A considerable composer and world-renowned chess player, Philidor was a pivotal figure in French opera at the end of the 18th century. His Ernelinde princesse de Norvège was hailed at the time as a highly modern composition.
But why on earth was Ernelinde, Princess of Norway dedicated by the Frenchman Philidor to the Countess of Forbach? Born in Strasbourg in 1734, Marie-Anne Camasse, an actress and dancer, married the Duke of Deux-Ponts and led a considerable intellectual life from Mannheim to Deux-Ponts and Forbach, then to Paris where she was close to Diderot, Louis XV and Marie-Antoinette... and finally to the court of Empress Josephine in Paris!
A considerable composer and world-renowned chess player, Philidor was a pivotal figure in French opera at the end of the 18th century. His Ernelinde princesse de Norvège was hailed at the time as a highly modern composition, paving the way for Gluck and the reformed French opera of the reign of Louis XVI. Music inspired by Pergolesi and the other great Italian masters, a drama concentrated into just three acts, vocal writing that is both virtuoso and heroic, and picturesque ballets are all features that distinguish Philidor's score as extremely singular for its time.
A considerable composer and world-renowned chess player, Philidor was a pivotal figure in French opera at the end of the 18th century. His Ernelinde princesse de Norvège was hailed at the time as a highly modern composition, paving the way for Gluck and the reformed French opera of the reign of Louis XVI. Music inspired by Pergolesi and the other great Italian masters, a drama concentrated into just three acts, vocal writing that is both virtuoso and heroic, and picturesque ballets are all features that distinguish Philidor's score as extremely singular for its time.
