François de Paule Bretonneau (31 October 1660 – 22 May 1741) was a French

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

and new-Latin operas

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Short biography

After he entered the novitiate 14 September 1675, Bretonneau became known as a preacher and for four years was an officer of the Professed House of the Jesuits of Paris. He revised and edited the sermons of his colleagues Bourdaloue, Cheminais and Giroust. Father La Rue called him ''Trium mortuorum suscitator magnificus''. He also revised the ''Œuvres spirituelles'' by Valois and part of La Rue's ''Sermons''. Justice must be done to each of the ''prefaces'' he put at the head of these editions. The ''Analyses'' he made of the ''Discours'' of which he was the editor are accurate, clear, precise and appropriate to give young Christian orators the idea of a well-coordinated plan and well filled by the chain of evidence. Bretonneau was himself a preacher. His ''Sermons'', ''Panégyriques'', ''Discours'' and ''Mystères'', in 7 vol. in-12, published in 1743 by Isaac-Joseph Berruyer, breathe a Christian eloquence. The graces of action failed him, but he had all the other parts of the sacred orator. His virtues were in support of his sermons. From Bretonneau we still have ''Réflexions chrétiennes pour les jeunes gens qui entrent dans le monde'', in-12. Bretonneau authored ''Celse martyr, tragédie en musique'' (lost) as well as the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

of the opera in one prologue and five acts '' David et Jonathas'' H.490 by

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

. He also wrote in Latin.

Publications

*1687: ''Celse martyr'',

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 i ...

, Paris, Vve C. Thiboust et P. Esclassan. *1688: ''David et Jonathas'', tragédie en musique, given in the theater of college Louis le Grand, 28 February, Paris, widow of Claude Thiboust, and Pierre Esclassan. * ''Abrégé de la Vie de Jacques II'', in-12. (Book taken from a text of his confessor) *1708: ''Réflexions chrétiennes pour les jeunes gens qui entrent dans le monde'', Paris, in-12 ; *1746: ''Sermons, panégyriques et discours sur les Mystères'', ibid., 7 vol. in-12. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bretonneau, Francois de Paule 17th-century French Jesuits 18th-century French Jesuits 17th-century French dramatists and playwrights 17th-century French male writers 17th-century writers in Latin French opera librettists Writers from Tours, France 1660 births 1741 deaths Clergy from Tours, France