Isouard, Nicolò

Isouard, Nicolò, important Maltese-born French composer; b. Malta, Dec 6, 1775; d. Paris, March 23, 1818. He was sent to Paris to study at the Pensionnat Berthaud, a preparatory school for engineers and artillerymen, and also studied piano there with Pin. With the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789), he returned to Malta, where he worked in a merchant’s office and took courses in composition with Michel-Ange Vella and counterpoint with Azzopardi. His father then sent him to Italy to act as his assistant, but he found time to study harmony with Nicolas of Amendola in Palermo. He later studied composition with Sala in Naples, where he also received counsel from Guglielmi. His first opera, L’avviso ai maritati (Florence, 1794), proved so successful that he decided to devote himself fully to composition. In order not to embarrass his family, he used the name Nicolò de Malte, or simply Nicolò, professionally. The singer Senesino commissioned his second opera, Artaserse (Livorno, 1794), which also was a success. After serving as organist of the church of St. John of Jerusalem in Malta (1795–98), he went to Paris, gaining his first major success with the opera Michel-Ange (Opéra-Comique, Dec. 11, 1802) and quickly establishing himself as the leading composer at the Opéra-Comique. His Cendrillon (Feb. 22, 1810), Joconde ou Les Coureurs d’aventures (Feb. 28, 1814), and Jeannot et Colin (Oct. 17, 1814) were popular favorites. In spite of the competition from his friend and rival Boieldieu, he remained a protean figure in the musical life of Paris until his death.

Works

(all first perf. in Paris unless otherwise given): DRAMATIC: Operas-comiques: Le Petit Page ou La Prison d’état (Feb. 14, 1800; in collaboration with R. Kreutzer); Le Tonnelier (May 17, 1801); La Statue ou La Femme avare (April 26, 1802); Les Confidences (March 31, 1803); Le Baiser et la quittance ou Une Aventure de garnison (June 18, 1803; in collaboration with Boieldieu, Kreutzer, and Méhul); Le Médecin turc(Nov. 19, 1803); L’Intrigue aux fenêtres (Feb. 25, 1805); La Ruse inutile ou Les Rivaux par convention (May 30, 1805); Léonce ou Le Fils adoptif (Nov. 18, 1805); La Prise de Passaw (Feb. 8, 1806); Idala ou La Sultane (July 30, 1806); Les Rendez-vous bourgeois (May 9, 1807); Les Créanciers ou Le Remède à la goutte (Dec. 10, 1807); Un Jour à Paris ou La Leçon singulière (May 24, 1808); Cimarosa (June 28, 1808); La Victime des arts (Feb. 27, 1811; in collaboration with Solie and Berton Fils); La Fête au village (March 31, 1811); Le Billet de loterie (Sept. 14, 1811); Le Magicien sans magic (Nov. 4, 1811); Lully et Quinault (Nov. 27, 1812); Les Français à Venise (June 14, 1813); Bayard à Mézières ou Le Siège de Mézières (Feb. 12, 1814; in collaboration with Boieldieu, Catel, and Cherubini); Joconde ou Les Coureurs d’aventures (Feb. 28, 1814); Jeannot et Colin (Oct. 17, 1814); Les Deux Maris (March 18, 1816); L’Une pour l’autre ou L’Enlèvement (May 11, 1816). OTHER: L’avviso ai maritati, opera (Florence, 1794); Artaserse, opera (Livorno, 1794); Rinaldo d’Asti, opera (Malta, c.1796); II Barbiere di Siviglia, opera buffa (Malta, C.1796); L’improvisata in campagna, opera buffa (Malta, 1797; rev. as L’impromptu de campagne, June 30, 1801); I due avari, opera buffa (Malta, c.1797); Ginevra di Scozia, opera (Malta, c.1798); II Barone d’Alba chiara, opera (Malta, c.1798); Flaminius à Corinthe, opera (Feb. 27, 1801; in collaboration with Kreutzer); Michel-Ange, opera (Dec. 11, 1802); Cendrillon, opéra- féerie (Feb. 22, 1810); Le Prince de Catane, opera (March 4, 1813); Aladin ou La Lampe merveilleuse, opera (Feb. 6, 1822; completed by A. Benincori). OTHER: Sacred music, cantatas, airs, and romances.

Bibliography

E. Wahl, N.I: Sein Leben und sein Schaffen auf dem Gebiet der Opéra Comique (Munich, 1906).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire