Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Prince-Bishopric of Liège (Belgium)
Music • Historical Archive • 🇧🇪 Belgium • 4 views

André Grétry 🇧🇪

André Ernest Modeste Grétry (Known as "Grétry")
Foremost Classical Opera Composer, Master of French Opéra Comique, Richard Cœur-de-Lion
Born Feb 08, 1741 🇧🇪 Liège, Belgium
Passed Away Sep 24, 1813 Montmorency (Val-d'Oise, Hermitage of Rousseau), France
Lifespan 72 years old
4 views
Notice / Correction
"Melody is the soul of music; harmony is only its clothing."

Archival Overview

Celebrated Classical composer from Liège who conquered Paris under Louis XVI, reigning as the undisputed master of French opéra comique with Richard Cœur-de-Lion and its famous aria 'Une fièvre brûlante'.

Biographical Record

Trained as a choirboy at the Collegiate Church of Saint-Denis in Liège, Grétry studied in Rome before arriving in Paris in 1767. Befriended by Voltaire, he captured the French public with his irresistible melodic gift, theatrical wit, and psychological characterization.

His masterwork Richard Cœur-de-Lion (1784) introduced the recurring leitmotif into opera with Blondel's ballad 'O Richard, o mon Roi'. Honored by Queen Marie Antoinette and later showered with honors by Napoleon Bonaparte, Grétry purchased Jean-Jacques Rousseau's former Hermitage in Montmorency.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Père Lachaise Cemetery (Heart buried in Liège in front of the Opéra)
Paris, France
GPS: 48.8617, 2.3944
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