Jean-Baptiste Pitrot
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Pitrot called Pitrot cadet (Pitrot the younger) to distinguish him from his elder brother Antoine
, was a French dancer and balletmaster
. His father, Barthélemy Pitrot
, was a French actor and dancer who criss-crossed the French provinces and the Southern Netherlands
in the first half of the 18th century.
The directors of the Théâtre de la Monnaie
in Brussels, D'Hannetaire
and Gourville, summoned him to join their company in 1756. Pitrot next danced at Lille
in 1758, and was then co-director of the theatre at Ghent
from 1758 to 1759, returning to the Comédie-Italienne in 1759. He then obtained authorisation for putting on shows in Liège
in 1760, and returned to Lille in 1761 and Ghent in 1762. On 7 May 1762, Pitrot made his début at The Hague
as lead dancer and ballet master
. He put on one success after another - Les Chasseurs, Le Vieillard rajeuni, Le Tailleur, Les Tonneliers allemands and Le Brouetteur italien.
After a long absence, Pitrot returned to Brussels in 1771 as ballet master, engaged by the directors Ignaz Vitzthumb
and Louis Compain
. After another absence, he again returned to Brussels in 1784, and there married a young girl 31 years his junior (with whom he had one son called Antoine, who later had a career as a magistrate). On 4 November 1805, he published the following advert in L'Oracle :
There was now little chance of these offers meeting with success, for he was by then 76 years old, and he died shortly afterwards at the Grand Hospice in Brussels.
Antoine Pitrot
Antoine-Bonaventure Pitrot , known as Pitrot aîné , was a French dancer, choreographer and ballet master...
, was a French dancer and balletmaster
Ballet Master
Ballet Master is the term used for an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company...
. His father, Barthélemy Pitrot
Barthélemy Pitrot
Barthélemy Pitrot was a French actor and dancer who criss-crossed the French provinces and the Southern Netherlands in the first half of the 18th century. He was the father of the dancers Antoine and Jean-Baptiste Pitrot.-Source:...
, was a French actor and dancer who criss-crossed the French provinces and the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
in the first half of the 18th century.
Life
He began his career before 1748 at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris. He was widely noted in a production of L'Opérateur chinois, a ballet by Jean-Baptiste Dehesse, from 11 January 1749 onwards. Quite a good choreographer, he put on the premiere of Les Tartares au même théâtre on 14 August 1755.The directors of the Théâtre de la Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
in Brussels, D'Hannetaire
D'Hannetaire
Jean-Nicolas Servandoni, stage name D'Hannetaire, was a French actor and theatre director.-Life:He was born in Grenoble, the son of the Florentine painter Jean-Nicolas Servandoni and his wife Marie-Josèphe Gravier; he was probably the nephew of the famous Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, known for his...
and Gourville, summoned him to join their company in 1756. Pitrot next danced at Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
in 1758, and was then co-director of the theatre at Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
from 1758 to 1759, returning to the Comédie-Italienne in 1759. He then obtained authorisation for putting on shows in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
in 1760, and returned to Lille in 1761 and Ghent in 1762. On 7 May 1762, Pitrot made his début at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
as lead dancer and ballet master
Ballet Master
Ballet Master is the term used for an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company...
. He put on one success after another - Les Chasseurs, Le Vieillard rajeuni, Le Tailleur, Les Tonneliers allemands and Le Brouetteur italien.
After a long absence, Pitrot returned to Brussels in 1771 as ballet master, engaged by the directors Ignaz Vitzthumb
Ignaz Vitzthumb
Ignaz or Ignace Vitzthumb was an Austrian musician, composer and conductor active in the Austrian Netherlands...
and Louis Compain
Louis Compain
Louis Compain , also known as Compain-Despierrières, was a French actor and singer. He is notable as the co-director of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels from 1772 to 1776, where he had made his debut in 1757. He also acted at Marseille , Bordeaux , La Haye , Metz , Toulouse , Nîmes and Nantes ....
. After another absence, he again returned to Brussels in 1784, and there married a young girl 31 years his junior (with whom he had one son called Antoine, who later had a career as a magistrate). On 4 November 1805, he published the following advert in L'Oracle :
There was now little chance of these offers meeting with success, for he was by then 76 years old, and he died shortly afterwards at the Grand Hospice in Brussels.