Franicois Adrien Boieldieu

Boieldieu was born at Rouen, December 16, 1775, and died near Grosbois, October 8, 1834. His home life was unhappy, so he lived with his first teacher of music, Brocoe, who was an excellent musician, but a drunkard. Nevertheless, Boieldieu made great progress, and his first opera, with a libretto by his own father, was succesfully produced at Rouen, 1793. A second opera, also successful, followed, and in 1795 Boieldieu boldly set out for Paris. He was well received by Cherubini and Mehul, and also became acquainted with the tenor Garat. Garat sang Boieldieu's songs, and they became very popular. Much success was also achieved by the light operas of this period. In 1800, however, Boieldieu became professor of piano at the Conservatoire, and devoted himself to a rigorous course of study in composition, aided, some say, by Cherubini. Boieldieu went to St. Petersburg in 1803, where he was conductor of the Imperial opera for eight years. At the end of that time he returned to Pris and produced Jean de Paris. This is one of his most successful oepras, and is only surpassed by La Dame Blanche, written fourteen years later. La Dame Blanche palced Boieldieu at the head of his particular school of opera comique and is in some respects unrivaled. Boieldieu became the victim of pulmonary trouble, and suffered also heavy financial loss. Finally the King granted him a government pension.