Bury, Bernard de

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Bury, Bernard de

Bury, Bernard de, French composer; b. Versailles, Aug. 20, 1720; d. there, Nov. 19, 1785. He was a student of his father, Jean-Louis Bury, who served as ordinaire de la musique du roi, and of Collin de Blamont. In 1741 he purchased the reversion of Marguerite-Antoinette Couperin’s post of keyboard player to the chambre du roi. In 1751 he became surintendant de la musique du roi, and in 1779 he was granted a royal pension. In 1785 he was ennobled by King Louis XVI. Bury was held in high favor by the French court.

Works

DRAMATIC: Les caractères de la folie, opéraballet (Paris, Aug. 20, 1743); Jupiter vaingueur des Titans, tragédie lyrique (Versailles, Dec. 11, 1745); La nymphe de Versailles, divertissement (Versailles, March 19, 1746); Titon et l’Aurore, pastorale héroïque (Versailles, Jan. 14, 1750); La parque vaincue, divertissement (Versailles, 1751); Palmyre, ballet héroïque (Fontainebleau, Oct. 24, 1765); Zénis et Almesie, ballet héroïque (Fontainebleau, Nov. 2, 1765; in collaboration with J. de La Borde).other: A cantata, motet, and harpsichord pieces.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire