François Lupien Grenet

François Lupien Grenet (Paris, c. 1700 – Lyon, 25 February 1753) was a French composer and music teacher whose output, though small, holds a notable place in the opéra-ballet of France in the first half of the eighteenth century. His career combined singing instruction in Paris, administrative work and a decisive period in Lyon, where he spent his final years.

He apparently began as a choirboy at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris between 1705 and 1712. His first work, the one-act divertissement Le triomphe de l’amitié, was premiered at Fontainebleau on 15 October 1714. Over the following two decades he built a reputation as a singing master in the capital, and in 1733 he was appointed music master of the Paris Opéra. A printing privilege of 1737 further indicates that he held an official administrative post as conseiller changeur.

His masterpiece, Le triomphe de l’harmonie, with a libretto by Lefranc de Pompignan and described as a ballet-héroïque, reached the Paris Opéra on 9 May 1737. It is organised as a prologue and three entrées, «Orphée», «Hylas» and «Amphion», and fits naturally within the tradition of the French opéra-ballet. His music is distinguished by broad, expansive melodies, a rich harmonic language and highly elaborate orchestral effects, such as the depiction of the Styx at the opening of «Orphée».

In 1739 he moved to Lyon, invited by the city consulate to serve as its official music master. During this period he was also director of the Académie des Beaux-Arts and of the Académie Royale de Musique in Lyon, posts he held until his death. According to some accounts, he was accused of having collaborated with Clérambault and Rameau in composing Le triomphe, although this claim is not confirmed. His three stage works printed during his lifetime are the only ones that survive, though we know he also composed Latin motets and sacred music, now lost.

His legacy rests above all on Le triomphe de l’harmonie, a testament to a theatrical writing with more breadth than one might expect from French music of his time.