Pierre-Auguste-Louis Blondeau (15 October 1786 he given date is often 15 August 1784ref name="VoyageP18"> – 14 April 1863) was a 19th-century French composer, violinist, music theorist and historian.

Biography

Born in Paris the son of Jean-Claude Blondeau, violinist and composer, Blondeau was a pupil of

Pierre Baillot Pierre Marie François de Sales Baillot (1 October 1771 – 15 September 1842) was a French violinist and composer born in Passy. He studied the violin under Giovanni Battista Viotti and taught at the Conservatoire de Paris together with Pierre R ...

. He won a mention at the Prix de Rome in 1807 and in 1808 was awarded the first Grand Prix of Rome in

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

with his

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 ...

''Marie Stuart''. He resided at the

Villa Medicis The Villa Medici () is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, ...

in Rome from 1809 to 1811. He composed religious works, including a ''Te Deum'' in honour of

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, cantatas, a buffo opera, orchestral works and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

. His three

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

s based on

piano sonatas Piano sonatas may refer to: * Piano sonatas (Beethoven) * Piano sonatas (Boulez) * Piano sonatas (Chopin) Frédéric Chopin composed three piano sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

(Nos. 1, 2, and 3) are still popular today. Blondeau also distinguished himself as a music theorist and historian with writings on

Benedetto Marcello Benedetto Giacomo Marcello (; 31 July or 1 August 1686 – 24 July 1739) was an Italian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher. Life Born in Venice, Benedetto Marcello was a member of a noble family and in his compositions he is f ...

and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Blondeau died in Paris on 14 April, 1863 at the age of 76.

Publications

* ''Voyage d'un musicien en Italie (1809–1812), précédé des observations sur les théâtres italiens'', by Auguste-Louis Blondeau and

Joël-Marie Fauquet Joël-Marie Fauquet (born 27 April 1942 at Nogent-le-Rotrou) is a French musicologist. Life Fauquet studied applied arts before devoting himself to musicology and the social history of music. Director of research at the Centre national de la re ...

, Éditions Mardaga, 1993.

References

External links

Auguste-Louis Blondeau (1786-1863)
on data.bnf.fr
Blondeau: Quartet in A major after the piano sonata Op.2 N°2 - 1. Vivace
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Blondeau, Auguste 1780s births Musicians from Paris 1863 deaths French Romantic composers Prix de Rome for composition 19th-century French composers