Marc-Antoine Désaugiers

Marc-Antoine Désaugiers (Fréjus, 1742 – Paris, 1793) was a French composer whose output was devoted mainly to comic theatre and song in the second half of the eighteenth century. Although his musical training was irregular, he carved out a place of his own in Parisian musical life thanks to his flair for the stage and an amiable style that enjoyed considerable favour in his day.

He settled in Paris in 1774. His first significant public appearance came by way of a translation: that of G. B. Mancini's treatise on ornamented singing, published in 1776 as L'art du chant figuré. Shortly afterwards he presented a motet at the Concert Spirituel in 1777, the first of his works to be performed in the capital. From then on he devoted himself chiefly to the theatre, with pieces staged at the Comédie-Italienne and at the Opéra. Among these, Les deux sylphes (1781) stood out, and above all Les deux jumeaux de Bergame (1782), with a libretto by Florian, which became popular. In 1784 a cantata of his on Buffon was performed during the unveiling of the naturalist's bust in Pilâtre de Rozier's museum.

His friendship with Gluck and Sacchini is reflected in the Requiem of 1786, which he wrote in memory of the latter and which was well received at the time. With the Revolution he soon showed himself a supporter of its ideas and, commissioned by the National Assembly, composed La prise de la Bastille, a hierodrama for chorus and orchestra built from passages of Scripture recounting the fall of the fortress. The work was premiered with enthusiasm at Notre Dame on 13 July 1790 and was performed on several further occasions, with a minor revision in 1794.

He left numerous comic operas, a symphony, arias, romances and the opera Bélisaire, with a libretto by his eldest son, Auguste Félix Désaugiers, who also reworked the versions of Salieri's Les danaïdes and Tarare. Contemporary critics and later dictionaries agree in pointing to the technical shortcomings of his writing, but also in recognising his graceful style, his dramatic sense and his generous character, which explain the reputation he enjoyed in his lifetime. Some 120 pieces, alone or in collaboration, are attributed to him. His songs were praised by Merle, who considered them more witty and correct than those of Panard and as cheerful as those of Collé.