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Scan 731
Baker's biographical dictionary of musicians, 1919
14 lines. Read by computer on 4 September 2026. Printed page 710. See the scan on archive.org.
1and true musical instinct. Although the rôle of Mephistopheles is in some special manner identified with this artist, he was anything but one-sided, as is proved by the variety of his répertoire (about 50 rôles in French, Italian, German and English works) and his phenomenal successes on the concert-platform. He created the rôles of Eustache in Saint-Saëns's Étienne Marcel (1879), François I in the same composer's Ascanio (1890), Garrido in Massenet's La Navarraise (1898), Ariofarne in Mancinelli's Ero e Leandro (1901), the Friar in Stanford's Much Ado about Nothing (1902), the King in Bunning's Princess Osra (1904). In several operas he sang more than one part, as in Roméo et Juliette (Capulet and Friar), Aida (Ramfis and King), Huguenots (St.-Bris, Marcel), etc. Of Wagnerian rôles he sang the Landgrave, King Henry, and Pogner (in German and Italian).
3Planquette [plähn-kěht'], (Jean-) Robert, b. Paris, July 31, 1848; d. there Jan. 28, 1903. St. comp. at Paris Cons. under Duprato; début as composer with chansons and 'saynètes' for 'cafés-concerts'; first stage-work the 1-act operetta Paille d'avoine (1874); his first hit was with Les Cloches de Corneville, a 3-act comic opera (Folies-Dramatiques, 1877), given over 400 times running, and popular both in England and Germany. Some of his latest are Surcouf (1887), Le Talisman (1892), Panurge (1895), and a spectacular comic opera in 3 acts, Mam'zelle Quat'sous (Gaité, 1897). For London he wrote The Old Guard (1887), and Paul Jones (1889). A posth. operetta, Le Paradis de Mahomet (orch. by Louis Ganne) was prod. at the Th. des Var. in 1906.
5Plantade [plähn-tahd'], Charles-François, son of Charles-Henri P.; b. Paris, April 14, 1787; d. there May 26, 1870. He comp. romances, and was a co-founder, in 1828, of the 'Concerts du Conservatoire.'
7Plantade, Charles-Henri, b. Pontoise, Oct. 19, 1764; d. Paris, Dec. 18, 1839. From 8 he studied singing and the 'cello in the royal school for the 'pages de musique'; afterwards Langlé, Hüllmandel and Petrini were his teachers. From 1797 he was singing-teacher at the Campan Inst. at Saint-Denis, where Hortense de Beauharnais, the future queen of Holland, was his pupil. From 1802 he was prof. of singing at the Cons.; but resigned this position, Queen Hortense calling him to Holland as court conductor, and remained in her service at Paris, after the King's abdication in 1810, until 1815. From 1812-15, P. was also maître de chant and stage-manager at the Opéra; 1816-28, again prof. of singing at the Cons., also succeeding Persuis as maître de chapelle to Louis XVIII. Losing his positions in the revolutionary year 1830, he retired to Batignolles. His most distinguished pupil was Mme. Cinti-Damoreau. Besides half-a-score of operas (Palma and Le Mari de circonstance were publ.), he comp. masses, motets, etc., for the Chapelle royale; publ. 20 sets of romances, 3 books of vocal duets (nocturnes), and a harp-sonata.
9Planté [plähn-tā'], François, celebrated pianist; b. Orthez, Basses-Pyrénées, Mar. 2, 1839. From 1849, pupil of Marmontel at Paris Cons.; won 1st prize after 7 months' tuition, and was installed by Alard and Franchomme as pianist in their trio soirées. After a course of harmony and reading from a figured bass, in Bazin's class (1853), he retired for private study during ten years, and then reappeared as a pianist of finished technique and style. About 1900 he suddenly, without apparent reason, disappeared from public life, and settled as a farmer near Monte de Marsan, vowing that he should 'never be seen again in public.' He created nothing less than a sensation in 1915 when he was heard again in several concerts in Paris; but, in order to keep his strange vow, he was hidden from the view of the audience by a screen. Has made excellent transcriptions of classic pieces (Gluck, Mozart), but has publ. no original compositions.—Cf. O. Comettant, F. P. (Paris, 1874).
11Plata'nia, Pietro, born Catania, April 5, 1828; d. Naples, April 26, 1907. Pupil of P. Raimondi at the Cons. there; 1863, Dir. of Palermo Cons.; later m. di capp. at Milan, and (1888) Dir. of the R. College of Music at Naples.—Operas: Matilde Bentivoglio (Palermo, 1852); Piccarda Donati (ib., 1857); La Vendetta slava (ib., 1865); 4-act opera Spartaco (Naples, 1891); Giulio Sabino (not perf.). Also a Hymn to the Queen of Italy; a symphony, L'Italia; funeral symphony in memory of Pacini; festival symphony with choruses to welcome King Humbert in 1878; Pensiero sinfonico; a Requiem; Psalm 67 for ch. and orch.; etc.; and Trattato d'Armonia (1872).—Cf. F. Guardione, P. P. (Milan, 1908).
13Platel', Nicolas-Joseph, famous 'cellist; b. Versailles, 1777; d. Brussels, Aug. 25, 1835. A pupil of Duport and Lamare; considered the best 'cellist in Paris from 1801-5, when he went on a long tour, became 1st 'cello at the Antwerp opera in 1813, and the same about 1819 at Brussels, where he was app. prof. at the royal school of music (reorganized as the Cons. in 1831).—Works: 5 'cello-concertos; 3 'cello-sonatas, w. bass; 8 airs variés for 'cello; caprices or preludes for 'cello; 3 string-trios; 6 duos for violin
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