Antoine-César Gautier de Montdorge (or Mondorge) (17 January 1701 or 1707 – 24 October 1768) was a French man of letters, best known for writing the libretto for
Rameau's ''
opéra-ballet'' ''
Les fêtes d'Hébé
''Les fêtes d'Hébé, ou Les talens lyriques '' (''The Festivities of Hebe, or The Lyric Talents'') is an '' opéra-ballet'' in a prologue and three ''entrées'' (acts) by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. The libretto was written by Ant ...
'' (1739). Born in
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, he moved to Paris, where he worked as a financier (with the title "maître à la Chambre aux deniers du Roi"). He was a friend and neighbour of Rameau's patron
Alexandre Le Riche de La Pouplinière and probably met the composer at La Pouplinière's salon. Montdorge was not identified as the author of ''Les fêtes d'Hébé'' on any of its printed editions. It was first attributed to him by
Antoine de Léris in the 1763 edition of his ''Dictionnaire portatif des théâtres''. Reviewers severely criticised the literary weakness of the work. The only other opera libretto Montdorge wrote was the one-act comédie-ballet ''L'opéra de société'' for Jean-François Giraud in 1762. He described his experience working as a librettist for Rameau in the anonymously published ''Réflections d'un peintre sur l'opéra'' (1743).
Montdorge was also interested in the fine arts. He wrote three articles for the ''
Encyclopédie
, better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...
'' on engraving and published a work on colour printing, ''L'art d'imprimer les tableaux en trois couleurs'', in 1755.
[Girdlestone, p.352]
Works
* ''Les Fêtes d'Hébé, ou les talents lyriques'', opéra-ballet in three acts (music by
Rameau) presented in
1739, revived in
1747 and
1766
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") becomes the new House of Stuart, Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain, as King Charles III, and figurehead for Jacobitism.
* Januar ...
and printed in-4° ;
* ''Réflexions d'un peintre sur l'opéra'',
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13
** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...
, in-12 ;
*
e Blon ''L'Art d'imprimer les tableaux en trois couleurs'',
1756
Events
January–March
* January 16 – The Anglo-Prussian alliance (1756)#Treaty, Treaty of Westminster is signed between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Electorate of Hanover, c ...
, in-8° ;
* ''L'Opéra de société'', in one act ; music by Giraud, performed in
1762
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Seven Years' War: Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain declares war against Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of Naples, Naples, following their Treaty of Paris (1761), recent alliance ...
;
* ''Conte oriental'', Paris,
1767.
References
Sources
*Bouissou, Sylvie ''Jean-Philippe Rameau'' (Fayard, 2014)
*Girdlestone, Cuthbert, ''Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work'' (Cassell & Company Ltd, 1962; Dover paperback)
*Sadler, Graham ''The Rameau Compendium'' (Boydell, 2014)
External links
Antoine Gautier de Montdorgeon
Data.bnf.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gautier De Montdorge, Antoine
1768 deaths
Writers from Lyon
French opera librettists
18th-century French dramatists and playwrights
Contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772)