André Cardinal Destouches (sometimes called des Touches) (

baptised Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

6 April 1672 – 7 February 1749) was a French

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

best known for the ''

opéra-ballet Opéra-ballet (; plural: ''opéras-ballets'') is a genre of French Baroque lyric theatre that was most popular during the 18th century, combining elements of opera and ballet, "that grew out of the '' ballets à entrées'' of the early seventeen ...

'' ''

Les élémens ''Les Élémens'' (''The Elements''), or ''Ballet des élémens'', is an opéra-ballet by the French composers André Cardinal Destouches and Michel Richard Delalande (or de Lalande). It has a prologue and four '' entrées'' (as well as, origina ...

''.

Biography

Born in Paris, the son of Étienne Cardinal, a wealthy merchant, André Cardinal was educated by

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s. With the Jesuit Father

Guy Tachard Guy Tachard (; 1651 – 1712), also known as Père Tachard, was a French Jesuit missionary and mathematician of the 17th century, who was sent on two occasions to the Kingdom of Siam by Louis XIV. He was born in Marthon, near Angoulême. In ...

, he went on a mission to

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

for two years, leaving in January 1687, and spending some time at the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in Siam in September. Coming back to France, in September 1688, he spent several months at the academy in the Manège royal, rue de Tournon. In 1692 he joined the army and participated in the invasion of

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

, discovering his musical talent while not occupied by combat. When his father died in August 1694, André Cardinal added "Destouches" to his name in memory of his father's title, Seigneur des Touches et de Guilleville. He quit the army in 1696 to pursue his musical aspirations. Destouches' opera ''

Issé Issé (; Gallo: ''Isae'', ) is a commune on the banks of the river Don in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is situated 10 km southeast of Châteaubriant. Population Transport The train station reopened in 2014, ...

'' was performed for

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

at the Trianon in 1697. Louis was impressed and said that he enjoyed his music as much as that of

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

. The opera was successfully repeated at the Opéra a few weeks later. The following year found him dining with Boileau in the company of Racine. After a series of successful operas and the commencement of his successful collaboration with the librettist Pierre-Charles Roy, in 1713 the king appointed Destouches inspector general of the

Académie Royale de Musique The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

, at a stipend of 4000 ''livres'' a year; later, in 1725

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

would appoint him superintendent of chamber music for the Chambre du Roi, and then Director of the Académie. Under the

Régence The ''Régence'' (, ''Regency'') was the period in History of France, French history between 1715 and 1723 when King Louis XV was considered a minor (law), minor and the country was instead governed by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (a nephew ...

, as Destouches' operas were revived at the Opéra, Destouches was able to purchase the ''terroir'' of

La Vaudoire LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

Sartrouville Sartrouville () is a communes of France, commune in the Yvelines departments of France, department, Île-de-France, north central France. it is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Name In the ...

, conveniently close to Paris. The young Louis XV danced in Destouches' ballet ''

'' at the

Théâtre des Tuileries The Théâtre des Tuileries () was a theatre in the former Tuileries Palace in Paris. It was also known as the Salle des Machines, because of its elaborate stage machinery, designed by the Italian theatre architects Gaspare Vigarani and his two ...

, 31 December 1721, and the aged Destouches led the musicians for his daughters' masked ball on 13 January 1744. With the beginning of the public Concerts Spirituels in Paris, Destouches performed his ''De Profundis'' (1725) and his cantata ''Sémélé'' (1728) and

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...

for large chorus ''O dulcis Jesu'' (also 1728); Queen

Maria Leszczyńska Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

commanded Destouches to recreate the concert series at the Tuileries. With the death of

Michel Richard Delalande Michel Richard Delalande e Lalande'' (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote o ...

in 1726, Destouches assumed control of the Musique du Roi. In 1724 he married Anne-Antoinette de Reynold de la Ferrière.Masson 1959, ''s.v.'' "1724". He was buried in the crypt of Saint-Roch, Paris.

Works

*''

'' (''

pastorale héroïque Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood. In Baroque music, a pastorale is a movement of a melody in thirds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of ''pifferari'', players of the trad ...

''), libretto by Antoine Houdar de la Motte (1697, in five acts 1708) ''Issé'' played at

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

(in German) and

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. *''

Amadis de Grèce ''Amadis de Grèce'' (''Amadis of Greece'') is an opera by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) on 26 March 1699. It takes the form of a ''tragédie en musique'' in a ...

'' (''

tragédie en musique ''Tragédie en musique'' (, musical tragedy), also known as ''tragédie lyrique'' (, lyric tragedy), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas i ...

''), libretto by La Motte (26 March 1699) *'' Marthésie'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by La Motte (11 October 1699) *''

Omphale In Greek mythology, Omphale (; ) was princess of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. Diodorus Siculus provides the first appearance of the Omphale theme in literature, though Aeschylus was aware of the episode. The Greeks did not recognize her a ...

'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by La Motte (10 November 1701) *''Le Carnaval et la folie'' (''

comédie-ballet ''Comédie-ballet'' is a genre of French drama which mixes a spoken play with interludes containing music and dance. History The first example of the genre is considered to be ''Les fâcheux'', with words by Molière, performed in honour of Loui ...

