Désiré-Alexandre Batton (January 2, 1798 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

– October 15, 1855 in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

) was a French composer. A student of Luigi Cherubini 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 ...

, he composed

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s and cantatas; a number of his operas were seen at the

Théâtre Feydeau The Théâtre Feydeau (), a former Parisian theatre company, was founded in 1789 with the patronage of Monsieur, Comte de Provence (later to become Louis XVIII), and was therefore initially named the Théâtre de Monsieur. It began performing in t ...

and the Opéra-Comique. In 1817 he took first second price in the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

competition for his cantata ''La Mort d' Adonis''. It was after winning the prize and when he became associated with

Gioachino 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 ...

that it is believed he introduced the composer to the romantic poem by

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

, ''

The Lady of the Lake The Lady of the Lake (french: Dame du Lac, Demoiselle du Lac, cy, Arglwyddes y Llyn, kw, Arloedhes an Lynn, br, Itron al Lenn, it, Dama del Lago) is a name or a title used by several either fairy or fairy-like but human enchantresses in the ...

'', which became the basis of the romantic opera, ''

La donna del lago ''La donna del lago'' (English: ''The Lady of the Lake'') is an opera composed by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola (whose verses are described as "limpid" by one critic) based on the French translationOsborne, Charles 19 ...

''.Gossett, p. 12 In 1842 Batton became inspector of music schools in France and in 1849 he began teaching at the Conservatoire.

Works

*''La Mort d'Adonis'', cantata, 1817 *''La Reconnaissance'', cantata *''Le Prisonnier d'État'', opera *''Le camp du drap d'or'', opera *''La fenêtre secrète'', opera, 1818 *''Velleda'', opera, 1820 *''Ethelvina'', opera, 1827 *'' La marquise de Brinvilliers'', opera, 1831 *''Le Remplacant'', opera, 1837

References

Notes Sources *Gossett, Philip (1983), "''La Donna del Lago'' and the revival of the Rossini 'opera seria' " in the booklet accompanying the 1983 Pollini recording. 1798 births 1855 deaths French male classical composers French opera composers Male opera composers Conservatoire de Paris alumni Conservatoire de Paris faculty Prix de Rome for composition Musicians from Paris 19th-century French male musicians {{France-composer-stub