Nicolas Isouard (; also known as ''Nicolò'', ''Nicolò Isoiar'' or ''Nicolò de Malte''; 18 May 1773 – 23 March 1818) was a Franco-Maltese composer.

Biography

Born in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, Isouard studied in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

or Mdina with Francesco Azopardi, in

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

with , and in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

with Nicola Sala and Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. From 1795 he was organist at Saint John's Co-Cathedral - the Conventual Church of the Order of Saint John in

He moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he worked as a free composer and became friends with

Rodolphe Kreutzer Rodolphe Kreutzer (15 November 1766 – 6 January 1831) was a French violinist, teacher, conductor, and composer of forty French operas, including '' La mort d'Abel'' (1810). He is probably best known as the dedicatee of Beethoven's Violin Son ...

. The pair worked together on several operas, including ''Le Petit page, ou La Prison d'état'' (1800) and ''Flaminius à Corinthe'' (1801). Isouard adopted the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Nicolò (or Nicolò de Malte) and found rapid success in the field of

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 ...

with ''Michel-Ange ''(1802) and ''L'Intrigue aux fenêtres'' (1805). He composed regularly for the ''Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique'', writing some thirty works for it. He composed

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

es,

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...

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, romances, and duos, along with over 45

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 ...

Family and legacy

Isouard had two daughters, Sophie-Nicole (1809–1885), a composer of romances, and Annette-Julie (1814–1876), a pianist and composer. His brother Joseph (1794–1863) had a career as a singer and opera director before being named inspector of historic monuments in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. Nicolas Isouard died in Paris and was buried in Notre-Dame-des-Victoires. A bust of the composer was placed on one of the facades of both the ''Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique'' and the ''

Palais Garnier The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the ...

'', and one of the main squares in Paris was given his name.

Works

* ''Casaciello, perseguitato da un Mago'', Opera buffa - Two-act comedy 1793, Malta * ''L'avviso a Maritati'', Opera, Florence June 1794 * ''Artaserse, re di Persia'', Opera seria, Livorno August 1794. Two excerpts only survive. Edited by Richard Divall * ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', Opera buffa after

Pierre Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French playwright and diplomat during the Age of Enlightenment. Best known for his three #Figaro plays, Figaro plays, at various times in his life he was also a watc ...

, Malta Teatro Manoel 1796 * ''Rinaldo d'Asti'', Dramma giocoso, Malta 1796 * ''L'improvvisata in campagna'', Opera buffa, Malta 1796-7 * ''I due avari'', Commedia per musica, Malta 1797 * ''Il bottaio'', Opera comique, 1798 * ''Il barone d'Alba chiara'', Commedia per musica, Carnevale, Malta 1798 * ''Ginevra di Scozia'', Dramma serio eroico, 1798 * ''Le Petit page, ou La Prison d'état'', Opera, Paris, February 1801 * ''Flaminius à Corinthe'', Opera, Paris February 1801 * ''Le Tonellier'' Opera-comique, Paris May 1801 * ''L'Impromptu de campagne'', Opera-comique, Paris June 1801 * ''La Statue, ou La Femme avare'', Opera comique, 1802 * ''Michel-Ange'', Opera, 1802 * ''Les Confidences'', Opera, 1803 * ''Le Baiser et la quittance, ou Une Aventure de garnison'', Opera comique, 1803 * ''Le Médecin turc'', Opéra bouffon, 1803 * ''L'Intrigue aux fenêtres'', Opera, 1805 * ''La Ruse inutile, ou Les Rivaux par convention'', Opera, 1805 * ''Léonce, ou Le Fils adoptif'', Opera, 1805 * ''La Prise de Passaw'', Opera comique, 1806 * ''Le Déjeuner de garçons'', Comédie mêlée de musique, 1806 * ''Idala, ou La Sultane'', Opera comique, 1806 * '' Les Rendez-vous bourgeois'', Opéra bouffon, 1807 * ''Les Créanciers, ou Le Remède à la goutte'', Opera comique, 1807 * ''Un Jour à Paris, ou La Leçon singulière'', Opera comique, 1808 * ''Cimarosa'', Opera comique, 1808 * ''Zélomir, ou L'Intrigue au sérail'', Opera comique, 1809 * '' Cendrillon'', Opéra féerie after

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

, 1810 * ''La Victime des arts, ou La Fête de famille'', Opera comique, 1811 * ''La Fête de village, ou L'Heureux militaire'', Opera comique, 1811 * ''Le Billet de loterie'', Opera comique, 1811 * ''Le Magicien sans magie'', Opera comique, 1811 * ''Lulli et Quinault, ou Le Déjeuner impossible'', Opera comique, 1812 * ''Le Prince de Catane, ou Alamon'', Opera, 1813 * ''Le Français à Venise'', Opera comique, 1813 * ''Bayard à Mézières, ou Le Siège de Mézières'', Opera comique, 1814 * ''Joconde, ou Les Coureurs d'aventures'', Opera comique, 1814 * ''Jeannot et Colin'', Opera comique, 1814 * ''Les Deux maris'', Opera comique, 1816 * ''L'Une pour l'autre, ou L'Enlèvement'', Opera comique, 1816 * ''Les Deux capitaines de hussards'' Opera comique, Paris, March 1817 * ''Aladin, ou La Lampe merveilleuse'', Opéra féerie, 1822 * ''Une Nuit de Gustave Wasa'', Opera, 1825 Sacred works - all with orchestra and voices (In alphabetical order). Original Manuscripts - Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris * Angelus Domini * Credo Leg a 4 Voci 1795 * De torrente in A flat major * De torrente in B flat major * Diffusa est Gratia * Dixit Dominus a 4 * Dixit Dominus Leg * Dominus Deus a Terzetto * Gloria in D * Gratia agimus tibi in E flat * Gloria Patri in E flat * Kyrie in E flat * Kyrie in C minor * Kyrie Messa no 2 in E flat - fragment * Juravit Dominus * Lauda Jerusalem * Laetatus sum * Magnificat * Missa a Quattro Voci 1790 ( attr. to another composer) Cospicua Archives * Missa Pro Defunctorum - Jommelli, orchestrated by Isouard (Brussels Conservatoire Library) * Nisi Dominus * Panis Angelicus * Qui Tollis * Quoniam Tu Solus * Salve Regina * Sinfonia in C minor * Stabat Mater (5 fragments) Suscepimus Deus * Te Deum 1791 * Vexilla Regis * Virgam Virtutis for tenor and bass duet * Virgam Virtutis for solo tenor * Virtute Magna All of the above have been edited by Richard Divall and are available from the University of Divinity, Australia. Richard Divall is currently preparing a publication of a monograph and complete thematic catalogue, and an edition of the opera ''Cendrillon''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Isouard, Nicolas 1773 births 1818 deaths 18th-century classical composers 18th-century French composers French composers of sacred music 18th-century French male musicians 19th-century classical composers 19th-century French composers 19th-century French male musicians Composers for piano 19th-century male musicians French male classical composers French opera composers French Romantic composers Sacred music composers 19th-century French musicologists Male opera composers Maltese classical composers Maltese male musicians Maltese opera composers Musicians from Valletta Knights of the Legion of Honour Male classical composers

Biography

Family and legacy

Works

Further reading

References

External links