Campra, André

1660-1744

Was born at Aix, Provence. His operas are the only ones, besides those of Lully, which kept their place on the stage during the first half of the Eighteenth Century. He was also the first composer, who obtained permission to use other instruments than the organ in church music. He studied music under G. Poitevin, but gave little promise of distinguishing himself as a musician until his sixteenth year, when he composed a motet that caused his teacher to predict a great future for him. His first position in Paris was the directorship of the choir of the College of Jesuits and from there he was promoted to the directorship of Notre Dame. At the great church festivals, immense crowds flocked to hear his compositions, but while thus employed he was spending all of his leisure moments in studying the operatic masters and, in 1697, his first opera, L'Europe Galante, was produced. This was followed, in 1699, by an operatic ballet Le Carnaval de Venise, but both were published in his brother's name, as he feared losing his appointment in the church if it became known that he wrote anything but sacred music. In 1700 he abandoned the church for the stage and brought out Hesione, the first opera produced under his own name. From that time until 1740, when his last opera was produced, his works enjoyed a great popularity. He received many honors at the hands of his countrymen. Was made teacher and director of the pages at the Chapel Royal, an appointment he held until his death, and was granted a pension by the King, in 1718, in recognition of his services as a dramatic composer, and was also made master of the Chapel to the King. Besides his operatic works he wrote three books of cantatas, a mass and five books of motets. He was too deferential to the tastes and fancies of the time to have contributed much to the development of French opera. Instead of improving the music, he helped to popularize what were known as the spectacles coupes, or performances of fragmentary plays, and this gave him only an ephemeral popularity.