Louis-Aimé Maillart (24 March 1817 – 26 May 1871) was a French composer, best known for his operas, particularly '' Les Dragons de Villars'' and ''Lara''.

Biography

Maillart was born in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

."Maillart, Aimé"
''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, 2001. Retrieved 28 June 2021 He studied at 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 ...

from 1833, learning composition from Aimé-Ambroise-Simon Leborne and

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 ...

, and violin from Guérin. In 1841 he won France's premier music prize, the

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 ...

, which brought with it three years' study at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (, ) is an academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

. After returning to France he composed his first opera, ''Gastibelza, ou Le fou de Tolède'', which was chosen as the opening work at the Opéra-National (later the Théâtre Lyrique) in 1847. There followed five more operas between then and 1864, all first performed in Paris. Of his operas, ''Les dragons de Villars'' (1856) and ''Lara'' (1864) are the best known. ''Les dragons de Villars'' premiered at the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique () was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Paris Opera, Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien (1801–1878), Théâtre-Italien). ...

;Clément and Larousse, pp. 236–237 it was also given in Germany under the title ''Das Glöckchen des Eremiten''. ''Lara'' was based on a poem of the same name by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

. Maiilart died in

Moulins, Allier Moulins (, ''Molins'' in Bourbonnais oïl dialect); is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. It is located on the river Allier. Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, the Anne de Beaujeu Museum, ...

in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

region of France at the age of 54, and was buried in the

Cimetière de Montmartre The Cemetery of 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 in Paris, after the Père Lachaise Cemet ...

. ''

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...

'' says of him, "Maillart’s music is characterized by graceful melodies, a colourful, theatrical style and skilful instrumentation".

Operas

*''Lionel Foscara'' (cantata) (1841) *''Gastilbelza (l'homme à la carbine)'' (1847) *''Le moulin des tilleuls'' (1849) *'' Les dragons de Villars'' (1856) *''Les pêcheurs de Catane'' (1860) *''Lara'' (

References and sources

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maillart, Aime 1817 births 1871 deaths 19th-century French classical composers 19th-century French male musicians Burials at Montmartre Cemetery French Romantic composers French opera composers French male opera composers Musicians from Montpellier Prix de Rome for composition