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Scan 40
A Biographical Dictionary Of Musicians, 1900
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1AUBER—AUDRAN
3Wales (afterwards George IV.) to Naples, where he studied, 1783-5, with Filippo Cinque and Gaetano Latilla, then with Mozart in Vienna until 1787. He was, successively, organist of St. George the Martyr, London, and a member of the Prince's private band; teacher of the Duchess of York (1791), of the Princess of Wales (1795); org. of St. Paul's (1795); composer to the King's Chapel Royal, succeeding Dupuis (1796), org. of the King's private chapel at Brighton (1821), and org of the Chapel Royal (1836)—Works 19 operas; anthems, services, glees, songs, pf-sonatas, etc. He occupies a high place among English composers.
5Auber, Daniel-François-Esprit, a prolific composer of French operas, was born at Caen in Normandy, Jan. 29, 1782, d. Paris, May 14, 1871. His father, an art-dealer and print-seller in Paris, wished his son to devote himself to business, and sent him to London to acquire a knowledge of the trade. Auber's irresistible inclination for music, however, manifested itself, and in 1804 he returned to Paris, following thenceforward his natural bent. His first opera, Julie, a resetting of an old libretto, was produced by amateurs at Paris in 1812, with an orchestra of six stringed instruments. Cherubini happened to be among the auditors; he, recognizing Auber's talent, supervised his further instruction, and while with him, A. wrote a mass for four voices. Auber's first public productions, Le Séjour militaire (1813), and Le Testament et les Billets-doux (1819), were indifferently received; but his next opera, La Bergère châtelaine (1820), was a success. From that date until 1869, scarcely a year passed without the production of one or several operas, in all over forty. One of these, Masaniello, ou la Muette de Portici, produced in 1828, was considered a masterpiece by Wagner, and with Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable and Rossini's Guillaume Tell, laid the foundations of French grand opera. Its portrayal of popular fury is so graphic, that the Brussels riots followed its performance in that city on August 25, 1830. It seems to have been inspired by the revolutionary spirit prevalent at that time in Paris, it differs wholly from Auber's other operas, which are comic, the best of them composed to libretti by Scribe. In this genre Auber is foremost among French composers; and although it has been written of him, that "in early essays, he displayed an original style, but afterwards became an imitator of Rossini, and disfigured his melodies with false decorations and strivings for effect," his music is sparkling and has the true Parisian chic and polish. La Muette de Portici, Le Maçon, Fra Diavolo, Les Diamants de la couronne, and a few of his other operas, are still stock-pieces in France and Germany. In 1835, A. succeeded to Gossec's chair in the Academy, in 1842, he was appointed Director of the Conservatory of Music in Paris, as Cherubini's successor, in 1857, Napoleon III. made him imperial maître de chapelle. The virility of his personality was evinced by his last opera, Rêves d'amour, a title suggestive of youthful feeling, produced when he was 87 years of age. Auber was a thorough Parisian, and during the latter years of his life was said not to have set foot outside the city boundaries. He remained there even during its siege by the Germans.
7Operas Julie (1812), Le Séjour militaire (1813), Le Testament et les Billets-doux (1819), La Bergère châtelaine (1820), Emma, ou la Promesse imprudente (1821), Leicester (1822), La Neige, ou le nouvel Éginhard (1823), Vendôme en Espagne (1821, with Herold), Les Trois Genres (1824, with Boieldieu), Le Concert à la Cour (1824), Locadie (1824), Le Maçon (1825), Le Timide (1826), Fiorella (1826), La Muette de Portici (1828), La France (1829), Fra Diavolo (1830), Le Diable et la Bayadère (1830), La Marquise de Brinvilliers (1831, together with eight other composers), Le Philtre (1831), Le Serment, ou les Faux Monnayeurs (1832), Gustave III (Le Bal masqué, 1833), Lestocq (1834), Le Cheval de bronze (1835; extended into a grand ballet in 1857), Alton, Les Chaperons bleus, L'ambassadrice (1839), Le Dominno noir (1837), Le Lac des Fées (1839), Zanetta (1841), Les Diamants de la couronne (1841), Le Duc d'Olonne (1842), La Part du Diable (1843), La Sirène (1844), La Rascarolle (1845), Haydée (1847), L'Enfant prodigue (1850), Zerline, ou la corbeille d'oranges (1851), Marco-Spada (1852, extended to a grand ballet in 1857), Jenny Bell (1855), Alanon Lescant (1856), Magenta (1859), La Circassienne (1861), La Fiancée du Roi de Garbe (1864), Le premier jour de bonheur (1868), Rêves d'amour (1864).
9Aubert, Jacques (called "le vieux"), eminent French violinist; b. 1668; d. Belleville, May 19, 1753. Violinist in the royal band (1727); leader in orch. of the Gr. Opéra and the Concerts Spirituels (1728); also leader in the band, and Director of music, of the Duc de Bourbon—Works: An opera; several ballets; and much chamber-music, etc., for violin, distinguished for elegance.
11Aubéry du Boulley, Prudent-Louis, b. Verneuil, Eure, Dec. 9, 1796; d. there Feb., 1870 Prolific comp. of chamber-music in which the guitar, flute, and pf. are much employed; author of a Method for guitar (op. 42), and a text-book, "Grammaire musicale" (Paris, 1830). He studied in the Paris Cons. till 1815, under Momigny, Méhul, and Cherubini; was at first an amateur musician, but later a teacher who did much to cultivate a taste for music in his province.
13Audran, Marius-Pierre, operatic tenor and song-composer; b. Aix, Provence, Sept. 26, 1816; d. Marseilles, Jan. 9, 1887. Pupil of E. Arnaud. After successful appearances at Marseilles, Brussels, Bordeaux, and Lyons, he became 1st tenor at the Opéra-Comique, Paris,
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