''), libretto by La Motte (3 January 1704). The work was recreated in 2007 at the Académie d'Ambronay, directed by Hervé Niquet, staged by Jacques Osinski and produced by the Centre Culturel d'Ambronay and the Théâtre de Reims. *''

Callirhoé ''Callirhoé'' is an opera by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches. It takes the form of a ''tragédie en musique'' in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by Pierre-Charles Roy, is based on a story from ''The Description of Greece ...

'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by Pierre-Charles Roy (27 December 1712). Recorded by

Hervé Niquet Hervé Niquet (born 28 October 1957) is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music. Biography Born on 28 October 1957, Hervé Niquet was raised at Abbeville in ...

and

Le Concert Spirituel Le Concert Spirituel is a French ensemble specialising in works of baroque music, played on period instruments. Founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, it is named after the 18th-century concert series Concert Spirituel. The group performs internation ...

for Glossa. *'' Télémaque'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by the

abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin , in turn from Greek , , from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is also the title used for lower-ranki ...

Simon-Joseph Pellegrin The abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin (1663 – 5 September 1745) was a French poet and playwright, a libretto, librettist who collaborated with Jean-Philippe Rameau and other composers. Biography He was born at Marseille, the son of a ''conseiller'' ...

(29 November 1714), recreated at the Ambronay Festival (2023) by the ensemble Les Ombres. *''Oenone'' (

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

) for solo voice with symphony, text by La Motte (February 1716). The work was recreated in 2009 at the Ambronay Festival by the ensemble Les Ombres. *'' Sémiramis'' (''tragédie en musique''), libretto by Pierre-Charles Roy (4 December 1718) *''Sémélé'', cantata for solo voice with symphony, text by La Motte (1719). The work was recreated in 2009 at the Ambronay Festival by the ensemble Les Ombres. *''

'' (''

''), in collaboration with Delalande, libretto by Roy (1721) *''Les stratagèmes de l'amour'' (ballet), libretto by Pierre-Charles Roy (26 March 1726).

Discography

* ''Le Carnaval et La Folie'', Les Eléments, Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, dir. Jean-Michel Hasler. CD Lyrinx, 1986 * ''Omphale'', ''Callirhoé'', Suites instrumentales, Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, dir. Jean-Michel Hasler. CD Ades 1990 * ''

:'' Cyril Auvity, Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Callirhoé, Cyril Auvity, Agénor, João Fernandes, Corésus, Ingrid Perruche, La Reine, Renaud Delaigue, Le Ministre, Stéphanie Révidat, Une Princesse de Calypso, Une Bergère,

, conducted by Hervé Niquet. 2 CD Glossa 2007. *''Les Éléments'', excerpts, The

Academy of Ancient Music The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the A ...

, conducted by

Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English Conducting, conductor, harpsichordist, and Musicology, musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on h ...

, Decca (L'Oiseau-Lyre) 475 9100 (CD). 2008. * ''Sémélé'', cantate à voix seule avec symphonie, Les Ombres. CD Mirare, 2014 * ''

Les Éléments Les Éléments is a professional chamber choir established in Toulouse in 1997 by choirmaster Joël Suhubiette. The choir has sung commissioned works by contemporary composers including Zad Moultaka, and Philippe Hersant. Les Éléments have ...

'' : excerpts'','' Ensemble Les Surprises, conducted by L-N Bestion de Camboulas. CD Ambronay 2018 * ''

:'' Judith van Wanroij, ''Issé,'' Chantal Santon-Jeffery, ''Doris,'' Eugénie Lefebvre, ''La première Hespéride, une Nymphe, une Dryade,'' Mathias Vidal, ''Apollon (sous les traits du berger Philémon),'' Thomas Dolié, ''Hylas,'' Matthieu Lécroart, ''Jupiter, Pan,''Etienne Bazola, ''Hercule, le Grand Prêtre,'' Stéphen Collardelle, ''un Berger, Le Sommeil, l'Oracle''Les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, Ensemble Les Surprises, conducted by Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas. 2 CD Ambronay éditions 2019. Diapason d’or. * '' Sémiramis :'' Eléonore Pancrazi, ''Sémiramis,'' Emmanuelle De Negri, ''Amestris,'' Mathias Vidal, ''Arsane,'' Thibault de Damas, ''Zoroastre,'' David Witczak, ''L'Oracle, L'Ordonnateur des jeux funèbres,'' Judith Fa, ''Babylonienne, Prêtresse,'' Clément Debieuvre, ''Babylonien, Génie,'' Choeur du Concert Spirituel, Les Ombres, conducted by Sylvain Sartre. 2 CD Château de Versailles Spectacles 038. 2021. (The Prologue was not recorded). * Telemaque & Calypso: Emmanuelle de Negri, Isabelle Druet, Margaux Blanchard, Antonin Rondepierre, Les Chantres Du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles Les Ombres, Sylvain Sartre 2CD 2024 Château de Versailles

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Destouches, Andre Cardinal 1672 births 1749 deaths 18th-century French classical composers 18th-century French male musicians Directors of the Paris Opera Composers from Paris French Baroque composers French ballet composers French opera composers French theatre managers and producers French male opera composers 17th-century French male musicians