Frédéric Blasius
Encyclopedia
Frédéric Blasius was a French
violin
ist, clarinetist, conductor
, and composer
. Born Matthäus (French
: Matthieu, Mathieu) Blasius, he used Frédéric as his pen name on his publications in Paris.
, a town in the far north-west corner of France on the Rhineland
border of Alsace
. This frontier town had been fortified in the late 17th century by Louis XIV and had a large military presence, including many musicians. Both of his parents were German. His mother, a member of the Bugard family, was originally from the South Rhineland town of Schaidt, and his father, Johann Michael Blasius, was from Rastatt
in Baden. His father earned his living primarily as a master tailor
, but was also a musician and gave his son his first lessons. The young Blasius also received lessons from military musicians; a man referred to as Herr Stadt; and his two older brothers: Johann Peter (French: Pierre; born Lauterbourg, 2 September 1752), a violinist; and Franz Ignaz (French: Ignace; born Lauterbourg, 11 April 1755), a bassoonist. Both of his brothers also later worked in Paris.
From 1780 to 1782 Blasius worked for the Bishop of Strasbourg, Prince Louis-René-Edouard de Rohan. The Cathedral Kapellmeister and Municipal Music Director of Strasbourg
at that time was Franz Xaver Richter
. Richter was a co-founder of the "Mannheim School
" and a leading music theoretician. In 1784 Blasius went to Paris
and in the spring made his debut as the violin soloist and conductor of one of his own concerto
s at a concert of the Concert spirituel
. The performance received favourable reviews.
as a violinist in 1788, and became its concertmaster
(and conductor) on 19 April 1790, a position he held up to 1801 and again from 1804 to 1816 (or 1818).
During the earlier period, from 1788 to 1801, the Opéra-Comique underwent significant challenges. Up to that time the theatre had had a virtual monopoly on the performance of French comic opera in Paris, but in 1788 Marie Antoinette
gave a license to open a new theatre to her hairdresser and wig-maker, Léonard Autié. Autié sold his license to the Italian violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti
, who hired Luigi Cherubini
to be the director of the new company. The two men recruited actors from the provinces and singers from Italy. At first the new troupe was named the Théâtre de Monsieur after the king's brother, Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, comte de Provence
, who had the court title of Monsieur, and who along with the queen promised their protection to the new group. Later, after a move from the Salle des Machines in the Tuileries Palace
to the rue Feydeau, and the fall of the monarchy, it became commonly known as the Théâtre Feydeau.
Initially the Théâtre de Monsieur was forbidden to perform the same repertory as the Opéra-Comique, but this quickly changed. With the invasion of the Tuileries by a mob on 10 August In 1792, the Italian singers returned to Italy, and Viotti fled to England. The Feydeau company, still under the direction of Cherubini, turned to performing French opéra comique. The competition between the two companies, forced the Opera-Comique to upgrade salaries in order to retain the best personnel. In 1794, Blasius' salary at the Opéra-Comique was increased from 2,000 livre
s to 2,600 livres.
An account of the year VII
(1795) refers to the conductor of the Opéra-Comique as "le cit. [citoyen] Blasius", i.e., Citizen Blasius. The repertoire of the Opéra-Comique performing at the Salle Favart during these years testifies to its adherence to the values of the revolution, in contrast to its "rival and emulator", at the Feydeau, which remained true to its aristocratic origins and attracted opponents of the government. In 1793 Blasius had composed the music for a two-act trait historique by Auguste-Louis Bertin d'Antilly called Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, ou Le premier martyr de la République française. This piece, which was first performed by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart on 23 February, was based on an event which had occurred only one month prior: Louis-Michel le Peletier, marquis de Saint-Fargeau, was assassinated on 20 January for having voted for the execution of Louis XVI, who was executed on the 21st. Early in 1794 Blasius was one of twelve composers, including Cherubini, who collaborated on a 3-act Revolutionary, patriotic comédie mêlée d'ariettes
called Le congrès des rois
. The composition, ordered by the Committee of Public Safety
, was finished in just two days and first performed in the Salle Favart on 26 February 1794. Unfortunately, the work was not a success, and the Revolutionary purists found much to object to. After only two performances the authorities banned it altogether.
By 1800 the competition between the Opéra-Comique and the Théâtre Feydeau had reached an impasse, and it was decided to merge the two companies "by a legal act of union dated 7 thermidor an IX (25 July 1800)". The new corporation was to use the old name Opéra-Comique but perform at the newer theatre on the rue Feydeau. The merged company's first performance there was a program consisting of Étienne Méhul's Stratonice
and Cherubini's Les deux journées
which took place on 16 September 1801. It was in 1801 that Blasius first lost his position as conductor of the Opéra-Comique orchestra. During his time with that company Blasius had performed and conducted works by Nicolas Dalayrac
, André Grétry, and Étienne Méhul
, all of whom had praised his conducting skills.
of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail
, with the German company of Elmenreich. Two of his own compositions, the mélodrames
Adelson et Salvini and Don Pèdre et Zulika, were first performed at the Gaîté in 1802. Later he worked at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin
, where his Clodomire, ou La Prêtresse d'Irmunsul a three-act mélodrame was first performed on 5 May 1803.
In 1795 Blasius received an appointment as professor of violin at the newly founded Paris Conservatoire. He also held other official positions at various times during the Revolution
and the Directory
. He was a member and director of the National Guard Band from 1793 to 1795, and in 1799 became a conductor of the bands of the Garde Consulaire. In 1802 Blasius lost his professorship at the Conservatoire, and in 1804 he lost his position at the Garde Consulaire, but became director of the Grenadiers de la Garde de Napoléon I
. Later during the reign of Louis XVIII he became director of the fifth regiment band of the Imperial Guard, and a member of the king's private orchestra. In 1816 (or 1818) he retired and went to Versailles, where he died in 1829.
(music for wind band), concerto
s with orchestra, and chamber music
with a particular emphasis on works for violin, clarinet, and bassoon. He also wrote pedagogical works for clarinet (see next) and bassoon. According to the music historian Deanne Arkus Klein, Blasius' compositions were "influenced by the foreign musicians he encountered in Strasbourg
and Paris.... [His] Harmoniemusik for Revolutionary fêtes ... were especially well received [and his] string quartets in particular employ a balance of parts uncommon in France at a time when the virtuosity of the first violin was standard practice."
ally equivalent notes of g-sharp and a-flat. Blasius also advocated using both lips to cover the upper and lower teeth, which modern players refer to as the "double-lip" embouchure
: "take good care that [neither] the mouthpiece nor the reed is touched by the teeth. It is necessary to support the mouthpiece on the lower lip to cover the reed with the upper lip, without the teeth touching any of it." Clarinetists of this period typically played with the reed up, so this method avoided the teeth touching the reed. Moreover, this embouchure is normal for the double-reed instruments, oboe
and bassoon
, and clarinetists at the time often played these instruments as well. In fact, it is known that Blasius also mastered the bassoon and the flute
.
with additional sources as noted.
Other sources
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, clarinetist, 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...
, and 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...
. Born Matthäus (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Matthieu, Mathieu) Blasius, he used Frédéric as his pen name on his publications in Paris.
Life and career
Blasius was born in LauterbourgLauterbourg
Lauterbourg is a commune and Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. Situated on the German border and not far from the German city of Karlsruhe, it is the easternmost commune in Metropolitan France...
, a town in the far north-west corner of France on the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
border of Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. This frontier town had been fortified in the late 17th century by Louis XIV and had a large military presence, including many musicians. Both of his parents were German. His mother, a member of the Bugard family, was originally from the South Rhineland town of Schaidt, and his father, Johann Michael Blasius, was from Rastatt
Rastatt
Rastatt is a city and baroque residence in the District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50'000...
in Baden. His father earned his living primarily as a master tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
, but was also a musician and gave his son his first lessons. The young Blasius also received lessons from military musicians; a man referred to as Herr Stadt; and his two older brothers: Johann Peter (French: Pierre; born Lauterbourg, 2 September 1752), a violinist; and Franz Ignaz (French: Ignace; born Lauterbourg, 11 April 1755), a bassoonist. Both of his brothers also later worked in Paris.
From 1780 to 1782 Blasius worked for the Bishop of Strasbourg, Prince Louis-René-Edouard de Rohan. The Cathedral Kapellmeister and Municipal Music Director of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
at that time was Franz Xaver Richter
Franz Xaver Richter
Franz Xaver Richter, known as François Xavier Richter in France was an Austro-Moravian singer, violinist, composer, conductor and music theoretician who spent most of his life first in Austria and later in Mannheim and in Strasbourg, where he was music director of the cathedral...
. Richter was a co-founder of the "Mannheim School
Mannheim school
Mannheim school refers to both the orchestral techniques pioneered by the court orchestra of Mannheim in the latter half of the 18th century as well as the group of composers who wrote such music for the orchestra of Mannheim and others.-History:...
" and a leading music theoretician. In 1784 Blasius went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and in the spring made his debut as the violin soloist and conductor of one of his own concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s at a concert of the Concert spirituel
Concert Spirituel
The Concert Spirituel was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790; later, concerts or series of concerts of the same name occurred in Paris, Vienna, London and elsewhere...
. The performance received favourable reviews.
Opéra-Comique
Blasius joined the orchestra of the Opéra-ComiqueOpéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
as a violinist in 1788, and became its concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
(and conductor) on 19 April 1790, a position he held up to 1801 and again from 1804 to 1816 (or 1818).
During the earlier period, from 1788 to 1801, the Opéra-Comique underwent significant challenges. Up to that time the theatre had had a virtual monopoly on the performance of French comic opera in Paris, but in 1788 Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
gave a license to open a new theatre to her hairdresser and wig-maker, Léonard Autié. Autié sold his license to the Italian violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti
Giovanni Battista Viotti
Giovanni Battista Viotti was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness...
, who hired Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
to be the director of the new company. The two men recruited actors from the provinces and singers from Italy. At first the new troupe was named the Théâtre de Monsieur after the king's brother, Louis-Stanislas-Xavier, comte de Provence
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
, who had the court title of Monsieur, and who along with the queen promised their protection to the new group. Later, after a move from the Salle des Machines in the Tuileries Palace
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
to the rue Feydeau, and the fall of the monarchy, it became commonly known as the Théâtre Feydeau.
Initially the Théâtre de Monsieur was forbidden to perform the same repertory as the Opéra-Comique, but this quickly changed. With the invasion of the Tuileries by a mob on 10 August In 1792, the Italian singers returned to Italy, and Viotti fled to England. The Feydeau company, still under the direction of Cherubini, turned to performing French opéra comique. The competition between the two companies, forced the Opera-Comique to upgrade salaries in order to retain the best personnel. In 1794, Blasius' salary at the Opéra-Comique was increased from 2,000 livre
French livre
The livre was the currency of France until 1795. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre was the name of both units of account and coins.-Etymology:...
s to 2,600 livres.
An account of the year VII
French Republican Calendar
The French Republican Calendar or French Revolutionary Calendar was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871...
(1795) refers to the conductor of the Opéra-Comique as "le cit. [citoyen] Blasius", i.e., Citizen Blasius. The repertoire of the Opéra-Comique performing at the Salle Favart during these years testifies to its adherence to the values of the revolution, in contrast to its "rival and emulator", at the Feydeau, which remained true to its aristocratic origins and attracted opponents of the government. In 1793 Blasius had composed the music for a two-act trait historique by Auguste-Louis Bertin d'Antilly called Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, ou Le premier martyr de la République française. This piece, which was first performed by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart on 23 February, was based on an event which had occurred only one month prior: Louis-Michel le Peletier, marquis de Saint-Fargeau, was assassinated on 20 January for having voted for the execution of Louis XVI, who was executed on the 21st. Early in 1794 Blasius was one of twelve composers, including Cherubini, who collaborated on a 3-act Revolutionary, patriotic comédie mêlée d'ariettes
Comédie mêlée d'ariettes
Comédie mêlée d'ariettes is a form of French opéra comique that developed in the mid 18th century following the Querelle des Bouffons dispute over the respective merits of the French and Italian styles, between serious drama and comedy in opera.The best-known ones are Christoph Willibald Gluck's...
called Le congrès des rois
Le congrès des rois
Le congrès des rois was a 3-act French Revolutionary opera of the genre comédie mêlée d'ariettes with a libretto by De Maillot, a stage name used by Antoine-François Ève early in his career, and music by a collaborative of twelve composers...
. The composition, ordered by the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
, was finished in just two days and first performed in the Salle Favart on 26 February 1794. Unfortunately, the work was not a success, and the Revolutionary purists found much to object to. After only two performances the authorities banned it altogether.
