Luigi Cherubini facts for kids

A portrait of Cherubini with a statue of his teacher, Giuseppe Sarti, painted in 1792.

Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who lived from 1760 to 1842. He wrote music during the Classical and Romantic periods. He is best known for his operas (musical plays) and sacred music (music for church). Even famous composers like Beethoven and Rossini thought he was one of the best composers of his time.

Early Life and Musical Start

Luigi Cherubini was born in Florence, Italy, in 1760. His full name was Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini. People are not completely sure if he was born on September 8th or 14th, but many believe it was the 8th.

He started learning music at age six from his father, Bartolomeo. His father was a "master of the harpsichord," which meant he led musical groups from the harpsichord. Luigi was considered a child prodigy because he was so talented at a young age. He learned complex music skills like counterpoint and how to write for the stage. By the time he was thirteen, he had already written several religious music pieces.

Growing Up and First Operas

In 1780, Luigi received a special scholarship from the Grand Duke of Tuscany. This allowed him to study music in Bologna and Milan. His early serious operas, called opere serie, followed the usual rules for plays at the time. His music was influenced by other leading Italian composers like Niccolò Jommelli and Antonio Sacchini.

In 1783, his first comic opera, Lo sposo di tre e marito di nessuna, was performed in Venice. Cherubini felt that Italian music traditions were too strict. He wanted to try new things. So, in 1785, he traveled to London, England. There, he wrote two serious operas and one comic opera for the King's Theatre.

That same year, he visited Paris, France, with his friend, the violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti. Viotti introduced him to important people, including Marie Antoinette. Cherubini then got a big job to write an opera called Démophoon with French words. This was his first French tragédie en musique (a type of French opera). After this, Cherubini spent most of his life in France. He only made short trips back to London and Turin for other opera projects.

Life in France and New Music

The title page of the first printed music for Cherubini's famous opera Médée from 1797.

Cherubini started using the French version of his name: Marie-Louis-Charles-Zénobi-Salvador Cherubini. His opera Démophoon was well-received in Paris in 1788. With help from his friend Viotti, Cherubini became the director of the Théâtre de Monsieur in 1789. This theater later became the Théâtre Feydeau. Being a director allowed him to choose the stories he wanted to set to music.

Cherubini's music became more unique and daring during this time. His first big success was Lodoïska (1791), which people liked for its realistic heroes. Next came Elisa (1794), which was set in the Swiss Alps, and then Médée (1797). Médée is still his most famous work today. Another popular opera was Les deux journées (1800), where he used a simpler style. These operas were performed at the Théâtre Feydeau or the Opéra-Comique. Feeling secure financially, he married Anne Cécile Tourette in 1794, and they had three children.

The French Revolution (a big political change in France) affected Cherubini's life. He had to be careful about his past connections with the old French leaders and seek jobs from the new government. Even though Napoleon found his music a bit too complex, Cherubini wrote at least one patriotic piece of music every year for over ten years. He was even Napoleon's music director in Vienna for a while in 1805 and 1806, where he conducted his own works.

From Operas to Church Music

A portrait of Luigi Cherubini by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The muse (a goddess of inspiration) crowning him was later covered up in some copies.

After Les deux journées, Parisian audiences started to prefer younger composers. Cherubini's opera-ballet Anacréon was not successful, and most of his stage works after that did not do well. However, his opera Faniska in 1806 was an exception. It was very popular, especially with composers like Haydn and Beethoven. His heroic drama Les Abencérages (1813) was an attempt to compete with another famous opera, but it had few performances despite good reviews.

Because he was not getting much praise for his operas, Cherubini started writing more church music. He composed seven masses, two requiems (music for the dead), and many shorter pieces. During this time, under the restored monarchy, he became the Surintendant de la Musique du Roi (Superintendent of the King's Music). He held this important job until 1830. In 1815, the Royal Philharmonic Society in London asked him to write a symphony, an overture, and a piece for chorus and orchestra. He went to London to conduct these himself, which made him even more famous.

Cherubini's Requiem in C minor (1816), written to remember the execution of King Louis XVI of France, was a huge success. Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms greatly admired this work. In 1836, Cherubini wrote another Requiem, in D minor, to be played at his own funeral. This one was only for male voices because religious leaders had not liked his use of female voices in the earlier Requiem.

Later Life and Lasting Impact

Luigi Cherubini in his old age, wearing a Légion d'Honneur medal.

The grave of Cherubini in Paris, with a sculpture by Augustin-Alexandre Dumont.

In 1822, Cherubini became the director of the Conservatoire, a famous music school. He finished his music textbook, Cours de contrepoint et de fugue, in 1835. His role at the Conservatoire sometimes led to disagreements with the young composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz later wrote in his memoirs that Cherubini was a grumpy teacher. Some people believe Berlioz's description made Cherubini seem worse than he was. However, many people did say Cherubini could be irritable. For example, Adolphe Adam wrote that "some maintain his temper was very even, because he was always angry."

Despite this, Cherubini had many friends, including the pianist Szymanowska, Rossini, Chopin, and especially the artist Ingres. Cherubini enjoyed painting, and Ingres liked playing the violin, so they had shared interests. In 1841, Ingres painted a very famous portrait of the old composer.

Even though he didn't write a lot of chamber music (music for small groups of instruments), the pieces he did write were important. His six string quartets are considered excellent, especially numbers 1 and 3. His String Quintet (for two violins, viola, and two cellos) is also highly regarded.

During his life, Cherubini received France's highest awards. These included the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in 1814 and being named a Membre de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts (Member of the Academy of Fine Arts) in 1815. In 1841, he became a Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur, which was the first time a musician had received such a high title.

Luigi Cherubini died in Paris in 1842 at the age of 81. He is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery, very close to his friend Chopin. His tomb has a sculpture by Augustin-Alexandre Dumont that shows "Music" placing a wreath on a bust of the composer.

Works

Orchestral Music

Chamber Music

Masses and Sections of the Mass

Motets and Other Choral Works

Operas

• See List of operas by Luigi Cherubini

Teaching Manuals

• A treatise on counterpoint and fugue (1841)

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See also

In Spanish: Luigi Cherubini para niños