Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard
Encyclopedia
Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard (10 August 1669 - 24 August 1741) was a French opera
tic baritone
(basse taille).
Thévenard was born at Orléans
or possibly Paris. Arriving in Paris in 1690, he studied under the composer
André Cardinal Destouches
and went on to become a member of the Académie Royale de Musique
. He was notable for playing tragic roles that made use of his skill at declamatory recitative
s. He appeared in over 80 tragédies en musique and opéras ballet before finally retiring in 1729. He died in Paris.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
(basse taille).
Thévenard was born at Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
or possibly Paris. Arriving in Paris in 1690, he studied under the 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...
André Cardinal Destouches
André Cardinal Destouches
André Cardinal Destouches was a French composer best known for the opéra-ballet Les élémens....
and went on to become a member of the Académie Royale de Musique
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...
. He was notable for playing tragic roles that made use of his skill at declamatory recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
s. He appeared in over 80 tragédies en musique and opéras ballet before finally retiring in 1729. He died in Paris.
Roles created
- Hylas in DestouchesAndré Cardinal DestouchesAndré Cardinal Destouches was a French composer best known for the opéra-ballet Les élémens....
's IsséIssé (opera)Issé is a operatic pastorale héroïque by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches. It has a prologue and three acts. The libretto was by Antoine Houdar de la Motte.-Performance history:...
(Paris, 1697) - The title role in Destouches's Amadis de Grèce (1699)
- The title role in André CampraAndré CampraAndré 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...
's 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....
(Paris, 1702) - Oreste in Campra's 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...
(Paris, 1705) - Atlas in Campra's 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...
(Paris, 1704) - Jupiter in Marin MaraisMarin MaraisMarin Marais was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for 6 months. He was hired as a musician in 1676 to the royal court of Versailles...
's SéméléSéméléSémélé is an opera by Marin Marais first performed on April 9, 1709 by the Paris Opera at the Palais-Royal. The opera is in the form of a tragédie en musique with five acts and a prologue....
(Paris, 1709) - Carnaval/Léandre in Campra's 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...
(Paris, 1710)
Sources
- Cyr, Mary (1992), 'Thévenard, Gabriel-Vincent' in The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7