Étienne Méhul
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Étienne Nicolas Méhul (; 22 June 1763 – 18 October 1817) was a French composer of the late classical and early romantic periods. He was known as "the most important opera composer in France during the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
". He was also the first composer to be called a " Romantic". He is known particularly for his
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
s, written in keeping with the reforms introduced by
Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...
and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
.


Life

Méhul was born at
Givet Givet () (; ) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France surrounded on three sides by the Belgian border. It lies on the river Meuse where Emperor Charles V built the fortress of Charlemont. It borders the French municipali ...
in
Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...
to Jean-François Méhul, a wine merchant, and his wife Marie-Cécile (née Keuly). His first music lessons came from a blind local organist. When he showed promise, he was sent to study with a German musician and organist, , at the monastery of Lavaldieu, a few miles from Givet. Here Méhul developed his lifelong love of flowers. In 1778 or 1779 he went to Paris and began to study with Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, a
harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
player and friend of Méhul's idol
Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...
. Méhul's first published composition was a book of piano pieces in 1783. He also arranged airs from popular operas and by the late 1780s he had begun to think about an operatic career for himself. In 1787, the writer Valadier offered Méhul one of his libretti, '' Cora'', which had been rejected by Gluck in 1785. The Académie royale de musique (the
Paris Opéra 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 kn ...
) put Méhul's work, under the title ''Alonzo et Cora'', into rehearsal in June 1789. However, the rehearsals were abandoned on 8 August, probably because the Opéra had been suffering severe financial difficulties throughout the 1780s, and the opera was not premiered until 1791. In the meantime, Méhul found an ideal collaborator in the librettist François-Benoît Hoffman, who provided the words to the first of Méhul's operas to be performed, '' Euphrosine''. Its premiere in 1790 was an immense success and marked the composer out as a new talent. It was also the start of his long relationship with the Comédie Italienne theatre (soon to be renamed the
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
). In spite of the failure of ''Cora'' in 1791 and the banning of '' Adrien'' for political reasons the year after that, Méhul consolidated his reputation with works such as '' Stratonice'' and '' Mélidore et Phrosine''. During the French Revolution, Méhul composed many patriotic songs and propaganda pieces, the most famous of which is the '' Chant du départ''. Méhul was rewarded by becoming the first composer named to the newly founded
Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . 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 manages approximately ...
in 1795. He also held a post as one of the five inspectors of the
Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...
. Méhul was on friendly terms with
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
and became one of the first Frenchmen to receive the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. Méhul's operatic success was not as great in the first decade of the nineteenth century as it had been in the 1790s, although works such as ''
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
'' (1807) became famous abroad, particularly in Germany. The failure of his opera '' Les amazones'' in 1811 was a severe blow and virtually ended his career as a composer for the theatre. Despite his friendship with Napoleon, Méhul's public standing survived the transition to the Bourbon Restoration intact. However, the composer was now seriously ill with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and he died on 18 October 1817. His grave is at
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...
, near the grave of the composer
François Joseph Gossec François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; ...
. In 1797 Méhul adopted his seven-year-old nephew, composer Joseph Daussoigne-Méhul, and Joseph's younger brother. He played a major role in his nephew's musical education and career; counting him among his pupils at the Conservatoire de Paris. After his death, Daussoigne-Méhul completed Méhul's unfinished opera '' Valentine de Milan'' which premiered at the
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
in 1822. He also wrote new recitatives for his opera ''Stratonice'' in 1821 for a revival of that work in Paris.


