Plantade, Charles Henri

1764-1839

 

French teacher, conductor and composer; born at Pontoise. He learned to sing and play the violoncello at the school for the King's pages, which he entered at the age of eight. Later he took lessons in composition from Langle, piano from Hullmandel, and harp under Petrini. In 1797 he became singing-teacher in the Campan School at Saint-Denis. In 1802 he was made professor at the Conservatory, later went to Holland as Court chapelmaster, but retnrned to Paris in 1810. In 1816 he became chapelmaster to Louis XVIII., from whom he had received the cross of the Legion of Honor in 1814, but in 1818 he returned to the Conservatory and there remained until 1828. Having lost all his appointments by the Revolution of 1830 he retired to Batignolles, but removed again to Paris shortly before his death. His first operetta, Les Deux Soeurs, appeared in 1791, and was followed by twelve others, among them Les souliers mordores; Romagnesi; Bayard a la, Ferte; Palma; Zoe; Le Mari de Circonstance. From 1812 to 1815 he was stage director at the Opera.