Joseph-François Duché de Vancy (29 October 1668,

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– 14 December 1704) was a French playwright.

Life

He was the son of a gentleman in the household of

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 ...

and was himself a valet de chambre du roi. He followed

Anne-Jules, 2nd duc de Noailles Anne Jules de Noailles, 2nd Duke of Noailles (5 February 16502 October 1708) was one of the chief generals of France towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV, and, after raising the regiment of Noailles in 1689, he commanded in Spain during both ...

to Spain as his secretary. His talents gained him a pension from

Madame de Maintenon Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...

, and a commission from her for Vancy and

Jean 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 ...

to compose sacred poems, edifying stories and religious tragedies for the maison de Saint-Cyr (''Absalon'', ''Jonathas'', ''Débora''). Vancy also wrote opera librettos modelled on Racine, the best known of which were '' Céphale et Procris'' and ''

Iphigénie en Tauride ''Iphigénie en Tauride'' (, ''Iphigenia in Tauris'') is a 1779 opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck in four acts. It was his fifth opera for the French stage. The libretto was written by Nicolas-François Guillard. With ''Iphigénie,'' Gluck took ...

'' (the latter with additions by

Antoine Danchet Antoine Danchet (7 September 1671 – 21 February 1748) was a French playwright, librettist and dramatic poet. Biography Danchet was born in Riom, in the Auvergne, France. Having been a professor of rhetoric at Chartres and then a tutor at Par ...

). He was a member of the

Académie des inscriptions An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

Works

;Plays and libretti *'' Céphale et Procris'', tragédie lyrique, music by

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre Élisabeth Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (, née Jacquet, 17 March 1665 – 27 June 1729) was a French musician, harpsichordist and composer. Life and works Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (née Jacquet) was born on March 17, 1665, into a ...

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 ...

, 15 March 1694 Text online
/small> *''Les Amours de Momus'', ballet, music by

Henri Desmarets Henri Desmarets (February 1661 – 7 September 1741) was a French composer of the Baroque period primarily known for his stage works, although he also composed sacred music as well as secular cantatas, songs and instrumental works. Biogr ...

, Académie royale de musique, 25 May 1695 Text online
/small> *''Téagène et Chariclée'', tragédie lyrique, music by Henri Desmarets, Académie royale de musique, 12 April 1695 Text online
/small> *''Les Fêtes galantes'', ballet, music by Henri Desmarets, Académie royale de musique, 10 May 1698 *''Jonathas'', tragedy drawn from the Scriptures,

Château de 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, u ...

, 5 December 1699 Text online
/small> *''Scylla'', tragedy, music by

Theobaldo di Gatti Theobaldo di Gatti (c.1650-1727) was a composer and musician, born in Florence. He moved from Italy to France after hearing the music of Jean-Baptiste Lully. King Louis XIV made him a naturalised French subject in 1675. In France he was simply known ...

, Académie royale de musique, 16 September 1701 Text online
/small> *''Débora'', tragedy drawn from the Scriptures, 1701 *''

'', tragédie lyrique, with

, music by Henri Desmarets and

André Campra André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several '' tra ...

, Académie royale de musique, 6 May 1704 Text on line
/small> *''Absalon'', five-act tragedy drawn from the Scriptures, 7 April 1712 Text online
/small> ;Varia *''Les Préceptes de Phocylide avec des remarques & des pensées & peintures critiques à l'imitation de cet auteur'', 1698 Text online
/small> *''Lettres inédites de Duché de Vanci contenant la relation historique du voyage de Philippe d'Anjou, appelé au trône d'Espagne, ainsi que des ducs de Bourgogne et de Berry ses frères, en 1700...'', éditées par Colin et Raynaud, Paris : Librairies de Lacroix, 1830. Text online
/small> *''Recueil d'histoires édifiantes, pour servir de lectures à de jeunes personnes de condition'', 1706

External links

His plays and productions of them
o
CÉSAR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duche De Vancy, Joseph-Francois Writers from Paris 1668 births 1704 deaths 17th-century French dramatists and playwrights French opera librettists Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres French male dramatists and playwrights 17th-century French male writers