Paul Charles Marie Curet, called Puget (25 June 1848 – 15 March 1917) was a French composer.

Life

Born in

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

into a family of musicians (his father Henri Puget was a renowned tenor at his time), Paul Puget studied 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 ...

, piano in

Antoine François Marmontel Antoine François Marmontel () (18 July 1816 – 16 January 1898) was a French pianist, composer, teacher and musicographer. He is mainly known today as an influential teacher at the Paris Conservatory, where he taught many musicians who became ...

's class and

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

Victor Massé Victor Massé (born ''Félix-Marie Massé''; 7 March 1822 – 5 July 1884) was a French composer. Biography Massé was born in Lorient (Morbihan) and studied at the Paris Conservatoire, winning the Prix de Rome in 1844 for his cantata ''Le Rén� ...

. In 1873, he entered the competition of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

and obtained the first

Grand 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 ...

for 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 ...

''Mazeppa''. From his stay at the

Villa Médicis 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 ...

from 1874 to 1877, date his ''Ouverture de Macbeth'' for orchestra, the ode ''Sur l'aveuglement des hommes du siècle'' (text by

Jean-Baptiste Rousseau Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (6 April 1671 – 17 March 1741) was a French playwright and poet, particularly noted for his cynical epigrams. Biography Rousseau was born in Paris, the son of a shoemaker, and was well educated. As a young man, he ga ...

) for barytone, choir and orchestra, and a ''Symphonie en ut''. In 1896, he composed stage music for

Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

's ''

Lorenzaccio ''Lorenzaccio'' is a French play of the Romantic period written by Alfred de Musset in 1834, set in 16th-century Florence, and depicting Lorenzino de' Medici, who killed Florence's tyrant, Alessandro de' Medici, his cousin. Having engaged in de ...

'', premiered by

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

at the

Théâtre de la Renaissance The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on th ...

. In 1900, he was appointed conductor of the choirs 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 ...

. Albeit he is mainly known for his lyrical works, he also composed many art songs, pieces for piano, and a ''Bassoon solo with piano accompaniment'', which served as a competition piece at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1899 and 1916, the ''Scènes champêtres'' for orchestra, and some

religious music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

. In 1883, he was in the news. The Count of Lagoda, a Russian officer, who lost his fortune and whom the young actress left in Saint Petersburg, found a portrait of Blanche Miroir framed in flowers in his home. He provoked the musician, and a sword fight took place on 18 April, near Paris. The Russian was slightly injured in the right arm. The next day, Mr. de Lagoda left for Brussels. He reproached the actress for her betrayal, and it is as a result of these scenes of jealousy that he tried to kill her and killed himself. Paul Puget died in Paris on 15 March 1917 and is buried at the

Montmartre Cemetery The Cemetery of Montmartre (french: link=no, Cimetière de Montmartre) is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis ...

Stage works

* ''Le Maître danseur'', operetta-bouffe in 1 act (1869) * ''Les Jardins d’Armide'', opéra-bouffe in 3 acts (1872) * ''La Marocaine'', opéra-comique in 1 act * ''André del Sarto'', lyrical drama in two acts, based on

* ''Le Signal'', opéra-comique in 1 act (1886) * ''Beaucoup de bruit pour rien'', lyrical drama in 4 acts, based on

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(1899) * ''Ulysse et les sirènes'', ancient scene

References

Bibliography

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 univers ...

and

Arthur Pougin Arthur Pougin ( 6 August 1834 – 8 August 1921) was a French musical and dramatic critic and writer. He was born at Châteauroux ( Indre) and studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris under Alard (violin) and Reber (harmony). In 1855 he beca ...

: ''Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique: Supplément et complément'', volume 2 (Paris: Firmin-Didot, 1880), .

External links

*
Notice
on ''Musica et Memoria'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Puget, Paul 1848 births 1917 deaths 19th-century French composers 19th-century French male musicians 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians Burials at Montmartre Cemetery Conservatoire de Paris alumni French male composers French opera composers French Romantic composers Musicians from Nantes Prix de Rome for composition