François-Adrien Boieldieu
French composer
François-Adrien Boieldieu (pronounced [fʁɑ̃.swa a.dʁi.(j)ɛ̃ bɔ.jɛl.djø], also [bwa(.ɛ)l.djø]) (16 December 1775 – 8 October 1834) was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart". Although his reputation is largely based upon his operas, Boieldieu composed other works and among them, his Harp Concerto in C (1800–1801) is a masterpiece of the harp repertory.
Biography
Early life
François-Adrien Boieldieu was born in Rouen. His date of birth was given as December 15 by his biographer Lucien Augé de Lassus and as September 15 by some local press releases. He received his musical education first from the choirmaster and then from the organist of the local cathedral. During the Reign of Terror, Rouen was one of the few towns to maintain a significant musical life and in 1793, a series of concerts was organised that featured the celebrated violinist Pierre Rode and the tenor Pierre-Jean Garat. It was during this time that Boieldieu composed his earliest works to texts written by his father (La fille coupable in 1793, followed by Rosalie et Mirza in 1795). These works brought him immediate success.
Career
During the Revolutionary period, Boieldieu left for Paris and wisely started work as a piano tuner. At this time, the Opéra-Comique was the only theatre to offer opportunities for the hybrid works of the same name, close to classic opera, but containing spoken dialogue.
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