André Campra
Encyclopedia
André Campra was a French
composer
and conductor
.
Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully
and Jean-Philippe Rameau
. He wrote several tragédies en musique, but his chief claim to fame is as the creator of a new genre, opéra-ballet
. He also wrote three books of cantata
s as well as religious music, including a requiem
.
, in Italy, and of Louise Fabry, from Aix-en-Provence
. Campra's father was his first music teacher. Campra became a choirboy at Saint-Sauveur
in Aix in 1674, and commenced ecclesiastical studies four years later. He was reprimanded by his superiors in 1681 for having taken part in theatrical performances without permission, but was nevertheless made a chaplain on 27 May that year.
From 1694 to 1700, he was maître de musique (music director) at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, after having served in a similar capacity in Arles
and Toulouse
. Campra controversially brought violins into the making of sacred music at Notre-Dame de Paris which at the time was seen as very avant-garde due to their reputation as 'street instruments'.
He began to turn toward the theatre in 1697 and published some theatrical compositions under his brother's name to protect his reputation within the church. In 1700 he gave up his post at Notre-Dame and concentrated on his theatrical music to critical success. By 1705 he was a musical celebrity but this resulted in him becoming a target for negative articles in the press. From 1720 onwards, he returned to the composition of sacred music. Although Campra had obtained critical success he did not have financial security and hence in 1722 he was engaged by the prince of Conti
as maître de musique although this appointment was short lived. After the death of the regent, Campra became sous-maître at the Royal Chapel in Versailles in 1723. In 1730 he became the Inspecteur Général at the Opéra
(Royal Academy of Music).
He died at the age of 83.
With his composition of L'Europe galante he was the true genius of the opéra-ballet
, a musical genre originated by Pascal Colasse (in his Ballet des saisons).He also wrote the Rigaudon
.
La guirlande de Campra
by seven French composers, written in 1952.
A state-owned secondary school
in the centre of Aix-en-Provence
, is named after André Campra, Collège Campra. There is a statue of Campra inside one of the buildings.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
and Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
. He wrote several tragédies en musique, but his chief claim to fame is as the creator of a new genre, opéra-ballet
Opéra-ballet
Opéra-ballet was a popular genre of French Baroque opera, "that grew out of the ballets à entrées of the early seventeeth century". It differed from the more elevated tragédie en musique as practised by Jean-Baptiste Lully in several ways...
. He also wrote three books of cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s as well as religious music, including a requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
.
Biography
Campra was the son of Jean-François Campra, a surgeon and violinist from GragliaGraglia
Graglia is a comune in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km northeast of Turin and about 7 km southwest of Biella....
, in Italy, and of Louise Fabry, from Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
. Campra's father was his first music teacher. Campra became a choirboy at Saint-Sauveur
Saint-Sauveur
-France:Saint-Sauveur is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Saint-Sauveur, Hautes-Alpes, in the Hautes-Alpes département* Saint-Sauveur, Côte-d'Or, in the Côte-d'Or département...
in Aix in 1674, and commenced ecclesiastical studies four years later. He was reprimanded by his superiors in 1681 for having taken part in theatrical performances without permission, but was nevertheless made a chaplain on 27 May that year.
From 1694 to 1700, he was maître de musique (music director) at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, after having served in a similar capacity in Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. Campra controversially brought violins into the making of sacred music at Notre-Dame de Paris which at the time was seen as very avant-garde due to their reputation as 'street instruments'.
He began to turn toward the theatre in 1697 and published some theatrical compositions under his brother's name to protect his reputation within the church. In 1700 he gave up his post at Notre-Dame and concentrated on his theatrical music to critical success. By 1705 he was a musical celebrity but this resulted in him becoming a target for negative articles in the press. From 1720 onwards, he returned to the composition of sacred music. Although Campra had obtained critical success he did not have financial security and hence in 1722 he was engaged by the prince of Conti
Prince of Conti
The title of Prince of Conti was a French noble title, assumed by a cadet branch of the house of Bourbon-Condé. It was taken from Conty, a small town of northern France, c. 35 km southwest of Amiens, which came into the Condé family by the marriage of Louis of Bourbon, first prince of Condé,...
as maître de musique although this appointment was short lived. After the death of the regent, Campra became sous-maître at the Royal Chapel in Versailles in 1723. In 1730 he became the Inspecteur Général at the Opéra
Académie Royale de Musique
The Salle Le Peletier was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and constructed by the architect François Debret on the site of the former Hôtel de Choiseul...
