Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer

Royer composing his opera Zaïde (1750, Jean-Marc Nattier)

Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (12 May 1703 – 11 January 1755)[1] was a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist, organist, and administrator.[2]

Biography

Born in Turin, Royer went to Paris in 1725, and in 1734 became maître de musique des enfants de France, responsible for the musical education of the children of the king, Louis XV. Together with the violinist Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, Royer directed the Concerts Spirituels starting in 1748. Royer was at the Paris Opéra during the 1730s and the 1750s, writing six operas himself, of which the best known is the ballet héroïque Zaïde, reine de Grenade. In 1753, he acquired the prestigious position of music director of the chambre du roi (the king's chamber), and in the same year was named director of the Royal Opera orchestra. He died in Paris in 1755, at the age of 51.

Works

Royer is particularly known for his often extravagant and virtuosic harpsichord music, especially "La Marche des Scythes", which ends his first book of harpsichord pieces.

Operas

Title Genre Sub­divisions Libretto Première date Place, theatre
Le fâcheux veuvage (contributions) opéra comique 3 acts Alexis Piron September 1725 Paris, Foire St Laurent
Crédit est mort (contributions) opéra comique 1 act Alexis Piron February 1726 Paris, Foire St Germain
Pyrrhus tragédie lyrique prologue and 5 acts Fermelhuis 26 October 1730 Paris, Académie Royale de Musique
Zaïde, reine de Grenade ballet héroïque prologue and 3 acts Abbé de La Marre 5 September 1739 Paris, Opéra
Le pouvoir de l'Amour ballet héroïque prologue and 3 acts C-H Le Febvre de Saint-Marc 23 April 1743 Paris, Académie Royale de Musique
Prométhée et Pandore tragédie 5 acts Voltaire composed 1744–54, private rehearsal 5 October 1752 Paris
Almasis acte de ballet 1 act François-Augustin de Paradis de Moncrif 26 February 1748 Versailles
Myrtil et Zélie pastorale-héroïque prologue and 1 act 20 June 1750 Versailles

Other works

Frontpage to Ode à la fortune, 1747
  • 1746: Premier livre de pièces de clavecin (1746)
  1. La Majestueuse, courante
  2. La Zaïde, rondeau (Tendrement)
  3. Les Matelots (Modérément)
  4. Premier et deuxième tambourins, suite des Matelots
  5. L'Incertaine (Marqué)
  6. L'Aimable (Gracieux)
  7. La Bagatelle
  8. Suitte de la Bagatelle
  9. La Rémouleuse, rondeau (Modérément)
  10. Les tendre Sentiments, rondeau
  11. Le Vertigo, rondeau (Modérément)
  12. Allemande
  13. La Sensible, rondeau
  14. La marche des Scythes (Fièrement)
  • La chasse de Zaïde (1739)
  • 1746: Ode à la fortune, text by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, (first performance 25 December 1746, Concert Spirituel)
  • 1751: Venite exultemus, motet (first performance 18 December 1751, Concert Spirituel)

Recordings

Notes

  1. ^ "Royer, Pancrace (1703–1755)", Notice de personne, BnF.
  2. ^ Lionel Sawkins and David Fuller, "Royer, Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace", Grove Music Online.
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