handling of the voices. It is notable that many writers of operas at this period were drawn from the ranks of the orchestra. The dominant composer after 1735 was Rameau.
While the serious opera had its home under royal patronage at the
Académie (later the Grand Opéra), several other theatres became exceedingly
popular, like the fluctuating Théàtres de la foire and the more established
Comédie Française and Comédie Italienne (the forerunners of the
Opéra-Comique).
Several of the opera writers already named (see sec. 85) produced works after 1700, notably Campra (mostly before 1718) and Destouches (till 1726). To these the following may be added:—
Jean Claude Gillier (d. 1737), a violinist at the Comédie Française, brought out perhaps 20 operettas (from 1696), of which Les dieux de la foire (1724) and Sancho Pança (1727) are examples. They did much to fix the taste of the Parisian public for the light style.
Baptistin Stuck (d. 1755), born at Florence of German parents, was long employed as 'cellist by the court and at the Opéra, being a pioneer on his instrument in the operatic orchestra. He wrote some 20 operettas, ballets and operas (from 1709), notably Méléagre (1709), Manto la fée (1711) and Polydore (1720), with many solo cantatas (from 1706).
Other temporarily popular composers in the light vein were Joseph Mouret (d. 1738, insane), from 1707 in the service of the Duchess of Maine, later conductor of the Concerts spirituels and composer to the Comédie Italienne (works from 1711); Jean Baptiste Maurice Quinault (d. 1744), in 1712-33 an actor and stage singer at the Comédie Française (many works, one produced at the Opéra, 1728); Colin de Blamont (d. 1760), superintendent of music at Versailles from 1719, with over 15 ballets (from 1721), solo cantatas and some chamber suites; and several instrumentalists, like Jacques Aubert (d. 1753), with several ballets, etc. (from 1713), and Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (d. 1737), the pioneer double-bassist.
François Francœur (d. 1787) and François Rebel (d. 1775), both first appearing as boy-violinists at the Opéra in 1710 and 1714 respectively, were life-long friends and collaborateurs in a series of court offices, including the supervision of the Opéra from 1736, and produced jointly 10 operas (from 1726), such as Pyrame et Thisbé (1726) and Tarsis et Julie (1728), which were the vogue for a time. Francœur also wrote some violin-sonatas.
Jean Philippe Rameau (d. 1764), born at Dijon in 1683, was a precocious clavier player, attracting attention when but 7 years old. After a good general education and becoming noted as an organist, at 18 he was sent to Italy, but was uninterested in Italian music. After visiting Paris in 1705 and touring in southern France as a violinist in an opera-troupe, in 1717 he went to Paris, where he studied with Marchand, but soon incurred his jealousy. For a time he was organist at Lille and Clermont, devoting himself to theoretical study and the writing of church works and clavier-pieces. Returning to Paris in 1721, he steadily advanced in reputation, though his views on harmony were too novel to be readily accepted, and became recognized as the foremost
