Jean-Étienne Despréaux

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Jean-Étienne Despréaux (born August 31, 1748 in Paris , † March 26, 1820 there ) was a French composer and actor.

Despréaux was the son of a musician ( oboe ) at the Académie royale de musique . He received his musical training from his father and, with his support, was able to successfully debut as a musician in 1763. In addition to his skills as a musician ( flute , violin ) Despréaux only became known through his skills as a dancer in royal ballet .

In 1781 Despréaux retired from the stage as a dancer and devoted himself only to composing and writing. One of the main focuses was his successful parodies of well-known and popular plays. King Louis XVI granted him a pension of 1,000 livres . On August 14, 1789, he married his colleague, the dancer Marie Madeleine Guimard, in Paris .

Despréaux died at the age of 71 on March 26, 1820 in Paris, where he found his final resting place.

Quote

Charles Maurice writes in his "Histoire anecdotique":

Veuf depuis dix ans de la Guimard, Despréaux vient de mourir. Je préférais à ses écrits baroques son imitation des danseurs, parce qu'elle était plaisante. You haute d'un tout petit théâtre dont le rideau était à moitié baissé, il introduisait sur la scène le doigt indicateur de chaque main affublé d'une tunique, avec maillot et chaussures formant de petites jambes. Puis, au son d'une musique de ballet, il exécutait si exactement des pas qu'on y reconnaissait le genre et les manières du danseur ou de la danseuse qu'il voulait rappeler.

Performances as a dancer (selection)

Works (selection)

literature

  • Émile Campardon: L'académie royale de musique au XVIIIe siècle . Slatkine, Geneva 1970 (reprint of the Paris 1884 edition).
  • Charles Maurice: Histoire anecdotique du théâtre, de la littérature et de diverse impressions contemporaines . Plon, Paris 1856 (2 vol.)
personal data
SURNAME Despréaux, Jean-Etienne
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French composer and actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 31, 1748
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH March 26, 1820
Place of death Paris