By 1800 the competition between the Opéra-Comique and the Théâtre Feydeau had reached an impasse, and it was decided to merge the two companies "by a legal act of union dated 7 thermidor an IX (25 July 1800)". The new corporation was to use the old name Opéra-Comique but perform at the newer theatre on the rue Feydeau. The merged company's first performance there was a program consisting of Étienne Méhul's Stratonice
Stratonice
Stratonice is a name that may refer to:* Stratonice , name of four Greek mythological women- Women of Ancient Macedonia :* Stratonice , the wife of Antigonus Monophthalmus...
and Cherubini's Les deux journées
Les deux journées
Les deux journées, ou Le porteur d'eau is an opera in three acts by Luigi Cherubini with a libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. It takes the form of an opéra comique, meaning not that the subject matter is humorous, but that the piece is a mixture of spoken dialogue and musical numbers...
which took place on 16 September 1801. It was in 1801 that Blasius first lost his position as conductor of the Opéra-Comique orchestra. During his time with that company Blasius had performed and conducted works by Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
, André Grétry, and Étienne Méhul
Étienne Méhul
Etienne Nicolas Méhul was a French composer, "the most important opera composer in France during the Revolution." He was also the first composer to be called a "Romantic".-Life:...
, all of whom had praised his conducting skills.
Other work
Blasius next worked at other Parisian theaters, first at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, where in November 1801 he conducted the first Parisian performance in GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
, with the German company of Elmenreich. Two of his own compositions, the mélodrames
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
Adelson et Salvini and Don Pèdre et Zulika, were first performed at the Gaîté in 1802. Later he worked at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin
Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin
The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10e arrondissement of Paris.- History :...
, where his Clodomire, ou La Prêtresse d'Irmunsul a three-act mélodrame was first performed on 5 May 1803.
In 1795 Blasius received an appointment as professor of violin at the newly founded Paris Conservatoire. He also held other official positions at various times during the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
. He was a member and director of the National Guard Band from 1793 to 1795, and in 1799 became a conductor of the bands of the Garde Consulaire. In 1802 Blasius lost his professorship at the Conservatoire, and in 1804 he lost his position at the Garde Consulaire, but became director of the Grenadiers de la Garde de Napoléon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. Later during the reign of Louis XVIII he became director of the fifth regiment band of the Imperial Guard, and a member of the king's private orchestra. In 1816 (or 1818) he retired and went to Versailles, where he died in 1829.
Works
Blasius wrote a number of works for the stage as well as instrumental pieces for HarmoniemusikHarmoniemusik
Harmoniemusik is a musical term denoting a form of 18th century chamber music similar to Tafelmusik, but almost exclusively for wind instruments. From 1780 until 1840 harmoniemusik flourished in the courts of Europe...
(music for wind band), concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s with orchestra, and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
with a particular emphasis on works for violin, clarinet, and bassoon. He also wrote pedagogical works for clarinet (see next) and bassoon. According to the music historian Deanne Arkus Klein, Blasius' compositions were "influenced by the foreign musicians he encountered in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and Paris.... [His] Harmoniemusik for Revolutionary fêtes ... were especially well received [and his] string quartets in particular employ a balance of parts uncommon in France at a time when the virtuosity of the first violin was standard practice."
Clarinet method
In 1796 Blasius wrote a treatise on playing clarinet (Nouvelle methode de clarinette et raisonnement des instruments) which included a fingering chart for a five-key instrument built in five sections: mouthpiece, barrel, two finger-hole sections, and stock bell. It included separate fingerings for the enharmonicEnharmonic
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently...
ally equivalent notes of g-sharp and a-flat. Blasius also advocated using both lips to cover the upper and lower teeth, which modern players refer to as the "double-lip" embouchure
Embouchure
The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments or the mouthpiece of the brass instruments.The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche , 'mouth'....
: "take good care that [neither] the mouthpiece nor the reed is touched by the teeth. It is necessary to support the mouthpiece on the lower lip to cover the reed with the upper lip, without the teeth touching any of it." Clarinetists of this period typically played with the reed up, so this method avoided the teeth touching the reed. Moreover, this embouchure is normal for the double-reed instruments, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
and bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
, and clarinetists at the time often played these instruments as well. In fact, it is known that Blasius also mastered the bassoon and the flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
.
Instrumental
The works in this list are primarily from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansGrove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
with additional sources as noted.
Orchestral
- Simphonie (1785) (music not located)
- Three Suites d'harmonie (1799–1812)
- No. 1 in B flat
- No. 2 in E flat
- No. 3 in E flat
- Note: These works were written for military and social functions. Following well established French traditions, airs and popular ballads were brought together according to key without further connections. The only organizing principles appear to have been to have a lively piece to start and end and some diversity of character between the others.
- Seven collections of pieces for wind band
- Overture, for wind instruments (1794), ed. in C. Pierre: Musique des fêtes et cérémonies (1899)
- Overture, for wind instruments (1796)
Concertos
- Three violin concertos, including:
- Violin Concerto No. 1 in G major (1797 or 1798)
- Violin Concerto No. 2 in A major (c1797)
- Violin Concerto No. 3 in B-flat major (1801)
- Four clarinet concertos (1802–1805), including:
- Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C major
- Clarinet Concerto No. 2
- Clarinet Concerto No. 3
- Clarinet Concerto No. 4
- Concerto for bassoon (after 1800)
- Sinfonia concertante for 2 horns, in E major (1795)
String quartets
- Six Quatuors concertantes (string quartets: 2 violins, viola, and cello), Op. 3 (1780–1782)
- String quartets, Op. 10 (1785)
- Six string quartets, Op. 12 (1795)
- String quartets, Op. 19 (1795)
- Piano sonatas by Haydn, arranged for string quartet
Other quartets
- Three Quatuor concertantes for clarinet or violin I, violin II, viola and bass, Op. 1
- No. 1 in F minor
- No. 2 in E-flat major
- No. 3 in B-flat major
- Three quartets for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello (1782–1784)
- Six quartets for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, Op. 13 (1788?)
- Bassoon quartets, Op. 5 (ca. 1788)
- Quartet for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello, Op. 2 (1799)
- Overture for bassoon, violin, viola, and bass (incomplete)
- Overture for bassoon, violin, viola, and bass (c1810?)
- Six Quatuours concertants for bassoon, violin, viola, and bass, Op. 9 (1797), possibly by I. Blasius
Trios
- Three trios dialogués for clarinet, violin, and cello or bass, Op. 31
- Ten trios for 2 clarinets and bassoon, Op. 2, incomplete
- Three trios for 2 violins and cello, Op. 48
- Three trios for clarinet, horn, and cello, choisis dans les ouvrages du célèbre Michel [Yost]
Duets
- Duets (ca. 69) for 2 violins, including:
- Op. 4
- Six duets, Op. 8 (1783)
- Op. 26
- Three duets, Op. 28
- Op. 29 (1796)
- Op. 30 (published by Offenbach)
- Three duets, Op. 32
- No. 1 in G major
- No. 2 in B-flat major
- No. 3 in F major
- Op. 33 (Bibliothèque nationale de FranceBibliothèque nationale de FranceThe is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
) - Op. 43
- Op. 52 (ca. 1794)
- Twelve duets, Op. 53 (ca. 1794)
- Duets (ca. 64) for two clarinets, including:
- Op. 18 (1794)
- Op. 20 (1794)
- Op. 21 (1794–1796)
- Op. 27
- Six grands duo dialogués, Op. 35
- Op. 38
- Op. 39 (1797/1798?)
- Op. 40 (1800)
- Six duets, Op. 46
- Six easy duets (1796), from Nouvelle méthode de clarinette
- Twelve duets for two bassoons, including:
- Six duets, Op. 27 (1784)
- Six duets, Op. 51
- Nos. I, II, III
- Nos. IV, V, VI
- Duet for violin and viola (1784?)
- Six duets for flute and violin, Op. 12 (1788)
Sonatas
- Six sonatas for piano with violin accompaniment (1783)
- Sonates (1797)
- Three sonatas for violin with cello accompaniment, Op. 40 (1800)
- Three sonatas for violin with cello accompaniment, Op. 41 (1800)
- No. 1 in A major
- No. 2 in B-flat major
- No. 3 in E-flat major
- Three sonatas for violin with bass accompaniment, Op. 43 (1801)
- Six sonatinas for violin with bass accompaniment, Op. 55
- No. 1 in D major
- No. 2 in B-flat major
- No. 3 in A major
- No. 4 in C major
- No. 5 in G major
- No. 6 in F major
- Six sonatas for clarinet with viola or bass accompaniment, Op. 55 (1805)
- Six sonatas for bassoon with cello accompaniment, Op. 57 (ca. 1800)
- Six sonatas for flute with bass accompaniment
- Six études graduelles for flute with bass accompaniment, Op. 58
- Three grandes sonates for violin with violin accompaniment, Op. 60 (1817?)
