André Campra

André Campra ( baptized on 4 December 1660 in Aix -en- Provence, † June 29, 1744 in Versailles) was a French composer.

Life

The Early Years

Campras father was a native of Piedmont doctor Jean -François Campra, Campras mother's name was Louise Fabry. He enjoyed his first musical training as a chorister of the cathedral of Saint- Sauveur in Aix -en- Provence. At the age of 17, he composed his first motets. In 1678 he started in Saint- Sauveur with ecclesiastical studies and received the tonsure. 1681 referred him the chapter of the seminar, because he had taken part in theatrical performances.

In the same year he joined Arles for two years at the place of the " maître de musique " at the Cathedral of Saint Trophimus. The following year, he composed on the occasion of the birth of the Duke of Burgundy, a grandson of Louis XIV, his first opera, which is considered lost today.

In 1683 he moved to Toulouse, where he led the singing school of Saint- Étienne Cathedral; he held eleven years this position. The musical resources were quite modest, for instrumental support of the singer him were merely Serpents and a bass viol available Campra managed to add two violin parts. In 1685 he was received as " maître de musique " at a meeting of the Estates of Languedoc in Montpellier.

Campra is referred to in any source other than an affable character, he is described as choleric, cynical, devoted to alcohol and sympathizing with the Italian party. For these reasons, he lost his place in Arles, his activity in Toulouse was not without problems. 1691 demanded the chapter that he had to submit to the chapter before each performance his works. At the height of tensions Campra was in 1694 through the help of the abbot Lagrange Trianon head of the singing school at Notre Dame de Paris.

From 1697 Campra began work on the composition of lyrical works, the ballet - opera L'Europe Galante and Le Carnaval de Venise (1699 ). During this time he let his brother Joseph (1662-1744) signed his secular works, so as not to lose his job at Notre Dame, but finally asked in October 1700 to dismissal from the service of the Church lucrative for him.

The later years

Until 1720, he composed some fifteen " opéras - ballets " and " tragédies lyriques ", some of which were listed more than once in his lifetime. Meanwhile, he was a well known musician and was appointed Kapellmeister of the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris, not least because the taste of the Regent, a pupil Marc -Antoine Charpentier, was dominated Italian. After the death of Louis XIV and the resignation of Michel -Richard Delalande Campra was, together with Charles -Hubert Gervais (1671-1744) and Nicolas Bernier (1664-1734), " sous- maître " of the Chapelle Royale at Versailles.

From 1721 Campra was also in the employ of the Jesuits at the Church of St. Louis and at the Collège Louis- le -Grand. With the exception of an opera, Achille et Déidamie (1735 ) and two appointed by the Prince de Conti occasional works (La Fête de l' Isle- Adam, 1722) to the wedding of the Duke of Chartres (Le Lis et la Rose, 1724), he composed only sacred music, including about 30 motets, a requiem, and many psalms for the performance at the Collège Louis-le - Grand certain cantatas.

Time Campra is somewhere between Jean -Baptiste Lully and Jean -Philippe Rameau. While most composers completely fell into oblivion immediately after the French Revolution, the works of Campra, Lully and Rameau were performed occasionally. Campra one of the most important French composers of the first half of the 18th century. He then established the new musical genre Opéra Ballet. His music is characterized by a certain Franco- Italian lightness and simplicity that pervades the secular as well as ecclesiastical work.

In 1740 he resigned from his position with 79 years, the last four years of his life he spent withdrawn in Versailles.

Works

• Sacred Works: Trois livres de Cantates, 1708, 1714 et 1728
• Nisi Dominus, 1722
• Messe de morts ( Requiem), after 1723
• Motets pour la Chapelle Royale, 1723-1741

• Operas: L'Europe galante, opéra -ballet, 1697
• Le carnaval de Venise, opéra -ballet, 1699
• HESIONE, tragédie lyrique, 1700
• Aréthuse, 1701
• Tancrède, tragédie lyrique, 1702
• Les muses, 1703
• Iphigénie en Tauride in 1704
• Télémaque, 1704 ( pastiche )
• Alcine, 1705
• Hippodamie, 1708
• Les fêtes venitiennes, 1710
• Idomenee, tragédie lyrique, 1712
• Télèphe, 1713
• ENEE et Didon, 1714
• Camille, pure of Volsques, 1717
• Les âges, 1718
• Les sauvages, 1729
• Achille et Déidamie, 1735