- André Campra
.
Chronologically situated between
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) andJean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), Campra participated in the renewal of French opera.Biography
Campra received his musical and religious training at the cathedral of
Saint-Sauveur inAix-en-Provence and became a priest in 1678. From 1694 to 1700, he was "maître de musique" (music director) at the cathedral ofNotre-Dame de Paris , after having served in a similar capacity inToulon ,Arles andToulouse .He began to turn toward the theatre in 1697. He was then engaged by the
prince of Conti as "maître de musique", and then in 1730 he became the director of the Opéra. With his composition of "L'Europe galante" he was the true genius of the "opéra-ballet ", a musical genre originated byPascal Colasse (in his "Ballet des saisons").Campra worked at the Académie royale de musique (Royal Academy of Music) and the royal chapel at Versailles after the death of Louis XIV.
From 1720 onwards, he returned to the religious life and devoted most of his time to sacred music. He died at age 83.
Principal works
Operas
* "
L'Europe galante " (1697)
* "Le carnaval de Venise " (1699)
* "Hésione " (1700)
* "Tancrède " (1702)
* "Iphigénie en Tauride" (1704)
* "Alcine " (1705)
* "Les fêtes vénitiennes " (1710)
* "Idoménée " (1712)
* " Énée et Didon" (1714)
* "Les âges " (1718)Cantatas
*Three books (1708, 1714 and 1728)
acred works
*" Nisi Dominus" (1722)
*"Requiem" (after 1723)
*"Motets for the royal chapel" (1723-1741)Trivia
*A state-owned
secondary school in the centre ofAix-en-Provence , is named after André Campra, "Collège Campra". There is a statue of Campra inside one of the buildings.External links
*WIMA|idx=Campra|name=André Campra
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