- Six grandes sonates for violin and violin accompaniment, Op. 66
- Sonata for violin and piano (C. Pierre, ed. (1899). Musique des fêtes et cérémonies.)
- Pieces in Musique à l'usage des fêtes nationales (1794–1795) and Cartier's L'art du violon (1798)
Violin solo
- Caprices ou Étude for violin
- Preludes ou caprices for violin, dedicated to C. Lubbert
Stage works
- La paysanne supposée, ou La fête de la moisson, a 3-act comédie mêlée d'ariettesComédie mêlée d'ariettesComédie mêlée d'ariettes is a form of French opéra comique that developed in the mid 18th century following the Querelle des Bouffons dispute over the respective merits of the French and Italian styles, between serious drama and comedy in opera.The best-known ones are Christoph Willibald Gluck's...
, was performed only once by the Opéra-Comique on 28 August 1788 in the Salle Favart. The opera was not well received, probably because the libretto, written by C. Dubois, was considered poor. A published score and libretto have not been found. - L'amour hermite, a 1-act pièce anacréontique mêlée d'ariettes (piece with verse in the manner or style of AnacreonAnacreonAnacreon was a Greek lyric poet, notable for his drinking songs and hymns. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets.- Life :...
mixed with ariettas) with a libretto by P. Desriaux, was first presented on 31 January 1789 at the Théâtre des Beaujolais at the Palais-Royal. It was more successful and was published. The work is essentially a pastoral opera ballet and includes a ballet divertissementDivertissementDivertissement is used, in a similar sense to the Italian 'divertimento', for a light piece of music for a small group of players, however the French term has additional meanings....
and a sleep scene, both of which were typical of the more serious operas usually presented at the Académie royale de musiqueAcadémie Royale de MusiqueThe 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...
. - Prince Polastri, 1789, was mentioned in a letter from Duprat (Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra, Paris).
- A ballet, composed in 1789 but unperformed, was mentioned in Biographie universelle des musiciens by François-Joseph FétisFrançois-Joseph FétisFrançois-Joseph Fétis was a Belgian musicologist, composer, critic and teacher. He was one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century, and his enormous compilation of biographical data in the Biographie universelle des musiciens remains an important source of information today...
. - Les trois sultanes, a 3-act comédie with a libretto by Charles-Simon Favart after the comte de Marmontel, was first performed on 25 August 1792 by the Opéra-Comique in the Salle Favart. The opera was given a total of 7 times by the Opéra-Comique. The score and the libretto have not been found.
- Nicolas DalayracNicolas DalayracNicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
published some orchestral material under the same title (an overture and two arias).
- Nicolas Dalayrac
- Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, ou Le premier martyr de la République française, a 2-act trait historique with a libretto by Auguste-Louis Bertin d'Antilly, was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in the Salle Favart on 23 February 1793 [5 vent I], just a month after the historical events it dramatized. It was also called La mort de Saint-Fargeau and was given a total of four times at the Opéra-Comique. The score and the libretto have not been found.
- Louis-Michel le Peletier, marquis de Saint-Fargeau, was assassinated on 20 January 1793 for having voted for the execution of Louis XVI. The king was executed on the 21st. The painter Jacques-Louis DavidJacques-Louis DavidJacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
supervised the funeral ceremonies for Le Peletier on 24 January and produced a painting with the title Les derniers moments de Michel Lepeletier.
- Louis-Michel le Peletier, marquis de Saint-Fargeau, was assassinated on 20 January 1793 for having voted for the execution of Louis XVI. The king was executed on the 21st. The painter Jacques-Louis David
- Le congrès des roisLe congrès des roisLe congrès des rois was a 3-act French Revolutionary opera of the genre comédie mêlée d'ariettes with a libretto by De Maillot, a stage name used by Antoine-François Ève early in his career, and music by a collaborative of twelve composers...
, a 3-act comédie mêlée d'ariettes with a libretto by Antoine-François Èvre, combined music written by Blasius and 11 other composers and was first performed by the Opéra-ComiqueOpéra-ComiqueThe Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in the Salle Favart on 26 February 1794 [8 vent II]. The score and the libretto have not been found. Some of the music by Henri Montan BertonHenri Montan BertonHenri Montan Berton was a French composer, teacher, and writer, and the son of Pierre Montan Berton.-Career:...
has been located. - Africo et Menzola, a 3-act mélodrame with text by Coffin-Rosny, was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-ComiqueThéâtre de l'Ambigu-ComiqueThe theatre was rebuilt to plans by the architects Jacques Ignace Hittorff and Jean-François-Joseph Lecointe on the boulevard Saint-Martin, at the corner of rue de Bondy...
on 10 March 1798. - Adelson et Salvini, a 3- act mélodrame with text by P. Delmarre and choreography by M. Adam, was first performed at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in 1802.
- Don Pèdre et Zulika, a mélodrame, was first performed at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in 1802. The score has not been found.
- Clodomire, ou La Prêtresse d'Irmunsul, a 3-act mélodrame with text by N. and H. Lemaire and choreography by M. Aumer, was first performed at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-MartinThéâtre de la Porte Saint-MartinThe Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10e arrondissement of Paris.- History :...
on 5 May 1803. - Fernando ou Les maures, a 3-act opera, now attributed to Joseph Wölffl, with a libretto by De Bussy, was performed once by the Opéra-Comique on 11 February 1805 [22 pluv XIII] in the Salle Favart. The score and the libretto have not been found. The title was recorded as Fernand ou Les maures in Magasin Encyclopédique: "It is an imitation of L'engant de la forêt by Guilbert de PixérécourtRené Charles Guilbert de PixérécourtRené Charles Guilbert de Pixerécourt was a French theatre director and playwright, active at the Théâtre de la Gaîté and best known for his modern melodramas such as The Dog of Montarges, the performance of which at Weimar roused the indignation of Goethe.-Life:He was born at Nancy into a Lorraine...
".
Other vocal works
- Vive l'amour et la folie, couplets with text by C. Grenier (1795)
- Française, point de vengeance, couplets (1814)
- Messe for alto, tenor, baritone, bass voices and wind instruments
Theoretical works
- Méthode de clarinette (c1795), has not been located
- Nouvelle méthode de clarinette et raisonnement des instruments, principes et théorie de musique dédiés aux élèves du Conservatoire (1796)
- Méthode du basson (1800)
Recordings
- Harmoniemusik (Music for winds)
- Includes:
- François Henri Joseph Castil-BlazeCastil-BlazeFrançois-Henri-Joseph Blaze, known as Castil-Blaze , was a French musicologist, music critic, composer, and music editor.-Biography:...
: Sextet no. 1 in E-flat major - Carl Maria von WeberCarl Maria von WeberCarl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
: Adagio and rondo - Matthieu-Frédéric Blasius: Suite d'harmonie no. 1–3
- François Henri Joseph Castil-Blaze
- Performers: Charles Neidich, clarinet; Mozzafiato (music group)
- Program notes: David Montgomery and Charles Neidich, in English with German and French translations
- Label: Sony Classical, SK68263 (1996).
- Includes:
- Clarinet Concertos by The Mannheim School
- Includes:
- Matthäus Frederic Blasius: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C Major
- Six clarinet concertos by Carl Philipp StamitzCarl StamitzKarl Philipp Stamitz , who later changed his given name to Carl, was a German composer of partial Czech ancestry , and a violin, viola and viola d'amore virtuoso...
- Other works for solo clarinet and orchestra by:
- Franz Anton Dimmler
- Joseph Fiala
- Johann Sebastian Demar
- Georg Friedrich Fuchs
- Franz Wilhelm Tausch
- Peter von Winter
- Performers:
- Karl Schlechta, clarinet and basset horn
- Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester; Jiří Malát, conductor
- Label: Arte Nova 74321 37327 2 (5 CDs: 70:55, 62:30, 62:53, 62:03, 67:39)
- Includes:
- Music from France
- Includes:
- Darius MilhaudDarius MilhaudDarius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
: Suite for violin, clarinet, and piano, Op. 157b - Philippe ManouryPhilippe ManouryPhilippe Manoury is a French composer.-Biography:Philippe Manoury was born in Tulle. His first composition studies were at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, with Gérard Condé and Max Deutsch. He continued his studies from 1974 to 1978 at the Conservatoire de Paris with Michel Philippot, Ivo...
