Félicien David
Félicien-César David (born April 13, 1810 in Cadenet , † August 29, 1876 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye ) was a French composer .
Life
David lost his parents very early. He received his first musical training at the singing school of the Saint Sauveur Cathedral in Aix-en-Provence . Then he spent a few years at the local Jesuit school. During his time at this school, he became interested in musical composition. From 1828 - the Jesuit school had since been closed - David worked for two years as second orchestra conductor at the theater and as conductor in the cathedral of Aix-en-Provence .
From 1830, the financial help of an uncle enabled him to continue his studies at the conservatory in Paris , where he completed a wide range of training. Shortly after his arrival in the Seine metropolis, he came into contact with Saint-Simonism and joined the movement. At the turn of the year 1832/33, however, the persecution of the Saint-Simonists began and David was forced to leave France.
Together with some confreres he left the country by ship in March 1833. From Marseille she made an eventful journey to various cities in the Middle East, including Constantinople , Jaffa , Jerusalem , Beirut and Cairo . David traveled with open ears for the musical characteristics of the countries he visited and many of these suggestions can be found in his later works. In mid-1835 he returned to France.
In the following years it became quite quiet around him: Félicien David composed very little and did not appear public until 1844 with his symphonic Ode Le Désert . The success of the work gave his work a great boost. Several works of various genres followed, which cemented his reputation. In 1862 he achieved his final breakthrough with the opéra comique Lallah-Roukh . During this time he made several trips to other European countries and got to know important composers.
Operas (selection)
- La Perle du Brésil (The Pearl of Brazil, comic opera in 3 acts, first performance November 22, 1851, Paris)
- Herculanum (opera in 4 acts, first performance March 4, 1859, Paris)
- Lalla-Roukh (comic opera in 2 acts, first performance May 12, 1862, Paris)
- La Captive (comic opera in 3 acts, first performance 1883 (posthumously), Paris)
- Le Saphir (comic opera in 3 acts, first performance March 8, 1865, Paris)
literature
- Jean-Pierre Bartoli: David, Félicien . In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . tape 5 . Bärenreiter, Kassel 2001, Sp. 504-510 .
Web links
- Biography with a series of pictures and a detailed catalog raisonné (French)
- List of stage works by Félicien David based on the MGG at Operone
- Sheet music and audio files by Félicien David in the International Music Score Library Project
- Works by and about Félicien David in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | David, Félicien |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | David, Félicien-Cesar |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French Romantic composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 13, 1810 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cadenet |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 29, 1876 |
| Place of death | Saint-Germain-en-Laye |