Michel-Jean Sedaine

Michel-Jean Sedaine is a dramatic author French, born in Paris the June 2nd (or on July 4th) 1719 and died in the same city the May 17th 1797.

Biography

Sedaine was the son of a Parisian master mason who had obtained the statute envied of contractor of the Bâtiments of the King before going bankrupt. Orphan at 13 years, his son had had to leave the college of the Four-Nations and, to provide the needs of his family, to be done working, earning his living as stone mason or plasterer. He had supplemented itself his instruction by his readings, and was exerted, in his moments of freedom, to compose of the worms. He was noticed by the architect and contractor Jacques François Buron, who took it in his offices, initially like employee then like person in charge. The leisures which left him this employment were occupied with the spectacles of the Foire and the Commedia dell'Arte.

He brought back with humor these vicissitudes in one of the parts of its first collection of poetries, the epistle with my dress (1752), poem which was noticed, which was to tell the truth only remarkable collection, and which preserved some notoriety. With naturalness and sensitivity, the author exposes the capacity of a beautiful dress in France and the changes which occurred in its life when it was given to him to cover one with it:

Ah ! my dress, that I thank you!

That I been worth yesterday, thanks to your value!

This part was noticed by a former magistrate named Lecomte (or the Count), which pensioned the author with height of 1.200 books under pretext of inspect the houses that it had. Delivered money worries, Sedaine began in 1756 a brilliant career of librettist who was to last nearly forty years. Attending the literary coffees and some living rooms, it bound with D' Alembert, which had been its school-fellow, with Favart and, especially, with Diderot, of which it shared the designs on the dramatic art. Thus bound to Encyclopédistes, Philosophers and reformers, he married their quarrels and their principles.

As librettist, Sedaine was tested with all the kinds: amusing operas ( Richard Lion-hearted ), light operas ( Devil with four , Rose and Colas ), low registers ( the King and the Farmer ), even larmoyants ( the Deserter ).

For the theater itself, it composed only two tragedies, without much interest, and two comedies, which remained famous and ensure today the essence of famous of their author: the Philosopher without the knowledge (1765) and the unforeseen Challenge (1768).

Thanks to its feather, Sedaine acquired an honest ease and settled street of the Wells, in the district of the Marsh. Thanks to the marquis de Marigny, he became secretary of the royal Académie of architecture in 1768, which enabled him to have a vast apartment with the Palais of Louvre and to enjoy a pension 1.800 books. Protected from Catherine II of Russia, it profited from its liberalities which enabled him to buy a small property with Saint-Price, close to Montmorency. It was invited by Marie-Antoinette to Versailles to make him repeat some of its works. Lastly, crowning of its career, it was elected member of the French Academy on March 9th 1786.

He had married tardily in 1769 with Jeanne Suzanne Sériny, of which he had three (or four children) for which he was an exemplary father. He also collected orphans, the Guéret young people, from which Anne and Louise, and protected the painter David, nephew of the architect who had helped it in his youth, whose he encouraged the artistic beginnings. Nevertheless, although having accommodated the French revolution favorably, it challenged the Jacobinisme and broke with the young painter. This was worth to him to be isolated Institut of France during the creation of this last in 1795. It did not have any share with the revolutionary events, even if it sometimes happened to him to help persecuted people, and died under the Directoire in 1797.

Works

Critical posterity

The eminently sizeable character and sympathetic nerve of the character of Sedaine often coloured the judgment carried for its work. At the 19th century, a part as the Philosopher without the knowledge was even put at the row of the works of genius. Since, one returned much from this exaggeration, and if the work of Sedaine preserves some notoriety, it mainly owes it with the talent of the type-setters who put his works in music (François-Andre Danican Philidor, Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, André Grétry to quote most famous). However, after them to have décriés much, one admits today the quality of the booklets of Sedaine, at which one admits the merit to have fixed the kind of the Op3era Comique.

Its style is often incorrect, and generally dish and insipid. Jean-François of the Toothing-stone was rained to underline it in its Cours of literature . Its poetry, rather abundant, remains generally prosaic, and the author himself declared, in connection with his collection of fugitive poetries published in 1760: “I regret, instead of me to be delivered to these frivolities, not to have given a play. ”