Music


Operas

Méhul's most important contribution to music was his operas. He led the generation of composers who emerged in France in the 1790s, which included his friend and rival
Luigi Cherubini Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore 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. Beethov ...
and his outright enemy
Jean-François Le Sueur Jean-François Le Sueur (more commonly Lesueur; ; 15 February 17606 October 1837) was a French composer, best known for his oratorios and operas. Life He was born at Plessiel, a hamlet of Drucat near Abbeville, to a long-established family of P ...
. Méhul followed the example of the operas which
Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...
had written for Paris in the 1770s and applied Gluck's "reforms" to
opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...
(a genre which mixed music with spoken dialogue and was not necessarily at all "comic" in mood). But he pushed music in a more Romantic direction, showing an increased use of dissonance and an interest in psychological states such as anger and jealousy, thus foreshadowing later Romantic composers such as Weber and
Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 â€“ 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...
. Indeed, Méhul was the first composer to be styled a Romantic; a critic used the term in ''La chronique de Paris'' on 1 April 1793 when reviewing Méhul's '' Le jeune sage et le vieux fou''. Méhul's main musical concern was that everything should serve to increase the dramatic impact. As his admirer Berlioz wrote:
éhulwas fully convinced that in truly dramatic music, when the importance of the situation deserves the sacrifice, the composer should not hesitate as between a pretty musical effect that is foreign to the scenic or dramatic character, and a series of accents that are true but do not yield any surface pleasure. He was convinced that musical expressiveness is a lovely flower, delicate and rare, of exquisite fragrance, which does not bloom without culture, and which a breath can wither; that it does not dwell in melody alone, but that everything concurs either to create or destroy it – melody, harmony, modulation, rhythm, instrumentation, the choice of deep or high registers for the voices or instruments, a quick or slow tempo, and the several degrees of volume in the sound emitted.
One way in which Méhul increased dramatic expressivity was to experiment with orchestration. For example, in '' Uthal'', an opera set in the
Highlands of Scotland The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlan ...
, he eliminated violins from the orchestra, replacing them with the darker sounds of violas in order to add local colour. Méhul's ''La chasse du jeune Henri'' (Young Henri's Hunt) provides a more humorous example, with its expanded horn section portraying yelping hounds as well as giving hunting calls. (Sir
Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...
frequently programmed this piece to showcase the
Royal Philharmonic The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
horn section.) Méhul's key works of the 1790s were '' Euphrosine'', '' Stratonice'', '' Mélidore et Phrosine'' and '' Ariodant.'' ''Ariodant'', though a failure at its premiere in 1799, has come in for particular praise from critics. Elizabeth Bartlet calls it "Mehul's best work of the decade and a highpoint of Revolutionary opera".Bartlet p.x It deals with the same tale of passion and jealousy as Handel's 1735 opera ''
Ariodante ''Ariodante'' ( HWV 33) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 4, 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso''. E ...
''. As in many of his other operas, Mehul makes use of a structural device called the "reminiscence motif", a musical theme associated with a particular character or idea in the opera. This device looks forward to the
leitmotif A leitmotif or () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is a partial angliciz ...
s in
Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's music dramas. In ''Ariodant'', the reminiscence motif is the ''cri de fureur'' ("cry of fury"), expressing the emotion of jealousy. Around 1800, the popularity of such stormy dramas began to wane, replaced by a fashion for the lighter
opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...
s of composers such as François-Adrien Boieldieu. In addition, Mehul's friend Napoleon told him he preferred a more comic style of opera. As a
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
n, Napoleon's cultural background was Italian, and he loved the
opera buffa Opera buffa (, "comic opera"; : ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramma bernesc ...
of composers like Paisiello and Cimarosa. Méhul responded with '' L'irato'' ("The Angry Man"), a one-act comedy premiered as the work of the Italian composer "Fiorelli" in 1801. When it became an immediate success, Méhul revealed the hoax he had played. Méhul also continued to compose works in a more serious vein. ''
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
'', based on the Biblical story of
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
and his brothers, is the most famous of these later operas, but its success in France was short-lived. In Germany, however, it won many admirers throughout the nineteenth century, including Wagner. A melody from ''Joseph'' is very similar to a popular folk melody widely known in Germany which was used as a song in the
Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...
, and adapted, notoriously, as the tune for the co-national anthem of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, the ''
Horst-Wessel-Lied The "" (), also known by its incipit "" ('The Flag Raised High'), was the anthem of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) from 1930 to 1945. From 1933 to 1945, the Nazis made it the co-national anthem of Germany, along with the first stanza of the "". The "" ...
''. It is unclear, however, whether Méhul's melody was the actual provenance of the melody.


