aware of the episode. The Gree ...

'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by La Motte (10 November 1701) *''Le carnaval et la folie'' (''

comédie-ballet ''Comédie-ballet'' is a genre of French drama which mixes a spoken play with interludes containing music and dance. History The first example of the genre is considered to be '' Les fâcheux'', with words by Molière, performed in honour of Loui ...

''), libretto by La Motte (3 January 1704) *''

Callirhoé ''Callirhoé'' is an opera by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches. It takes the form of a ''tragédie en musique'' in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by Pierre-Charles Roy, is based on a story from ''The Description of Greece'' ...

'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by

(27 December 1712) *'' Télémaque'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by the abbé

Simon-Joseph Pellegrin The abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663 – 5 September 1745) was a French poet and playwright, a librettist who collaborated with Jean-Philippe Rameau and other composers. Biography He was born at Marseille, the son of a ''conseiller'' to the Si ...

(29 November 1714) *''Oenone'' (

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

), (February 1716) *'' Sémiramis'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by Pierre-Charles Roy (4 December 1718) *''

'' (''

''), in collaboration with

Delalande Delalande is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Michel Richard Delalande (1657–1726), French Baroque composer and organist * Pierre Antoine Delalande Pierre Antoine Delalande (27 March 1787 – 27 June 1823) was a French nat ...

, libretto by Roy (1721) *''Les stratagèmes de l'amour'' (ballet), libretto by Roy (26 March 1726)

Discography

* ''

:'' Cyril Auvity, Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Callirhoé, Cyril Auvity, Agénor, João Fernandes, Corésus, Ingrid Perruche, La Reine,Renaud Delaigue, Le Ministre, Stéphanie Révidat, Une Princesse de Calypso, Une Bergère,

Le Concert Spirituel Le Concert Spirituel is a French ensemble specialising in works of baroque music, played on period instruments. Founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, it is named after the 18th-century concert series Concert Spirituel. The group performs internation ...

, conducted by Hervé Niquet. 2 CD Glossa 2007. *''Les Éléments :'' excerpts from the work have been recorded by the

Academy of Ancient Music The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the A ...

, conducted by

Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically info ...

, Decca (L'Oiseau-Lyre) 475 9100 (CD). 2008. * '' Les Éléments'' : excerpts'','' Ensemble Les Surprises, conducted by L-N Bestion de Camboulas. CD Ambronay 2018 * ''

:'' Judith van Wanroij, ''Issé,'' Chantal Santon-Jeffery, ''Doris,'' Eugénie Lefebvre, ''La première Hespéride, une Nymphe, une Dryade,'' Mathias Vidal, ''Apollon (sous les traits du berger Philémon),'' Thomas Dolié, ''Hylas,'' Matthieu Lécroart, ''Jupiter, Pan,''Etienne Bazola, ''Hercule, le Grand Prêtre,'' Stéphen Collardelle, ''un Berger, Le Sommeil, l'Oracle''Les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Ensemble Les Surprises, conducted by Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas. 2 CD Ambronay éditions 2019. Diapason d’or. * '' Sémiramis :'' Eléonore Pancrazi, ''Sémiramis,'' Emmanuelle De Negri, ''Amestris,'' Mathias Vidal, ''Arsane,'' Thibault de Damas, ''Zoroastre,'' David Witczak, ''L'Oracle, L'Ordonnateur des jeux funèbres,'' Judith Fa, ''Babylonienne, Prêtresse,'' Clément Debieuvre, ''Babylonien, Génie,'' Choeur du Concert Spirituel, Les Ombres, conducted by Sylvain Sartre. 2 CD Château de Versailles Spectacles 038. 2021. (The Prologue was not recorded).

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Destouches, Andre Cardinal 1672 births 1749 deaths 18th-century classical composers 18th-century French composers 18th-century French male musicians Directors of the Paris Opera French composers French male classical composers French Baroque composers French ballet composers French opera composers French theatre managers and producers Male opera composers Musicians from Paris 17th-century male musicians