Louis Joseph Francœur in 1780. Engraving by Thérèse Éléonore Lingée after a drawing by Jean-Michel Moreau.

Louis-Joseph Francœur (8 October 1738 – 10 March 1804) was a French violinist,

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 ...

, and administrator of the

Opéra de Paris 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 ...

Biography

Born in Paris, the son of composer Louis Francoeur, he was raised by his uncle François Francœur following the death of his father in 1745. He became violin of the Opera in 1742, master of music at the Opera between 1764 and 1779, director and conductor of the Opera, then director of the Opera until 1790. The French Revolution disrupted his career and ruined him. In 1792, he founded a company to take over the privilege of the Opera, but was imprisoned in 1793–94. He directed the Opera in 1799, then died in 1804 isolated, forgotten and highly indebted. Louis-Joseph Francœur is the father of Louis-Benjamin Francœur (1773-1849), a mathematician.Louis-Benjamin Francœur (1773-1819)
/ref> Francœur left some tunes and arranged others' music. He wrote theoretical essays, including the
Diapason général de tous les instruments à vent
' (1772). He died in Paris on 10 March 1804.

Bibliography

* Marcelle Benoit (dir.), "Louis-Joseph Francœur",
Dictionnaire de la musique en France aux XVII et XVIIIe
', Fayard, 1992

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Francoeur, Louis Joseph 1738 births 1804 deaths Musicians from Paris French male classical violinists Directors of the Paris Opera French Classical-period composers French male classical composers 18th-century French violinists 18th-century French male musicians