Jean-Baptiste Matho (16 March 1663 – 16 March 1743) was a French composer of the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

era. Born in Montfort-sur-Meu near

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

, his name was originally M. F. H. Thomassin. His name is first mentioned in the Mercure galant of August 1687. As a child, Matho attracted attention for the quality of his singing voice and he was sent to

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

where he began a career as one of the king's musicians. In October 1699 the Mercure mentioned a performance in the royal apartments at Fontainebleau of the opera Coronis, though ‘neither the king nor their British Majesties heard the music which was judged to be most beautiful’. In 1720, he became Master of the King's Music and was charged with the musical education of the young

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 ...

alongside

François Couperin François Couperin (; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a French Baroque music, Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as ''Couperin le Grand'' ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musi ...

and

Jean-Joseph Mouret Jean-Joseph Mouret (11 April 1682 in Avignon – 10 December 1738 in Charenton-le-Pont) was a French composer whose dramatic works made him one of the leading exponents of Baroque music in his country. Even though most of his works are rarely per ...

. He wrote several works for the stage, including the ''

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 ...

'' ''

Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...

'' (1714) as well as ballets and other divertissements. Sources. Matho seemed to have retained his position in the royal chapel until his death. His daughter Andrée Denise was granted a pension of 400 livres in consideration of his work in the king’s service. Contemporaneous accounts of Matho’s works are unanimously positive, sometimes overflowing with praise.
Le magazine de l'opéra baroque by Jean-Claude-Brenac (in French)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matho, Jean-Baptiste 1663 births 1743 deaths French male classical composers French Baroque composers 18th-century French classical composers 18th-century French male musicians 17th-century French male musicians