Whether you're looking for composer biographies, historical music articles or public domain sheet music, Music of Yesterday has what you are looking for. We update content daily and link the best articles on this page weekly to keep you up to date on what's new.
Our content consists of article extracts from newspapers, magazines and books written and published prior to 1923 bringing to you the flavor of early music history as it was presented by prominent people in the music industry at that time including articles written by famous composers about other famous composers as well as articles written by opera stars and the top music educators of the time.
Also included in our archive are articles concerning the teaching of various musical instruments as well as music theory and what the best methods were for teaching students of all ages.
Most of our biographies include not only birth dates and places but more personal information on the lives and times of the person being studied and in some cases the interaction between composers of their time. Learn about their struggles, successes and more.
Are you interested in information about a particular opera? Read a short description of some of the most famous operas; feel the drama.
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| Martin Joseph Adrien (Andrien) |
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He was called Adrien L'Aine, born at Liege, May 26, 1767; a bass singer, taking alternate parts with Cheron at the opera in Paris from 1785 to 1804; afterwards choirmaster at the opera. In March 1822 he succeeded Laine as professor of declamation at the Ecole Royale de Musique, and died Nov. 19, 1824 a victim to the exaggerated system of declamation then in vogue. His voice was harsh, and his method of singing bad, but he had merit as an actor. Hi composed the 'Hymne a la Victoire' on the evacuation of the French territory in 1795, the hymn to the martyrs for liberty, and an 'Invocation a l'Etre supreme', 1793. His brother J Adrien was born at Liege about 1768, and died about 1824; he published five collections of songs (Paris, 1790-1802), and was for a short time choirmaster at the Theatre Feydean. Another brother, Ferdinand, born 1770, died about 1830, was a teacher of singing in Paris, choirmaster of the opera (1798-1800) and composer of songs. |