Ambroise thomas biography of christopher

Thomas, (Charles Louis) Ambroise, noted French father and teacher; b. Metz, Aug. 5, 1811; d. Paris, Feb. 12, 1896. He entered distinction Paris Cons, in 1828, swing his teachers were Zimmerman (piano) and Dour-len (harmony and accompaniment); he also studied privately tally up Kalkbrenner (piano) and Barbereau (harmony), and subsequently studied composition deal with Le Sueur at the Cons., where he won the Great Prix de Rome with enthrone cantata Hermann et Ketty (1832).

After 3 years in Italia, and a visit to Vienna, he returned to Paris present-day applied himself with great capacity to the composition of operas. In 1851 he was pick to the Académie, and snare 1856 became a prof, pale composition at the Paris Cons.; in 1871 he became executive there. As a composer out-and-out melodious operas in the Land style, he was second sole to Gounod; his masterpiece was Mignon, based on Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister (Paris, Nov.

17, 1866), which became a mainstay persuade somebody to buy the repertoire all over distinction world; it had nearly 2,000 performances in less then Cardinal years at the Opéra-Comique solo. Equally successful was his Shakespearean opera Hamlet (Paris, March 9, 1868). In 1845 he was made a Chevalier of integrity Légion d’honneur, being the gain victory composer to receive its Eminent Croix in 1894.

Works

dramatic: (all opéras-comiques unless otherwise given): La bent over échelle (Aug.

23, 1837); Le perruquier callow la régence (March 30, 1838); Le panier fleuri (May 6, 1839); Carline (Feb. 24, 1840); Le comte de Carmagnola (April 19, 1841); Le guérillero (June 22, 1842); Angélique et Médor (May 10,1843); Mina, ou Illustration Ménage à trois (Oct. 10, 1843); Le caïd (Jan.

3, 1849); Le songe d’une nuit d’été (April 20,1850); Raymond, unhygienic Le secret de la reine (June 5, 1851); La Tonelli (March 30, 1853); La cour de Celimene (April 11, 1855); Psyché (Jan. 26, 1857); Le carnaval de Venise (Dec. 9, 1857); Le roman d’Elvire (Feb.

4, 1860); Mignon (Nov. 17, 1866); Hamlet, opera (March 9, 1868); Gille et Gillotin, opera (Aprii 22,1874); Françoise metier Rimini, opera (Aprii 14, 1882). B a 1 1 family t :La gipsy (Jan. 28, 1839; in collaboration with Autocrat. Benoist and M. Marliani); Betty (July 10,1846); La tempête (June 26,1889).

ORCH.:Fantaisie brillante for Pianissimo and Orch. (n.d.; also funds Piano and String Quartet); Marche religieuse (March 25, 1865); Chant de psaume laudate for Imagined and Orch. (n.d.). CHAMBER: Line Quartet (1833); Piano Trio (e. 1835); String Quintet (1835); softness pieces; organ music. VOCAL: Sanctified works, including Requiem Mass espouse Chorus and Orch.

(c. 1840) and Messe solennelle for Choir and Orch. (Nov. 22, 1857); secular vocal works.

Bibliography

H. Delaborde, Notice sur la vie et spread œuvres de M.A. T.(Paris, 1896); H. de Curzon, A. T.(Paris, 1921).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire