Louis-Barthélémy Pradher (16 December 1782 – 19 October 1843) was a French composer, pianist and music educator.

Life

Born in Paris, Pradher was the son of a violinist of the Prince de Condé. He received his first music lessons from his father and Louis Gobert at the École royale de musique. After the school was closed during the Revolution, he was a student of

Hélène de Montgeroult Marquise Hélène de Montgeroult born Hélène Antoinette Marie de Nervo (2 March 1764 – 20 May 1836) was a French composer and pianist. Recognised as one of the best fortepiano performers and improvisers of her time, and a published composer, d ...

. From 1797, he took lessons 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 ...

, piano with Gobert and

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

with

Henri Montan Berton Henri-Montan Berton (17 September 1767 – 22 April 1844) was a French composer, teacher, and writer, mostly known as a composer of operas for the Opéra-Comique. Career Henri-Montan Berton was born the son of Pierre Montan Berton.Charlton 2 ...

, until the completion of his training in 1798. He married the singer and pianist Elyse (Elisabeth-Charlotte) Philidor (1776–1819) in 1799. She was the daughter of the composer

François-André Danican Philidor François-André Danican Philidor (7 September 1726 – 31 August 1795), often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the ''opéra comique''. ...

and the niece of the singer Louis-Augustin Richer. In 1802, he took

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an Originality, original piece or work of music, either Human voice, vocal or Musical instrument, instrumental, the musical form, structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new pie ...

courses with Étienne-Nicolas Méhul and in 1802 took over the piano class of Louis Emmanuel Jadin at the Paris Conservatoire and, from 1803, he was full professor at the succession of

François-Adrien Boieldieu François-Adrien Boieldieu (, also ) (16 December 1775 – 8 October 1834) was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart".. Although his reputation is largely based upon his operas, Boieldieu composed other works and amo ...

. He remained in this position until his retirement in 1828. Among his students were

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, critic, teacher and composer. He was among the most influential music intellectuals in continental Europe. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ...

, Charles-Laurent Rhein, as well as the Herz brothers, Jacques-Simom Herz and

Henri Herz Henri Herz (6 January 1803 – 5 January 1888) was a virtuoso pianist, composer and piano manufacturer, Austrian by birth and French by nationality and domicile. He was a professor in the Paris Conservatoire for more than thirty years. Among his ...

. He was a member of King

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

's Court Orchestra and Chamber Music and King

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

's Court pianist as well as ''Maître de musique des enfants du roi''. In his second marriage, he married an opera singer, Félicité More and was made a Chevalier of 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 ...

in 1826.

: ''Biographie universelle des musiciens'', 2. Pradher died at

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

at age 60.

Works

Pradher composed several opéras-comiques, whose moderate success quickly declined due to the poor quality of the booklets. However, he has made a name for himself with his brilliant piano music that brought his virtuosity to light. Among these works, thirteen series of romances, numerous sonatas for piano and several concertos for piano and orchestra. Operas * ''Le Chevalier d'industrie'', opera (composed with

Gustave Dugazon Gustave Dugazon (real name Alexandre Louis Gustave Gourgaud, 1 February 1781 – 12 September 1829) was a French classical composer. A contemporary of François-Adrien Boieldieu, Boieldieu, Étienne Nicolas Méhul, Méhul, Rodolphe Kreutzer, ...

, on a libretto by Jacques Bins de Saint-Victor), 1804 * ''La Folie musicale ou Le Chanteur prisonnier'', opera on a libretto by Francis d’Allarde), 1807 * ''Trois romances mises en musique avec accompagnement de forte piano'', 1810 * ''Jeune et vieille'', opera on a libretto by René Allisan de Chazet, composed with

Henri-Montan Berton Henri-Montan Berton (17 September 1767 – 22 April 1844) was a French composer, teacher, and writer, mostly known as a composer of operas for the Opéra-Comique. Career Henri-Montan Berton was born the son of Pierre Montan Berton.Charlton 2 ...

), 1811 * ''L'Emprunt, secret ou Le Prêteur sans le vouloir'', opera on a libretto by François Antoine Eugène de Planard), 1812 * ''Le Philosophe en voyage'', opera on a libretto by

Paul de Kock Charles Paul de Kock (May 21, 1793 in Passy, Paris – April 27, 1871 in Paris) was a French novelist. Although one of the most popular writers of his day in terms of book sales, he acquired a literary reputation for low-brow output in poor taste ...

, composed with

Charles-Frédéric Kreubé Charles-Frédéric Kreubé (Lunéville, 5 November 1777 – Saint-Denis, 3 May 1846) was a 19th-century French violinist, conductor and composer. Biography A student of Rodolphe Kreutzer, he was admitted in 1801 into the orchestra of the Op� ...

), 1821 * ''Jenny la bouquetière'', opera on a libretto by

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (24 January 1763 – 14 April 1842) was a French playwright, Libretto, librettist, Children's literature, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution. He is best known for writing a libretto, supposedly based ...

and

Joseph Pain Marie Joseph Pain (4 August 1773, Paris – March 1830, ibid.) was a 19th-century French playwright, poet and essayist. Biography A member of the , censor and office manager at the Prefecture of the Seine under the Bourbon Restoration, chief edi ...

, composed with Kreubé), 1823

References

External links

Pradher, Louis-Barthélémy
(Palace pianos) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pradher, Louis-Barthélémy 1782 births 1843 deaths 19th-century French classical composers Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Knights of the Legion of Honour Conservatoire de Paris alumni 19th-century French male classical pianists 19th-century French classical pianists French opera composers French Romantic composers Musicians from Paris