Symphonies and other works

Besides operas, Méhul composed a number of songs for the festivals of the republic (often commissioned by the emperor Napoleon),
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
s, and five symphonies in the years 1797 and 1808 to 1810. Mehul's First Symphony (1808) is notable for its dissonant and violent mood, and has been compared to
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
's Symphony No. 5, written in the same year. Taking inspiration from the more anguished works of
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
and
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
, such as Haydn's
Sturm und Drang (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto-Romanticism, Romantic movement in German literature and Music of Germany, music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity an ...
and later Paris Symphonies of 1785–86 and
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
's Symphony No. 40 (K. 550, 1788), it was revived in one of
Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...
's concerts with the
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...
in 1838 and 1846 to an audience including
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
, who was impressed by the piece. (At the time of writing, only Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 799/1800 and 1802had been performed in France.) His other symphonies also followed German and Austrian models. Commenting after the premiere of his first symphony, he noted: "I understood all the dangers of my enterprise; I foresaw the cautious welcome that the music-lovers would give my symphonies. I plan to write new ones for next winter and shall try to write them… to accustom the public gradually to think that a Frenchman may follow Haydn and Mozart at a distance." A fifth symphony was never completed—"as disillusionment and tuberculosis took their toll", in the words of David Charlton. The Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 were only rediscovered by Charlton in 1979. Interviewed 8 November 2010 on the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' programme, Professor Charlton said that Méhul's 4th Symphony was the first ever to employ the cyclical principle.


List of works


Operas


For piano

* 3 Sonates for Piano, op. 1 (1783) * 3 Sonates for Piano, op. 2 (1788) * Fierement for Piano


Orchestral music

* Ouverture burlesque (1794) * Ouverture pour instruments à vent (1794) * Symphony in C (1797, only parts are surviving) * Symphony No. 1 in G minor (1808/09) * Symphony No. 2 in D major (1808/09) * Symphony No. 3 in C major (1809) * Symphony No. 4 in E major (1810) * Symphony No. 5 (1810, only the first movement survives; incomplete and unperformed)


Vocal music

* '' Chant du départ'' (1794) * ' (1794) * ' (1804) * ' (1808) * ' (1811)


Ballets

* ' (1793) * ' (1800) * '' Persée et Andromède'' (1810) (together with music by Haydn, Paer, and Steibelt)


Incidental music for plays

* ' (by Marie-Joseph Chénier) * ' (by Alexandre Duval)


