Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis

Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis (4 July 1769 – 20 December 1819) was a French violinist, conductor, choirmaster, teacher, composer, and theatre director.

Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis
Engraving by Jules Porreau [Wikidata] (1849)

After commencing his studies of music in his hometown of Metz, Persuis moved to Paris in 1787, and entered the orchestra of the Opéra in 1793. His entire career was within this institution; he became choirmaster in 1803, then conductor in 1810, replacing Jean-Baptiste Rey. He simultaneously worked in administrative rôles, as manager, musical inspector-general (1816), stage manager (1817), then chief director from 3 September 1817 until 13 November 1819, on which date illness forced him to resign.

Persuis composed ballets, operas, and opéras comiques. His greatest success was Le triomphe de Trajan (1807), written in collaboration with Le Sueur. From 1810 to 1815, Persuis was the most performed composer at the Opéra, with 157 performances, largely due to Trajan. His opéras comiques found favour at the Théâtre Favart. He also adapted others' works, for example the oratorio Les Croisés (Die Befreyung von Jerusalem, 1813) by Maximilian Stadler.

Persuis taught singing at the Conservatoire de Paris until 1802. His name was proposed for a singing school at the Opéra, but the school was not established, although he continued to teach choristers informally.

He died in Paris.

Grave at père Lachaise Cemetery

Works for the stage

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Title[1] Genre Acts Libretto Premiere date Venue
La nuit espagnole opéra-comique unknown J. Fiévée 14 June 1791 Théâtre Feydeau
Estelle opéra-comique 3 acts Villebrune 17 December 1793 Théâtre National
Phanor et Angéla opéra-comique 3 acts Faur July 1798 Théâtre Feydeau
Léonidas, ou Les spartiates (with Gresnick) opera unknown Pixérécourt 15 August 1799 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Fanny Morna, ou L'écossaise drame-lyrique 3 acts E. Favières 22 August 1799 Opéra-Comique, Salle Favart I
Le fruit défendu opera 1 act E. Gosse 7 March 1800 Opéra-Comique, Salle Favart I
Marcel, ou L'héritier supposé opéra-comique 1 act Pixérécourt 12 February 1801 Opéra-Comique, Salle Favart I
L'inauguration du Temple de la victoire (with Le Sueur) tragédie-lyrique 1 act Baour-Lormain, Gardel[2] (choreography) 2 January 1807 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Le retour d’Ulysse ballet 3 acts Milon (choreography) 24 February 1807 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Le triomphe de Trajan (with Le Sueur) tragédie-lyrique 3 acts J. Esménard, Gardel[2] (choreography) 23 October 1807 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
La Jérusalem délivrée tragédie-lyrique 5 acts P.-M. Baour-Lormain after T. Tasso, Gardel[2] (choreography) 15 September 1812 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Nina, ou La folle par amour ballet 2 acts Milon (choreography) 23 November 1813 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
L’épreuve villageoise, ou André et Denise ballet 2 acts[3] Milon (choreography) 4 April 1815 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
L’heureux retour (with Berton and Kreutzer) opéra-ballet 1 act Milon (choreography) 25 July 1815 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Le carnaval de Venise, ou La constance à l'épreuve (with Kreutzer) ballet 2 acts Milon (choreography) 22 February 1816 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Les dieux rivaux, ou Les fêtes de Cythère (with Berton, Kreutzer, and Spontini) opéra-ballet 1 act M. Dieulafoy and C. Briffaut 21 June 1816 Opéra, Théâtre des Arts
Der Zauberschlaf (with A. Gyrowetz [Act 2]) ballet 2 acts Aumer[4] (choreography) 16 January 1818 Vienna, Hoftheater

References

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Notes
  1. ^ The information in the list of stage works is from Mongrédien and Quetin 2001, unless otherwise noted.
  2. ^ a b c Pitou 1985, vol. 2, p. 572.
  3. ^ Pitou 1985, vol. 2, p. 573.
  4. ^ Schreyvogel & Glossy 1903, p. 476, no. 16.
Sources
  • Chaillou, David (2004). Napoléon et l'Opéra, p. 82–84.
  • Fauquet, Joël-Marie (2003). Dictionnaire de la musique en France au XIXe siècle, p. 958.
  • Gourret , Jean (1984). Ces hommes qui ont fait l’Opéra, pp. 111–112.
  • Mongrédien, Jean; Quetin, Laurine (2001). "Persuis, Louis-Luc Loiseau de" in Sadie 2001.
  • Sadie, Stanley, editor; John Tyrell; executive editor (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. ISBN 9781561592395 (hardcover). OCLC 419285866 (eBook).
  • Schreyvogel, Joseph; Glossy, Karl, editor (1903). Josef Schreyvogels Tagebücher, 1810-1823, vol. 2 (in German). Berlin: Gesellschaft für Theatergeschichte. View at Google Books.
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Preceded by director of the Académie royale de musique
1817-1819
Succeeded by