Bernard de Bury facts for kids

Bernard de Bury (born August 20, 1720 – died November 19, 1785) was a French musician. He was also a composer for the royal court during the late Baroque era. This was a time when music was very grand and fancy.

Bernard de Bury's Life

Bernard de Bury was born in Versailles, France. His family was full of musicians. Many of them worked for the French king and queen. Bernard learned music from a young age.

When he was just seventeen, in 1737, he wrote his first and only book of harpsichord music. A harpsichord is like an early piano. He dedicated this book to his teacher, François Colin de Blamont. This teacher was also the uncle of the woman Bernard would later marry.

In 1741, Bernard bought a special job called Claveciniste de la Chambre. This meant he was the official harpsichord player for the royal family. He bought this job from Marguerite-Antoinette Couperin. She had inherited it from her famous father, François Couperin.

Bernard's career really took off in 1743. His opéra-ballet, Les Caractères de la Folie (which means "Characters of Madness"), was a big hit. It was performed at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris. His musical works continued to be performed for over thirty-five years. They were often part of big parties and celebrations. These events took place in Versailles, Sceaux, and Fontainebleau.

He also wrote other types of music. These included several cantatas and motets. A cantata is a piece of music for voices and instruments. A motet is a short piece of sacred choral music. One famous motet he wrote was De profundis.

In 1779, Bernard de Bury started receiving a special payment from the king. This was called a royal pension. In 1785, just a few months before he died, King Louis XVI made him a nobleman. Bernard de Bury passed away in Versailles.

Bernard de Bury's Music

Bernard de Bury wrote many different kinds of music. He was known for his harpsichord pieces and his works for the stage.

Harpsichord Music

His most famous harpsichord work is his Premiere Livre de Pièces de Clavecin. This means "First Book of Harpsichord Pieces." He wrote it in 1736. It contains four suites, which are collections of dances and other short pieces.

Operas and Stage Works

Bernard de Bury also composed many works for the stage. These were often grand performances with singing, dancing, and costumes.

• Les Caractères de la Folie (1743) was an opéra-ballet. It was his first big success.
• Jupiter, vainquer des Titan (1745) was a tragédie lyrique. He worked on this with Collin de Blamont.
• Les fêtes de Thétis (1750) was a ballet-héroique.
• Titon et l'Aurore (1750) was a pastorale-héroique.
• Palmyre (1765) and Zénis et Amnasie (1765) were both ballet-héroïques.