Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer
Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (ca. 1705 – 11 January 1755) was a French composer and harpsichordist.
Born in Turin, Royer went to Paris in 1725, and in 1734 became maître de musique des enfants de France, responsible for the musical education of the children of the king, Louis XV. Together with the violinist Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, Royer directed the Concert Spirituel, starting in 1748. Royer was at the Paris Opéra during the 1730s and the 1750s, writing six operas himself, of which the best known is the ballet-héroïque Zaïde, reine de Grenade. In 1753 he acquired the prestigious position of music director of the chambre du roi (the king's chamber), and in the same year was named director of the Royal Opera orchestra. He died in Paris.
Works
Royer is particularly known for his often extravagant and virtuosic harpsichord music, especially "La Marche des Scythes," which ends his first book of harpsichord pieces.
Operas
| Title | Genre | Subdivisions | Libretto | Première date | Place, theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le fâcheux veuvage (contributions) | opéra comique | 3 acts | Alexis Piron | September 1725 | Paris, Foire St Laurent |
| Crédit est mort (contributions) | opéra comique | 1 act | Alexis Piron | February 1726 | Paris, Foire St Germain |
| Pyrrhus | tragédie lyrique | prologue and 5 acts | Fermelhuis | 26 October 1730 | Paris, Académie Royale de Musique |
| Zaïde, reine de Grenade | ballet héroïque | prologue and 3 acts | Abbé de La Marre | 5 September 1739 | Paris, Opéra |
| Le pouvoir de l'Amour | ballet héroïque | prologue and 3 acts | C-H Le Febvre de Saint-Marc | 23 April 1743 | Paris, Académie Royale de Musique |
| Prométhée et Pandore | tragédie | 5 acts | Voltaire | composed 1744-54, private rehearsal 5 October 1752 | Paris |
| Almasis | acte de ballet | 1 act | François-Augustin de Paradis de Moncrif | 26 February 1748 | Versailles |
| Myrtil et Zélie | pastorale-héroïque | prologue and 1 act | 20 June 1750 | Versailles |
Other works
- 1746: Premiere livre de pièces pour clavecin (1746)
- La majestuese: courante
- La Zäide: rondeau (Tendrement)
- Les matelots: (modérément)
- Premier et deuxième tambourins
- L'incertaine: (marque)
- L'aimable: (gracieux)
- La bagatelle
- Suite de la bagatelle
- La remouleuse: rondeau (modérément)
- Les tendre Sentiments: rondeau
- Le vertigo: rondeau (modérément)
- Allemande
- La sensible: rondeau
- La marche des Scythes: fièrement
- La chasse de Zäide (1739)
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- 1746: Ode à la fortune, text by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, (first performance 25 December 1746, Concert spirituel)
- 1751: Venite exultemus, motet (first performance 18 December 1751, Concert spirituel)
Recordings
- Complete Harpsichord Music - Yago Mahugo (harpsichord), OnClassical (OC67B) licensed for Brilliant Classics (BC 94479), 2013
- Pieces de Clavecin - William Christie (harpsichord), Harmonia Mundi France (HM1901037), rec. 1981, CD-release 1992 (out of print)
External links
- Free scores by Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer at the International Music Score Library Project
- The Mutopia Project has compositions by Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer
