Luigi Cherubini
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Luigi Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music.
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries. His operas were heavily praised and interpreted by Rossini.


Early years

Cherubini was born Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
in 1760. There is uncertainty about his exact date of birth. Although 14 September is sometimes stated, evidence from baptismal records and Cherubini himself suggests the 8th is correct. Perhaps the strongest evidence is his first name, Maria, which is traditional for a child born on 8 September, the feast-day of the Nativity of the Virgin. His instruction in music began at the age of six with his father, Bartolomeo, '' maestro al cembalo'' ("Master of the
harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
", in other words, ensemble leader from the
harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
). Considered a
child prodigy A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
, Cherubini studied
counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...
and dramatic style at an early age. By the time he was thirteen, he had composed several religious works.


Adulthood and first operas

In 1780, he was awarded a scholarship by the
Grand Duke of Tuscany The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region. Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface :These were origin ...
to study music in
Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
and
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. Cherubini's early ''
opere serie ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to ab ...
'' used libretti by
Apostolo Zeno Apostolo Zeno (11 December 1668 in Venice – 11 November 1750 in Venice) was a Venetian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters. Early life Apostolo Zeno was born in Venice to a colonial branch of the Zeno family, an ancient Venet ...
,
Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Me ...
(Pietro Trapassi), and others that adhered closely to standard dramatic conventions. His music was strongly influenced by Niccolò Jommelli,
Tommaso Traetta Tommaso Michele Francesco Saverio Traetta (30 March 1727 – 6 April 1779) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic r ...
, and
Antonio Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his musical education. He made a name for him ...
, who were the leading Italian composers of the day. The first of his two comic works, ''Lo sposo di tre e marito di nessuna,'' premiered at a Venetian theater in November 1783. Feeling constrained by Italian traditions and eager to experiment, Cherubini traveled to London in 1785 where he produced two ''opere serie'' and an ''opera buffa'' for the King's Theatre. In the same year, he made an excursion to Paris with his friend the violinist
Giovanni Battista Viotti Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755 – 3 March 1824) was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italia ...
, who presented him to
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...
and Parisian society. Cherubini received an important commission to write ''
Démophoon ''Démophoon'' (sometimes spelt ''Démophon'') is an opera by the composer Luigi Cherubini, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) on 2 December 1788. It takes the form of a ''tragédie lyrique'' in three acts. The ...
'' to a French libretto by
Jean-François Marmontel Jean-François Marmontel (11 July 1723 – 31 December 1799) was a French historian, writer and a member of the Encyclopédistes movement. Biography He was born of poor parents at Bort, Limousin (today in Corrèze). After studying with th ...
that would be his first ''
tragédie en musique Tragédie en musique (, ''musical tragedy''), also known as tragédie lyrique (, ''lyric tragedy''), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas in t ...
.'' Except for a brief return trip to London and to
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
for an ''opera seria'' commissioned by King
Victor Amadeus III Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio Amadeo Maria; 26 June 1726 – 16 October 1796) was King of Sardinia from 1773 to his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until he declared war on Revolut ...
, Cherubini spent the rest of his life in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
where he was initiated into
Grand Orient de France The Grand Orient de France (GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonry, Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly ab ...
"Saint-Jean de Palestine" Masonic Lodge in 1784.


French assimilation

Cherubini adopted the French version of his name, Marie-Louis-Charles-Zénobi-Salvador Cherubini; this appears in ''all'' extant documents that show his full name after 1790, though his Italian name is favored nowadays. Performances of ''Démophoon'' were favorably received at the Académie Royale de Musique in 1788. With Viotti's help, the Théâtre de Monsieur in the
Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...
appointed Cherubini as its director in 1789. Three years later, after a move to the rue Feydeau and the fall of the monarchy, the company became known as the Théâtre Feydeau. This position gave Cherubini the opportunity to read countless libretti and choose one that best suited his temperament. Cherubini's music began to show more originality and daring. His first major success was '' Lodoïska'' (1791), which was admired for its realistic heroism. This was followed by ''
Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence ...
'' (1794), set in the
Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...
, and ''
Médée ''Médée'' is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Pierre Corneille in 1635. Summary The heroine of the play is the sorceress Médée. After Médée gives Jason twin boys, Jason leaves her for Creusa. Médée ...
'' (1797), Cherubini's best-known work. ''
Les deux journées ''Les deux journées, ou Le porteur d'eau'' (''The Two Days, or The Water Carrier'') is an opera in three acts by Luigi Cherubini with a libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. It takes the form of an opéra comique, meaning not that the subject matte ...
'' (1800), in which Cherubini simplified his style, was a popular success. These and other operas were premièred at the Théâtre Feydeau or the Opéra-Comique. Feeling financially secure, he married Anne Cécile Tourette in 1794 and began a family of three children. The fallout from the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
affected Cherubini until the end of his life. Politics forced him to hide his connections with the former aristocracy and seek governmental appointments. Although
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
found him too complex, Cherubini wrote at least one patriotic work per year for more than a decade. He was appointed Napoleon's director of music in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
for part of 1805 and 1806, whereupon he conducted several of his works in that city. In 1808 Cherubini was elected an associated member of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands.


