Simon-Joseph Pellegrin
Encyclopedia
The abbé
Simon-Joseph Pellegrin
(1663 – 5 September 1745) was a French poet and playwright, a librettist
who collaborated with Jean-Philippe Rameau
and other composers.
, the son of a conseiller to the Siège Présidial
of the city. He was at first designated for an ecclesiastical career, from which he retained the courtesy title abbé
. Though he was for a time a novitiate
of the Servites at Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
, he soon embarked on a career as a ship's bursar.. Returning to France in 1703, he settled in Paris and composed his earliest poems, among them an Epître à Louis XIV, praising the Sun King's military successes, which gained the king's attention and the Académie française
prize in 1704.
Probably thanks to Madame de Maintenon, Pellegrin succeeded in escaping the urging of his superiors that he become more fully integrated with his order; instead a papal dispensation enabled him to enter the Cluniac order, whereupon he was at the service of various schools, such as Saint-Cyr
, for which he provided numerous pious cantiques spirituelles, in which he translated psalms and canticle
s and set them to familiar tunes from the opera
, at the same time that his services were retained for the theatres and the opera, which permitted an otherwise unknown poet Rémi the epigram:
Antoine de Léris
esteemed him "an excellent grammarian and a most fecund author, to which he joined great goodness of heart and a grand simplicity of manner. Out of respect for his character as an abbé, he published most of his dramatic works under the name of his brother Jacques Pellegrin, styled the Chevalier Pellegrin".
From 1705 onward he wrote four tragedies with Greek and Roman settings, Polydore, La Mort d'Ulisse, Pelopée and Catilina, and six comedies, with modern aristocratic settings, Le Pere intéressé, ou la Fausse inconstance, Le Nouveau monde, Le Divorce de l'Amour et de la Raison, Le Pastor fido, L'Inconstant and L'Ecole de l'hymen.
At least seven of his libretti were set to music and presented at the Opéra: Télémaque with music by André Cardinal Destouches
(20 November 1714), Renaud, ou la suite d'Armide with music by Henri Desmarest
, (5 March 1722), Télégone with music by a certain La Coste, Orion (in collaboration, music by La Coste), La Princesse d'Elide, Jephté
with music by Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1732), and Hippolyte et Aricie
with music by Jean-Philippe Rameau
(1 October 1733), Rameau's first opera. The theatre anecdote would have the seasoned Pellegrin, who had demanded 500 livres for his poem, regardless of the work's success, tear up the promissory note on hearing the young Rameau's music, arguing that such a genius did not require such a stringent guarantee.
Pellegrin's collaborator was Marie-Anne Barbier, under whose name further works by Pellegrin appeared on the stage.
Pellegrin died at Paris in 1745.
Abbé
Abbé is the French word for abbot. It is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France....
Simon-Joseph Pellegrin
(1663 – 5 September 1745) was a French poet and playwright, a librettist
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
who collaborated with 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...
and other composers.
Biography
He was born at MarseilleMarseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, the son of a conseiller to the Siège Présidial
Présidial
The Présidial was a judicial tribunal of the French Ancien Régime, set up in January 1551 by Henry II of France and suppressed by a decree of the National Assembly in 1790....
of the city. He was at first designated for an ecclesiastical career, from which he retained the courtesy title abbé
Abbé
Abbé is the French word for abbot. It is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France....
. Though he was for a time a novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
of the Servites at Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, or simply Moustiers, is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France, a part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region....
, he soon embarked on a career as a ship's bursar.. Returning to France in 1703, he settled in Paris and composed his earliest poems, among them an Epître à Louis XIV, praising the Sun King's military successes, which gained the king's attention and the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
prize in 1704.
Probably thanks to Madame de Maintenon, Pellegrin succeeded in escaping the urging of his superiors that he become more fully integrated with his order; instead a papal dispensation enabled him to enter the Cluniac order, whereupon he was at the service of various schools, such as Saint-Cyr
Maison royale de Saint-Louis
The Maison Royale de Saint-Louis was a 'pensionnat' or boarding school for girls set up in 1684 at Saint-Cyr in France by king Louis XIV at the request of his second wife, Madame de Maintenon, who wanted a school for girls from impoverished noble families...
, for which he provided numerous pious cantiques spirituelles, in which he translated psalms and canticle
Canticle
A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.-Roman Catholic Church:From the Old Testament, the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:*...
s and set them to familiar tunes from the opera
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...
, at the same time that his services were retained for the theatres and the opera, which permitted an otherwise unknown poet Rémi the epigram:
Antoine de Léris
Antoine de Léris
Antoine de Léris , 28 February 1723 — 1795) was a French journalist and drama critic of the 18th century and a historian of the French theatre, author of the Dictionnaire portatif historique et littéraire des théâtres, contenant l'origine des differens théâtres de Paris, Antoine de Léris...
esteemed him "an excellent grammarian and a most fecund author, to which he joined great goodness of heart and a grand simplicity of manner. Out of respect for his character as an abbé, he published most of his dramatic works under the name of his brother Jacques Pellegrin, styled the Chevalier Pellegrin".
From 1705 onward he wrote four tragedies with Greek and Roman settings, Polydore, La Mort d'Ulisse, Pelopée and Catilina, and six comedies, with modern aristocratic settings, Le Pere intéressé, ou la Fausse inconstance, Le Nouveau monde, Le Divorce de l'Amour et de la Raison, Le Pastor fido, L'Inconstant and L'Ecole de l'hymen.
At least seven of his libretti were set to music and presented at the Opéra: Télémaque with music by André Cardinal Destouches
André Cardinal Destouches
André Cardinal Destouches was a French composer best known for the opéra-ballet Les élémens....
(20 November 1714), Renaud, ou la suite d'Armide with music by Henri Desmarest
Henri Desmarets
Henri Desmarets was a French composer of the Baroque period primarily known for his stage works, although he also composed sacred music as well as secular cantatas, songs and instrumental works....
, (5 March 1722), Télégone with music by a certain La Coste, Orion (in collaboration, music by La Coste), La Princesse d'Elide, Jephté
Jephté
Jephté is an opera by the French composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts . The libretto, by the Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, is based on the Biblical story of Jephtha...
with music by Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1732), and Hippolyte et Aricie
Hippolyte et Aricie
Hippolyte et Aricie was the first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, which opened to great controversy at the Académie Royale de Musique, Paris on October 1, 1733. The libretto, by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, is based on Racine's tragedy Phèdre. The opera takes the traditional form of a tragédie en...
with music by 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...
(1 October 1733), Rameau's first opera. The theatre anecdote would have the seasoned Pellegrin, who had demanded 500 livres for his poem, regardless of the work's success, tear up the promissory note on hearing the young Rameau's music, arguing that such a genius did not require such a stringent guarantee.
Pellegrin's collaborator was Marie-Anne Barbier, under whose name further works by Pellegrin appeared on the stage.
Pellegrin died at Paris in 1745.