Pascal Collasse (or Colasse) (22 January 1649 ( baptised) – 17 July 1709) was a French composer of the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

era. Born in Rheims, Collasse became a disciple of

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...

during the latter's domination of the French operatic stage. When Lully died in 1687 leaving his tragédie en musique '' Achille et Polyxène'' unfinished, Collasse completed the last four acts of the score. He went on to produce around a dozen operas and ballets, as well as sacred music, including settings of the ''Cantiques spirituels'' of Jean Racine. His plan to establish his own opera house in Lille ended in failure when the theatre burnt down. He dabbled in alchemy with even less success. His musical style is close to that of Lully.

Works

* '' Achille et Polyxène'', tragédie lyrique, (overture and first act by Jean-Baptiste Lully) 1687 * '' Thétis et Pélée'', tragédie lyrique, 1689 * '' Énée et Lavinie'', tragédie lyrique, 1690 * '' Astrée'', tragédie lyrique, 1691 * ''Le Ballet de Villeneuve-Saint-Georges'', ballet, 1692 * ''Les saisons'', opéra-ballet, 1695 * ''La naissance de Vénus'', 1696 * '' Jason ou La toison d’or'', tragédie lyrique, 1696 * '' Canente'', tragédie lyrique, 1700 * '' Polyxène et Pirrhus'', tragédie lyrique, 1706

Sources

*''The Viking Opera Guide''

External links

Le magazine de l'opéra baroque by Jean-Claude Brenac (in French)
*
Musical Manuscripts Collection
at the Harry Ransom Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Collasse, Pascal 1649 births 1709 deaths French Baroque composers French male classical composers French opera composers French ballet composers Male opera composers Musicians from Reims 17th-century male musicians