: Michigan Trio - Camille Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
: Tarantella, originally for flute, clarinet and orchestra in A minor, Op. 6 - Frédéric Blasius: Trio Dialogues, Op. 31 No. 1, originally for clarinet, violin, and cello or bass
- Betsy JolasBetsy JolasBetsy Jolas is a French composer.Betsy Jolas was born in Paris. Resident in the United States from 1940 until 1946, she studied composition with Paul Boepple and piano with Helen Schnabel. On her return to France she continued her studies with Simone Plé-Caussade, Darius Milhaud and Olivier...
: Trio sopra et sola Facta - Francis PoulencFrancis PoulencFrancis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
: Suite from L'invitation au château
- Darius Milhaud
- Performers: Verdehr TrioVerdehr TrioThe Verdehr Trio is a chamber ensemble that has worked to promote the clarinet-violin-piano trio repertoire through international commissions, recordings, and performances. The trio features Walter Verdehr on violin, Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr on clarinet, and Silvia Roederer on piano...
(Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, clarinet; Walter Verdehr, violin; Silvia Roederer, piano) - Label: Dux 0525 (2005)
- Includes:
Sources
Cited sources- Blasius, Frédéric (ca. 1796). Nouvelle méthode de clarinette. Paris: Porthaux. Reprint (1972), Geneva: Minkoff. .
- Hemmings, F. W. J. (1994). Theatre and State in France, 1760–1905. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-45088-1.
- Hoeprich, Eric (2008). The Clarinet. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300102826.
- Jackman, Luc Alain (2005). Early clarinet performance as described by modern specialists, with a performance edition of Mathieu Fré́dé́ric Blasius's IIe Concerto de clarinette (thesis/dissertation: microfilm). Greensboro, North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Greensboro. .
- Koch, Hans Oskar (2002). Mannheimer Schule [The Mannheim School]. Booklet with CD: Arte Nova 74321 37327 2.
- McCormick, Louise Cathy (1983). Mathieu-Frédéric Blasius (1758–1829): a biographical sketch, catalog of works, and critical performance edition of the Quatuor Concertant in F, OP. 1, no. 1 (Ph. D. thesis, microfilm). Michigan State University. Dept. of Music. .
- Menkin, William (1980). Frédéric Blasius Nouvelle méthode de clarinette et raisonnement des instruments: a complete translation and analysis with an historical and biographical background of the composer and his compositions for the clarinet (D.M.A. project, photocopy). Stanford, California: Stanford University, Department of Music. . Stanford online record.
- Ostermeyer, Robert (ca. 2007). Robert Ostermeyer Musikedition - Blasius, Frederic-Matthieu - Symphonie concertante for 2 Horns (includes a short biography of the composer). Date is based on when the .
- Pitou, Spire (1983). The Paris Opéra: an encyclopedia of operas, ballets, composers, and performers (3 volumes). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwod Press. ISBN 9780686460367.
- Pougin, Arthur (1891). L'Opéra-Comique pendant la Révolution de 1788 à 1801: d'après des documents inédits et les sources les plus authentiques. Paris: Albert Savine. View at Google Books.
- Rice, Albert (2003). The clarinet in the classical period. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195342994.
- Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1992). The new Grove dictionary of opera (4 volumes). London: Macmillan. ISBN 9781561592289.
- Sadie, Stanley, ed.; John Tyrell; exec. ed. (2001). The new Grove dictionary of music and musiciansGrove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansThe New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
, 2nd ed. London: Macmillan. ISBN 9781561592395 (hardcover). (eBook). - Wild, Nicole; Charlton, David (2005). Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique Paris: répertoire 1762-1972. Sprimont, Belgium: Editions Mardaga. ISBN 9782870098981.
- Winther, Rodney (2004). An annotated guide to wind chamber music for six to eighteen players. Alfred Music Publishing. ISBN 9780757924019. Limited view at Google Books.
Other sources
- Lamneck, Esther (1980). A survey of the music for two clarinets, published ca. 1780-1825, by the clarinetist-composers Blasius, Lefèvre, Michel, and Vanderhagen, Thesis (D.M.A.), Juilliard School. .