Chronological list

Dramatic works

Impromptu of Thalie or the glasses of truth , comedy in 1 act in worms, 1752
Anacréon , pastoral in 1 act, 1754
the Devil with four or the Double metamorphosis , Op3era Comique in 3 acts, music of François-Andre Danican Philidor and Bernardo Carried, represented for the first time at the St. Lawrence Fair on August 19th 1756
Blaise the cobbler , Op3era Comique into 1 act interfered ariettas, music of François-Andre Danican Philidor, represented for the first time at the Saint-Germain Fair on March 9th 1759
the Oyster and litigants or the Court of the baffle , Op3era Comique in 1 act, music of François-Andre Danican Philidor, represented for the first time at the St. Lawrence Fair on September 17th 1759
Troqueurs deceived , comedy into 1 act in prose interfered ariettas, music of Charles Sodi, represented for the first time at the Saint-Germain Fair on March 6th 1760
the Gardener and his lord , Op3era Comique into 1 act, music of François-Andre Danican Philidor, represented for the first time at the Saint-Germain Fair on February 18th 1761
goods accomplices or the good friends , Op3era Comique in 1 act, music of Jean-Benjamin de Laborde, represented for the first time at the Fair Saint-Germain on March 5th 1761
One never thinks of all , Op3era Comique into 1 act, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time at the St. Lawrence Fair on September 14th 1761
the King and the farmer , Op3era Comique in 3 acts, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time on the Theater of the Hotel of Burgundy on November 22nd 1762: This part is on the same subject as the King and the Miller of Charles Collé, first version of the Shooting party of Henri IV because it is also inspired by a “dramatic tale” of Robert Dodsley, the King and the Miller of Mansfield (1736), which had been translated into French in 1756.
the Work of the heart , comedy in 1 act in prose, represented for the first time at the Theater of Nicolet in 1763
the Ring lost and found , Op3era Comique in 2 acts, music of Louis Claude Armand Chardin and Jean-Benjamin de Laborde, represented for the first time at the Theater of the Hotel of Burgundy on August 20th 1764
Rose and Colas , Op3era Comique in 3 acts, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time on the Theater of the Hotel of Burgundy on March 8th 1764
the Philosopher without to know , comedy in 5 acts and prose, represented for the first time on the Theater of the street of the Saint-Germain Ditches on December 2nd 1765 (109 representations until 1793)
Aline, queen of Golconde , opera ballet in 3 acts, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time in the Engine room on April 10th 1766
Philémon and Baucis , opera into 1 act, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time at Bagnolet at the duke of Orleans, 1766
the unforeseen Challenge , comedy in 1 act in prose, represented for the first time at the Theater of the street of the Saint-Germain Ditches on May 27th 1768 (102 representations until 1793)
the Shoes , Op3era Comique in 1 act (with Jacques Cazotte), music of Egidio Romualdo Duni, represented for the first time on the Theater of the Hotel of Burgundy on October 26th 1768
the Deserter , opera in 3 acts, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time on the Theater of the Hotel of Burgundy on March 6th 1769: This part precedes the drama by Louis-Sebastien Mercier published under the same title the following year.
Thémire , pastoral in 1 act in prose interfered ariettas, music of Egidio Romualdo Duni, represented for the first time at Fontainebleau on October 20th 1770
Death married , Op3era Comique in 2 acts, music of Francescho Bianchi, represented for the first time at Metz in 1771.
the Falcon , Op3era Comique in 1 act in prose interfered ariettas, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time at Fontainebleau on November 2nd 1771
Splendid the , comedy in music in 3 acts, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at Versailles on March 19th 1773
Ernelinde, princess of Norway , lyric tragedy in 5 acts, music of François-Andre Danican Philidor, represented for the first time at Versailles on December 11th 1773
avenged Women or the Pretenses inaccuracies , Op3era Comique into 1 act, music of François-Andre Danican Philidor, represented for the first time at Toulouse, room of Capitole, 1775
Felix or the Child found , comedy in 3 acts in prose, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, represented for the first time at Fontainebleau on November 10th 1777
Aucassin and Nicolette or Manners of the good old day , comedy interfered ariettas, represented for the first time at Versailles on December 30th 1779
the Journalists , comedy in 5 acts in prose, represented for the first time at Saint-Pétersbourg on April 28th 1781
Maillard or Paris saved , tragedy in 5 acts in prose, represented for the first time at Madam de Montesson in January 1782
Thalie with the new theater , light comedy in prose interfered ariettas, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at the Italian Theater (Favart room) on April 28th 1783
Richard Heart-of-Lion , Op3era Comique in 3 acts, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at the Italian Theater (Favart room) on October 21st 1784
Host , opera in 3 acts, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at Versailles on March 15th 1786
the Count of Albert , drama in 2 acts in prose and worms, put in music by Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at Fontainebleau on November 13rd 1786
the Continuation of the count d' Albert , Op3era Comique into 1 act, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at the Italian Theater (Favart room) the Bore-Blue on February 8th 1787
Raoul , Op3era Comique in 3 acts, music of Andre Grétry, represented for first time on March 2nd 1789
Raymond V, count de Toulouse or the useless test , comedy in 5 acts in prose, represented for the first time at the Comédie-Française on September 22nd 1789
Guillaume Tell , opera in 3 acts, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at the Italian Theater (Favart room) on April 9th 1791
Pagamin de Monègue , Op3era Comique in 1 act, music of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny and Bernardo Carried, represented for the first time at the Theater of the friends of the fatherland in March 1792
Basile or Diamonds cut diamonds , comedy in 1 act, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at the Italian Theater (Favart room) on October 17th 1792
Albert or Service rewarded , opera in 3 acts, music of Andre Grétry, represented for the first time at the Italian Theater (Favart room) on January 9th 1796
In love the goutteux , Op3era Comique in an act, music of Stanislas Champein
Alcine , opera in 3 acts
Protogène , opera in 1 act
the Wedding of Nicaise , interlude

Various works

Epistle with my dress , 1751
fugitive Poetries , 1752
the Light comedy , didactic poem in 4 songs, 1758
Collection of poetries , 1760
Trifle , 1770
Speech of reception to the French Academy , 1786

References

External bonds

Biography of the French Academy
Its works of theater on site CÉSAR
Biography in '' picturesque France ''
the Philosopher without the knowledge in numerical reading

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