Discography

* ''Uthal''. Karine Deshayes, Yann Beuron, Jean-Sébastien Bou, Christophe Rousset (conductor), Les Talens Lyriques, Chœur de chambre de Namur. Bru Zane, 2017. * ''Adrien''. Gabrielle Philiponet, Philippe Do, Marc Barrard, Philippe Talbot, Nicolas Courjal, Jean Teigen, Jennifer Borghi, György Vashegyi (dir.), Orfeo Orchestra, Purcell Choir. Bru Zane, 2014. * ''Joseph''. Natalie Dessay, soprano; Brigitte Lafon, mezzo-soprano; Laurence Dale, Antoine Normand, Philippe Pistole, tenors; René Massis, baritone; Frédéric Vassar, Philippe Jorquera, basses; Abbi Patrix, speaker; Ensemble choral "Intermezzo"; Orchestre régional de Picardie "Le Sinfonietta"; Claude Bardon, conductor. Chant du monde, c. 1989. * ''Piano Sonatas'' opp. 1 (Nos. 1–3) & 2 (Nos. 4–6). Brigitte Haudebourg, piano. Arcobaleno, c. 1990. * ''Chant national du 14 juillet 1800; Hymne à la raison; Le chant du départ''. Chœur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse; Michel Plasson, conductor. EMI, 1990. * ''The Complete Symphonies'' (Symphonies Nos. 1–4; including the Ouvertures ''La Chasse du jeune Henri'' and ''Le Trésor supposé''). Lisbon Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra, Michel Swierczewski. Nimbus Records, 1992. * ''La Chasse du jeune Henri'', ''Le Trésor supposé'' and ''Timoléon''. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham. Sony, 2002. * ''Stratonice''. Petibon, Beuron, Lescoart, Daymond, Corona Coloniensis, Cappella Coloniensis, William Christie, Erato 1996. * ''Symphonies Nos 1 and 2''.
Les Musiciens du Louvre Les Musiciens du Louvre (literally ''The Musicians of the Louvre'') is a French Historically informed performance, period instrument ensemble, formed in 1982. Originally based in Paris, since 1996 it has been based in the Couvent des Minimes de Gre ...
, Marc Minkowski, Erato/Apex, 2003. * ''Overtures'': ''Mélidore et Phrosine; Ariodant; Joseph; Horatius Coclès; Bion; Le jeune sage et le vieux fou; Le trésor supposé; Les deux aveugles de Tolède; La chasse du jeune Henri.'' Orchestre de Bretagne, Stefan Sanderling, ASV, 2003. * ''Joseph'' (as ''Joseph in Ägypten''), two versions of the work in German both recorded in 1955: (a) Alexander Welitsch, Libero di Luca, Horst Guenter, Ursula Zollenkopf, NDR Chor and orchestra of the NWDR, Wilhelm Schüchter; (b) Alexander Welitsch, Josef Traxel, Bernhard Michaelis,
Friederike Sailer Friederike Sailer (20 February 1920 – June 1994) was a German soprano in opera and concert. She was a member of the Stuttgart Opera, later a voice teacher at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. She performed at International festivals and recorded wit ...
,
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR'') was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany. History The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orches ...
, Südfunk-Chor, Alfons Rischner. Gala, 2004. * ''L'Irato''. Turk, Auvity, Courtin, Buet, Chamber Choir Bonn, L'arte del mondo, Walter Ehrhardt. Capriccio, 2006. * ''Le chant du départ; Chant Funèbre à la Mémoire de Féraud; Hymne pour la Fête des Epoux; Ouverture.'' Edwige Perfetti, soprano; Tibère Raffali, Christian Papis, tenors; Gilles Cachemaille, baritone; Orchestre d'Harmonie des Gardiens de la Paix de Paris; Claude Pichaureau, conductor; Chœur de l'Armée Française; Serge Zapolski, chorus-master; Chorale a Chœur Joie la Gondoire; Daniel Catenne, chorus-master; Chorale Populaire de Paris; Jean-Claude Chambard, chorus-master. Musifrance, n.d.


References


Sources

* Alexandre Dratwicki & Etienne Jardin, ''Le Fer et les Fleurs : Etienne-Nicolas Méhul (1763–1817)'' (Actes Sud & Palazzetto Bru Zane, 2017) * Adélaïde de Place ''Étienne Nicolas Méhul'' (Bleu Nuit Éditeur, 2005) * Berlioz ''Evenings with the Orchestra'', translated by Jacques Barzun (
University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It pu ...
, 1953) * Booklet notes by David Charlton to the recording "The Complete Symphonies" (Nimbus, 1989) * Booklet notes by Ates Orga to the recording of Méhul's "Overtures" (ASV, 2002). * David Cairns ''Berlioz: the Making of an Artist'' (André Deutsch, 1989). * David Charlton, section on Méhul in ''The Viking Opera Guide'' ed.Holden (1993) * David Charlton, chapter on "French Opera 1800–1850" in ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera'' ed. Roger Parker (OUP, 1994) * Introduction to the edition of Méhul's opera '' Stratonice'' by M.Elizabeth C. Bartlet (Pendragon Press, 1997)


External links

* * *
A portrait of Méhul
by
Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was granted the title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the ...

Biography and Works, France Diplomatie Culture

Notes on the Symphony No. 1 by Herbert Glass, Los Angeles Philharmonic Website


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehul, Etienne 1763 births 1817 deaths People from Givet 18th-century French classical composers 18th-century French male musicians French ballet composers Composers for piano 19th-century French classical composers Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French Classical-period composers French opera composers French male opera composers French Romantic composers Knights of the Legion of Honour Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Prix de Rome for composition Directors of the Conservatoire de Paris 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 19th-century French male musicians Tuberculosis deaths in France