Thomas-Louis Bourgeois

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Thomas-Louis Bourgeois (born October 24, 1676 in Fontaine-l'Évêque (today in Hainaut, Belgium ), † January 1750 in Paris ) was a French composer and singer.

Life

The earliest reference to Thomas-Louis Bourgeois can be found on a title page of the publication of two collections of trio sonatas from 1701, which were printed by Ballard in Paris. After holding the positions of conductor at the cathedrals of Toul and Strasbourg, he got a job as a singer at the Paris Opera in 1707. During this time his two stage works were created.

In the meantime he was in the service of the Prince of Condé , then he was in Lille and later in Brussels. Here he directed the Monnaie Theater from November 1721 to Easter 1722 , but was dismissed because of his poor leadership qualities. In 1725 he was director of the French theater in The Hague. From 1728 to 1735 Bourgeois was a member of the "Académie de Musique" founded by Claude Rameau in Dijon. From 1740 he lived in Paris again. Compared to André Campra , he expanded the French cantata to include several recitatives and arias. Bourgeois composed around 40 mostly secular cantatas between 1708 and 1744, of which only 19 have survived. He preferred the so-called "mixed style", in which Italian and French elements flow together. He also wrote chamber music and some motets, but these have been lost.

Works (selection)

Chamber music

  • First and second volume Pièces en trio (Paris 1701)

Opera ballets

  • Les Amours déguisés (Paris 1713)
  • Les Plaisirs de la Paix (Paris 1715)

Cantatas

  • Premier Livre de Cantates (1708)
    • Borée - (voix de dessus and Bc)
    • Le berger fidèle - (voix de dessus and Bc)
    • Hippomène - (voix de dessus and Bc)
    • Ariane - (voix de dessus, violin and bc)
    • Les sirènes - (voix de dessus, violin, transverse flute, Bc)
    • Céphale et l'Aurore - (voix de dessus, voix de basse, Bc).
  • Second Livre de Cantates (1718)
    • Phèdre and Hippolyte
    • L'Amour et Psyché
  • Single cantatas
    • L'Époux imprudent (1721)
    • Diane et Endimion (1744)
    • L'Amour musicien (1744)
  • 2 motets for large choir, as well as some arias that were printed in the music magazines common at the time

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bourgeois, Thomas-Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French composer and singer of the Baroque era
DATE OF BIRTH October 24, 1676
PLACE OF BIRTH Fontaine-l'Évêque (now in the Belgian province of Hainaut )
DATE OF DEATH January 1750
Place of death Paris