Jean-François Le Sueur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean-François Le Sueur
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| Born | 15 February 1760 Drucat
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| Died | 6 October 1837 (aged 77) Paris
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| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | composer |
| Known for | Ossian ou Les bardes |
Jean-François Le Sueur (sometimes spelled Lesueur) was a famous French composer. He lived from February 15, 1760, to October 6, 1837. He was best known for his large musical pieces. These included oratorios (like a play set to music, but without acting) and operas (plays where all the words are sung).
Contents
Early Life and Music Training
Jean-François Le Sueur was born in a tiny village called Plessiel. This village was close to Abbeville, France. His great-uncle was Eustache Le Sueur, a well-known painter.
Jean-François began his musical journey by singing. He sang in the choir at a church in Abbeville. Later, he sang at the big cathedral in Amiens. He then became a chorus master (the person who leads the choir) at the cathedral of Sées.
He moved to Paris to study harmony. Harmony is about how different musical notes sound good together. His teacher was Abbé Nicolas Roze. Abbé Roze was also a chorus master at the Saints-Innocents church.
Becoming a Music Director
Le Sueur worked in several cities. He had jobs in Dijon (1779), Le Mans (1782), and Tours (1783). After that, he took over his teacher's job at Saints-Innocents in Paris.
In 1786, he became the music director at the famous Notre-Dame de Paris church. At Notre Dame, he started using orchestras for special church services. This was new and exciting. However, some of the priests did not like this modern approach.
Le Sueur wrote a small book to explain his ideas. He argued that orchestras were good for big religious celebrations. But France was having financial problems. The church needed to save money. So, Le Sueur could no longer use his orchestra. He decided to resign from his job.
Revolution and New Opportunities
Le Sueur spent some time in London from 1788 to 1792. Then he returned to Paris. The French Revolution was happening there. This was a time of big changes in France.
During this period, three of his operas were performed. He also became a professor at the École de la Garde Nationale. Later, he taught at the Conservatoire. This was a very new and important music school. He taught basic music theory there.
However, he found it hard to get more of his operas performed. He wrote another book. In it, he talked about how music should be taught in France. He also criticized the Conservatoire and its director. Because of this, he lost his job at the Conservatoire.
Working for Napoleon
Le Sueur was now without a job and became very poor. But things changed in 1804. Napoleon, who was then the leader of France, gave him a new job. Le Sueur became the maître de la chapelle (music director) at the Tuileries palace. He took over from another composer, Giovanni Paisiello.
This new job allowed his most famous work to be performed. It was an opera called Ossian ou Les bardes. It was shown at the Opéra. Napoleon loved it very much. He even gave Le Sueur the cross of the Legion of Honour. This was a very important award.
Le Sueur also composed the Triumphal March for Napoleon's coronation. In 1813, he joined the Académie des Beaux-Arts. He replaced another famous composer, André Grétry.
Later Years and Famous Students
After the Bourbon Restoration (when the kings returned to power), Le Sueur continued his work. He was named composer of the royal chapel. He also became the conductor of the Opéra orchestra.
From 1818, he taught composition at the Conservatoire again. He stayed there for many years. He had some very famous students. These included Hector Berlioz, Ambroise Thomas, and Charles Gounod. These students later became important composers themselves.
Jean-François Le Sueur died in Paris.
More Information
You can find more information about Jean-François Lesueur for children in Spanish here: Jean-François Lesueur para niños
