Girard de Beaulieu, better known by the incorrectly recorded name Lambert de Beaulieu (? – after 1587) was a French bass singer, instrumentalist, and composer. He was employed at the court of

Henri III Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of L ...

as basse singer and composer from 1559. He was associated with the Académie de Baïf, one of whose aristocratic poets, Nicolas Filleul de La Chesnaye, the king's

almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

, was to provide the lyrics for the ballet '' Circé'' in the first French ''

ballet de cour ''Ballet de cour'' ("court ballet") is the name given to ballets performed in the 16th and 17th centuries at royal court, courts. The court ballet was a gathering of noblemen and women, as the cast and audience were largely supplied by the ruling ...

'', the '' Balet Comique de la Royne'' of 1581, for which Beaulieu and Jacques Salmon provided the music. Choreography and overall direction were provided by the Italian dancing master Baltazarini, known as

Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx (also Balthasar de Beaujoyeux), originally Baldassare de Belgiojoso (died c. 1587 in Paris) was an Italian violinist, composer, and choreographer.Jacques Patin Jacques Patin (died 28 May 1587) was a French painter, decorator, illustrator and engraver.Benezit 2006, vol. 10, p. 992. Although the date and place of Patin's birth are unknown, he was part of a family of artists that included his father and br ...

. Beaulieu's wife was the Genoese soprano and

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can re ...

Violante Doria Violante Doria (fl. mid-1500s), also known as Yolande or Yolante, was an Italian soprano from Genoa. She was considered to be one of “the most successful musicians in France during the reigns of the last Valois kings.” She was married to b ...

. They had a daughter Claude de Beaulieu who later was paid as a lutenist at the court. The original documents of 1581 indicate the composer only as "Sieur de Beaulieu". The error concerning his name, and consequent separation of the bass singer and composer into two biographies, is due to an erroneous "Lambert de Beaulieu" in a letter by

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

to the French king attempting to employ the composer Beaulieu for his own court. The error in Rudolf's letter was reproduced by

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, composer, teacher, and one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ''Biographie univer ...

in his influential ''Biographie universelle des musiciens''.

Works, editions and recordings

* Lambert de Beaulieu, AirsLambert De Beaulieu (The Sixteenth Century Chanson Series) ardcoverJane A. Bernstein (Editor) Hardcover: 280 pages Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 1, 1994) * Lambert de Beaulieu, Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx: Balet Comique de la Royne 1581. Ensemble Elyma,

K617 K617 is a French classical music record label based in Metz and founded by Alain Pacquier, music author and creator of the Festival de Saintes at the Abbaye aux Dames in Charente-Maritime, and the Festival de Sarrebourg (July) at the Couvent de ...

080, 1998

References

External links

operabaroque.fr Lambert de Beaulieu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaulieu, Girard French composers French male composers French male singers 1590s deaths Year of birth unknown