(Royal Academy of Music).
He died at the age of 83.
With his composition of L'Europe galante he was the true genius of the opéra-ballet
Opéra-ballet
Opéra-ballet was a popular genre of French Baroque opera, "that grew out of the ballets à entrées of the early seventeeth century". It differed from the more elevated tragédie en musique as practised by Jean-Baptiste Lully in several ways...
, a musical genre originated by Pascal Colasse (in his Ballet des saisons).He also wrote the Rigaudon
Rigaudon
The rigaudon is a French baroque dance with a lively duple metre. The music is similar to that of a bourrée, but the rigaudon is rhythmically simpler with regular phrases ....
.
Operas
- L'Europe galanteL'Europe galanteL'Europe galante is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and four entrées by André Campra, The French text was by Antoine Houdar de la Motte....
, opéra-ballet (1697) - Le carnaval de VeniseLe carnaval de VeniseLe carnaval de Venise is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and three acts by the French composer André Campra. The libretto is by Jean-François Regnard. It was first performed at the Académie royale de musique on 20 January 1699.-Roles:*****-Sources:**The Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden 8*...
, opéra-ballet (1699) - HésioneHésioneHésione is an opera by the French composer André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by Antoine Danchet, is based on the Greek myth of Hesione and Laomedon....
, tragédie en musique (1700) - Aréthuse, opéra-ballet (1701)
- TancrèdeTancrèdeTancrède is a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts by composer André Campra and librettist Antoine Danchet, based on Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso....
, tragédie en musique (1702) - Les muses, opéra-ballet (1703)
- Iphigénie en TaurideIphigénie en Tauride (Campra)Iphigénie en Tauride is an opera by the French composers Henri Desmarets and André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. The libretto is by Joseph-François Duché de Vancy with additions by Antoine Danchet...
, tragédie en musique (1704) - Télémaque, tragédie en musique pastiche (1704)
- AlcineAlcineAlcine is an opera by the French composer André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts...
, tragédie en musique (1705) - Hippodamie, tragédie en musique (1708)
- Les fêtes vénitiennesLes fêtes vénitiennesLes fêtes vénitiennes is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and three acts by the French composer André Campra. The libretto is by Antoine Danchet...
, opéra-ballet (1710) - IdoménéeIdoménéeIdoménée is an opera by the French composer André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. Idoménée was first performed at the Académie royale de musique on 12 January 1712. The libretto, by Antoine Danchet, is based on a stage play by Crébillon père...
, tragédie en musique (1712) - Télèphe, tragédie en musique (1713)
- Énée et Didon, fête musicale (1714)
- Camille, reine des Volsques, tragédie en musique (1717)
- Les âgesLes âgesLes âges or Le ballet des âges is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and three acts by the French composer André Campra. The libretto is by Jean-Louis Fuzelier. It was first performed at the Académie royale de musique on 9 October 1718.The three acts were entitled: 1. La jeunesse ou L'amour ingénu, 2....
, opéra-ballet (1718) - Achille et Déidamie, tragédie en musique (1735)
Sacred works
- Nisi Dominus (1722)
- Requiem (after 1723)
- Motets for the royal chapel (1723-1741)
Legacy
A theme from his 1717 opera Camille was used as the basis of the collaborative workClassical music written in collaboration
In classical music, it is relatively rare for a work to be written in collaboration by multiple composers. This contrasts with popular music, where it is common for more than one person to contribute to the music for a song...
La guirlande de Campra
La guirlande de Campra
La guirlande de Campra is collaborative orchestral work written by seven French composers in 1952. It is in the form of variations or meditations on a theme from André Campra's 1717 opera Camille. It was later choreographed as a ballet....
by seven French composers, written in 1952.
A state-owned secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in the centre of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, is named after André Campra, Collège Campra. There is a statue of Campra inside one of the buildings.
Sources
- Anthony, James R. "Campra, André". Grove Music Online (subscription access).
- BBC Radio 3. "Composer of the Week: André Campra 1660-1744", Episode 2, BBC: Broadcast 7 December 2010
- BBC Radio 3. "Composer of the Week: André Campra 1660-1744", Episode 3, BBC: Broadcast 8 December 2010
- Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)