From opera to church music

After ''Les deux journées'', Parisian audiences began to favor younger composers such as Boieldieu. Cherubini's opera-ballet '' Anacréon'' was an outright failure and most stage works after it did not achieve success. ''
Faniska ''Faniska'' is an opera eroica in three acts by Luigi Cherubini. The German libretto, by Joseph Sonnleithner, is based on the melodrama ''Les mines de Pologne'' (1803) by René-Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt. Background In June 1805, Cherubini ...
'', produced in 1806, was an exception, receiving an enthusiastic response, in particular by
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
and Beethoven. ''
Les Abencérages (English: ''The Abencerrages, or The standard of Granada'') is an opera in three acts by Luigi Cherubini with a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy, based on the novel ''Gonzalve de Cordoue'' by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. It was first perfor ...
'' (1813), an heroic drama set in Spain during the last days of the
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
kingdom of
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, was Cherubini's attempt to compete with
Spontini Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini (14 November 177424 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era. Biography Born in Maiolati, Papal State (now Maiolati Spontini, Province of Ancona), he spent most of his ...
's ''
La vestale ''La vestale'' (''The Vestal Virgin'') is an opera composed by Gaspare Spontini to a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy. It takes the form of a ''tragédie lyrique'' in three acts. It was first performed on 15 December 1807 by the Académie Impé ...
''; it received critical praise but few performances. Disappointed with his lack of acclaim in the theater, Cherubini turned increasingly to church music, writing seven masses, two
requiems A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
, and many shorter pieces. During this period (under the restored monarchy) he was appointed ''Surintendant de la Musique du Roi'', a position he would hold until the fall of
Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...
(1830). In 1815 London's
Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...
commissioned him to write a symphony, an overture, and a composition for chorus and orchestra, the performances of which he went especially to London to conduct, increasing his fame. Cherubini's Requiem in C minor (1816), commemorating the anniversary of the execution of King
Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...
, was a huge success. The work was greatly admired by Beethoven,
Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
and
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
. In 1836, Cherubini wrote a Requiem in D minor to be performed at his own funeral. It is for male choir only, as the religious authorities had criticised his use of female voices in the earlier work.


Old age and legacy

In 1822, Cherubini became director of the
Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
and completed his textbook, ''Cours de contrepoint et de fugue,'' in 1835. His role at the Conservatoire brought him into conflict with the young
Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
, who portrayed the old composer in his memoirs as a crotchety pedant. Some critics, such as Basil Deane, maintain that Berlioz's depiction has distorted Cherubini's image with posterity. There are many allusions to Cherubini's personal irritability among his contemporaries;
Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and '' Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le pos ...
wrote, "some maintain his temper was very even, because he was always angry." Nevertheless, Cherubini had many friends, including Szymanowska,
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 f ...
, Chopin and, above all, the artist
Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...
. The two had mutual interests: Cherubini was a keen amateur painter and Ingres enjoyed practising the violin. In 1841, Ingres produced the most celebrated portrait of the old composer. Although chamber music does not make up a large portion of his output, what he did write was important. Wilhelm Altmann, writing in his ''Handbuch für Streichquartettspieler'' (''Handbook for String Quartet Players'') about Cherubini's six string quartets, stated that they are first rate and regarded Nos. 1 and 3 as masterworks. His String Quintet for two violins, viola and two cellos is also considered a first-rate work. During his lifetime, Cherubini received France's highest and most prestigious honors. These included the ''Chevalier de la
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
'' (1814) and ''Membre de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts'' (1815). In 1841, he was made ''Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur,'' the first musician to receive that title. Cherubini died in Paris in 1842 at age 81 and is buried at
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
, just four metres from his friend Chopin. His tomb was designed by the architect
Achille Leclère Achille-François-René Leclère (29 October 1785 – 23 December 1853) was a French architect and teacher of architecture. Achille Leclère studied architecture under Charles Percier and Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand. After finishing his stud ...
and includes a figure by the sculptor
Augustin-Alexandre Dumont Augustin-Alexandre Dumont, known as Auguste Dumont (4 August 1801, in Paris – 28 January 1884, in Paris) was a French sculptor. Biography He was one of a long line of famous sculptors, the great-grandson of Pierre Dumont, son of Jacques-Edme ...
representing "Music" crowning a bust of the composer with a wreath.


