Jean-Féry Rebel (18 April 1666 – 2 January 1747) was an innovative French

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

composer and violinist.

Biography

Rebel, a child violin prodigy, was the most famous offspring of Jean Rebel, a tenor in Louis XIV's private chapel. He later became a student of the great violinist, singer, conductor, and composer

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

. By 1699, at age 33, Rebel became first violinist of the

Académie royale de musique 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 ...

(also known as the Opéra). He travelled to Spain in 1700. Upon his return to France in 1705, he was given a place in the prestigious ensemble known as the Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi. He was chosen Maître de Musique in 1716. His most important position at court was Chamber Composer, receiving the title in 1726. Rebel served as court composer to

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

and ''maître de musique'' at the Académie, and directed the

Concert Spirituel The Concert Spirituel () was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790. Later, concerts or series of concerts with the same name occurred in multiple places including Paris, Vienna ...

(during the 1734–1735 season). Rebel was one of the first French musicians to compose sonatas in the Italian style. Many of his compositions are marked by striking originality that include complex counter-rhythms and audacious harmonies that were not fully appreciated by listeners of his time. His opus ''Les caractères de la danse'' combined music with dance, a French tradition, and presented innovative metrical inventions. The work was popular and was performed in London in 1725 under the baton of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

. In honour of his teacher, Rebel composed ''Le tombeau de M. Lully'' (literally, "The Tomb of Monsieur Lully"; figuratively, "A Tribute to Lully"). Some of Rebel's compositions are described as choreographed "symphonies." Among his boldest original compositions is '' Les Élémens'' ("The Elements") which describes the creation of the world – the beginning, "Le Chaos", is surprisingly modern. The opening dissonant chord of "Le Chaos" is a tone cluster and includes all the notes of the D harmonic minor scale. His son François Rebel (1701–1775) was also a composer, noted violinist, and member of the "Vingt-quatre violons du roi". He co-wrote and co-directed operas with

François Francœur 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; ...

. The Rebel Baroque Orchestra, formed in 1991, was named in his honour.

Compositions

Source:

Aria

*''Receuils d'airs sérieux et à boire'', airs for voice (1695–1708) *'' Leçons de Ténèbres'' (Lost)

Ballet

*''Caprice'', ballet d'action (ballet-pantomime) (1711) *''Boutade'' (1712) *''Les Caractères de la danse'' (1715) *''La Terpsichore'' (1720) *''Les Plaisirs champêtres'' (1724) *''Fantaisie'' (1729) *'' Les Élémens'' (1737)

Opera

*''

Ulysse Ulysse, the French spelling of Ulysses, is a masculine French given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ulysse Adjagba Ulysse Adjagba (born 27 March 1993) is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for Aix Maurie ...

'', tragédie lyrique (1703)

Trio Sonata

*''Recueil de douze sonates à 2 ou 3 parties'', Book of twelve sonatas in 2 or 3 parts (composed in 1695, published in Paris in 1712) **(includes: ''Le tombeau de M. de Lully, en hommage à son maître'')

Violin Sonata

*''12 Sonates à violon seul mellées de plusieurs récits pour la viole'', 12 sonatas for violin solo mixed with récits for viol, (Paris 1713)

References

External links

EarlyMusic.com: ''Jean-Féry Rebel (1666–1747)''
biography
Pandora: ''Jean-Féry Rebel''
biography from ''All Music Guide'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rebel, Jean-Fery 1666 births 1747 deaths French Baroque composers Composers for violin Musicians from Paris French opera composers 18th-century French classical composers French male classical violinists 17th-century French male musicians French male violinists French male opera composers 17th-century French violinists 18th-century French violinists 18th-century French male musicians