Hilaire de Longepierre

Hilaire Bernard de Requeleyne, baron of Longepierre , is a French dramatic author, born with Dijon the October 18th 1659 and died in Paris the March 30th 1721.

Biography

Child prodigy, quoted in the famous Children of Baillet, the baron de Longepierre started by giving translations of Greek poets accompanied by erudite notes. The coldness and the inaccuracy of these translations attracted to him the sarcastic remarks of Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, which made fun then of its tests of Tragédie S:

If the style bucolic

disparaged It,

It wants by dramatic the

Être drawn

row from the contemptible authors.

Lives the Greeks!

The tragedies of Longepierre indeed aim at finding the ideal of purity of the Greek theater. Its best part, Médée (1694), was initially accommodated coldly but triumphed during its resumption in 1728 and with each time an actress of talent undertook the title role. This tragedy stripped of love comprises terrifying passages, but it is static and the style in is hard, prolix and déclamatoire. Longepierre gave then Sésostris (1695) and Electra (1702) which had few representations.

In spite of the epigrams of Rousseau, Longepierre, which had a great fortune, enjoys the general consideration and was tutor of the count de Toulouse, then duke of Chartres, future Regent of the kingdom, of which he became the ordinary gentleman. He was also secretary of the commands of the duke of Berri.

Works

Dramatic works

Médée , tragedy in 5 acts, February 13rd 1694
Sésostris , tragedy in 5 acts, 1695
Electra , tragedy in 5 acts, 1702
Jerusalem delivered , lyric tragedy in 5 acts, music of the duke of Orleans, carried out with Fontainebleau on October 17th 1712

Poetries and translations

Odes of Anacréon and Sapho , translated into French worms with remarks, 1684
Idylles de Bion and of Moschus , translated into French worms with remarks, 1686 (full text on the Gallica basis)
Speech on old the , against Charles Perrault, 1687
Idylles de Théocrite , translated into French worms, 1688
Idylles news , 1690
Letter with Mr. de Voltaire on the new tragedy of Oedipus , 1719 ( full text on the Gallica basis)

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