Henry Desmarest
Henry Desmarest (also Desmarets ; * February 1661 in Paris , † September 7, 1741 in Lunéville , Lorraine ) was a French composer .
Life
After completing his training, Desmarest initially worked in his hometown, but focused on church music , since as an opera composer he was hopelessly in the shadow of Jean-Baptiste Lully , who at the time did not tolerate any competitor next to him.
In 1698 he got a job as musical director at the Jesuit College , but had to flee the city the following year. Since he was charged with a "kidnapping case" with a noble schoolgirl with whom he fell in love, he was sentenced to death in absentia.
Therefore he fled to Brussels first , where he maintained contacts with the numerous Italian musicians living there. From 1701 to 1707 he directed the chamber music of the Spanish king .
Finally, in 1707 Desmarest was appointed court music director to the art-loving Duke Leopold of Lorraine , and later to his successor Stanislaus I. Leszczyński in Lunéville and Nancy , a position he held until his death in 1741. At that time, Lorraine did not belong to France, but to the Holy Roman Empire , so Desmarets could not travel to neighboring cities such as Metz or Toul for fear of persecution .
Works
He created church music, in addition to a double-choir mass, 18 motets (Grands Motets) and other works such as the “Motets Lorrains” - but also a large number of secular works, including six operas . His best-known stage work is the "tragédie lyrique" Venus & Adonis . Furthermore four cantatas and two opera ballets. Some of his works were performed outside of his direct sphere of activity, so in 1713, 1714 and 1716 his opera "Venus et Adonis" at the court of Baden-Durlach, and "Iphigénie en Tauride" in 1716 and 1731. "Venus and Adonis" was also performed in Brussels (1726) and even in Hamburg (1725).
Web links
- Works by and about Henry Desmarest in the catalog of the German National Library
- List of the stage works by Henry Desmarest based on the MGG at Operone
- Desmarets curriculum vitae in French
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Desmarest, Henry |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Desmarets, Henry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French Baroque composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 1661 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 7, 1741 |
| Place of death | Lunéville , Lorraine |