Works


Orchestral music

* Overture in G (1815) *Symphony in D major (1815) *Marche funèbre (1820)


Chamber music

*String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat (1814) *String Quartet No. 2 in C (1829) - transcription of Symphony in D major with new second movement *String Quartet No. 3 in D minor (1834) *String Quartet No. 4 in E (1835) *String Quartet No. 5 in F (1835) *String Quartet No. 6 in A minor (1837) *String Quintet (2 violins, viola, 2 cellos) in E minor (1837)


Masses and sections of the Mass

*Five masses (written 1773–1776, lost) *''Messe solennelle brève'' in B-flat (1805, dubious) *Credo ''a capella'' for eight voices and organ (1806) *Mass in A for three voices (1809, dubious) *''Messe de Chimay'' in F (1809) *''Missa solemnis'' in D minor (1811) ''per il Principe Esterházy'' *Mass (4th messe solennelle) in C (1816) *Credo in D (1816) * Requiem in C minor for mixed chorus (1816) in memory of Louis XVI *''Missa solemnis'' in E (1818) *Mass in G (1819) for the Coronation of Louis XVIII *Mass in B-flat (1821, dubious) *''Messe solennelle'' in A for the Coronation of Charles X (1825) *Requiem in D minor for male chorus (1836) written for his own funeral


Motets and other choral works

*Cantata ''Amphion'' (1786) *Cantata ''Circé'' (premiered 1789) *''Trois chœrs'': Incidental music for the play ''La Mort de Mirabeau'' by Jean-Baptiste Pujoulx (1791) *Cantata ''Clytemnestra'' (1794) *Cantata ''Hymne au printemps'' ("Hymn to Spring") (1815) *''Hymne du Panthéon'' (1794) ''Hymne du Panthéon: Grand Chœur à la gloire des martyrs de la liberté et de ses défenseurs'', lyrics by
Marie-Joseph Chénier Marie-Joseph Blaise de Chénier (11 February 1764 – 10 January 1811) was a French poet, dramatist and politician of French and Greek origin. Biography The younger brother of André Chénier, Joseph Chénier was born at Constantinople, but ...
, composed in 1794 in to celebrate Marat's death (Cf. ''Cherubini'' in Dictionnaire de la musique, by Gérard Pernon, page 57).
*38 motets


Operas

*See List of operas by Luigi Cherubini


Teaching manuals

* '' A treatise on counterpoint and fugue'' (1841)


References


Citations


Sources

* Altmann, Wilhelm, ''Handbuch für Streichquartettspielers'', Amsterdam: Hinrichtshofen, 1972 * Cherubini, Luigi (with
Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera '' La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...
, ''Cours de contrepoint et de fugue'', Paris: M. Schlesinger, 1835 OCLC 11909698 * Deane, Basil, ''Cherubini'' (Oxford Studies of Composers, 1965) * Cobbett, W.W. (Ed.), ''Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music'', Oxford University Press, 1963. * Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. . * Willis, Stephen C., "Cherubini, (Maria) Luigi (Carlo Zanobi Salvadore)" in Sadie, Stanley (Ed.), ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Vol. 1, A-D, New York: MacMillan, 1994. .


External links


Entry for Luigi Cherubini in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherubini, Luigi 1760 births 1842 deaths 19th-century Italian male musicians Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Catholic liturgical composers Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Conservatoire de Paris faculty Directors of the Conservatoire de Paris Italian Classical-period composers Italian male classical composers Italian music theorists Italian opera composers Male opera composers String quartet composers Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Musicians from Florence