Pierre-Montan Berton

Pierre -Montan Berton (also Le Breton, born January 7, 1727 Maubert-Fontaine/Ardennen, † May 14, 1780 in Paris) was a French composer, conductor and tenor. He is the father of the composer Henri -Montan Berton.

Life

Pierre -Montan Berton was a boy chorister in the cathedral of Senlis and studied organ, harpsichord and composition at the local school choir. In Paris he continued his studies, encouraged by a recommendation of Jean -Marie Leclair, he joined with 16 years the choir of Notre Dame as a tenor at. After two years he was engaged as a singer at the Paris Opera, but asked the day of his first appearance for his release and took the post as principal cellist.

From about 1746, he spent two years as bassist in Marseille and later musical director at the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux. During this time he was also organist at two churches and composed ballet music. 1755 he returned to Paris, became director of the opera orchestra and began to write operas in the same year. He, however, had less success than with arrangements of works by other composers, including a new orchestration belonged. Initially he worked André Campras opera Camille, and later works of Lully and Rameau. From 1767 Berton was with Jean -Claude Trial Director of the Paris Opera, 1775-1778 whose Director-General. His other offices included the management of the Concert spiritual ( 1771-73 ) and the Diocese of the Musique du roi from 1775. Perhaps this was Berton along with Étienne -Joseph Floquet and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1778 on the composition of the music of Jean- Georges Noverre's ballet Les petits riens involved. The latter point was taken after his death of Jean -Baptiste Cardonne. He also led 1768 performances at the Royal Theatre and the chapel at Versailles. He probably died from exhaustion eight days after the management of his own arrangement of Rameau's opera Castor et Pollux in May in 1780.

His greatest achievements lie in the line of the Paris Opera, which he held jointly with Jean -Claude Trial. He had thoroughly reformed before Gluck's appearance in Paris This opera orchestra. He made ​​it a then famous orchestra that had grown rising, due to the progress of symphonic music difficulties.

• French composer
• Composer ( classical)
• Born in 1727
• Died in 1780
• Man