
Johann Paul Aegidius Martini
Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, (31 August 1741 – 14 February 1816) was a composer of classical music. Sometimes known as Martini Il Tedesco, he is best known today for the vocal romance "Plaisir d'amour," on which the 1961 Elvis Presley pop standard "Can't Help Falling in Love" is based. He is sometimes referred to as Giovanni Martini, resulting in a confusion with Giovanni Battista Martini, particularly with regard to the composition "Plaisir d'amour"'. Martini was born Johann Paul Aegidius Martin in Freystadt, Bavaria as son of the schoolmaster Andreas Martin and his wife Barbara. He was educated at the Jesuit seminary in Neuburg an der Donau and later started a study of philosophy in Freiburg im Breisgau, which he quit unfinished. He temporarily adopted the code name "Schwarzendorf", presumably trying to cover his tracks for the fear of being urged to refund his education cost. He re-adopted his original family name in the Italianized form "Martini" after moving to France. There, he established a successful career as a court musician. In 1764, he married Marguerite Camelot. Having directed concerts for queen Marie Antoinette, he adapted to the changing regimes throughout the French Revolution, and later wrote music for Napoleon's marriage as well as for the restored Chapelle royale. His melodic opera L'amoureux de quinze ans, written in 1771, enjoyed great success. In addition, his highly popular church music combined old forms with modern theatricality, and his chansons including "Plaisir d'amour" were influential. In 1788, he paid 16.000 livres to become surintendant de la musique du roi. He was designated to take office after his predecessor's death, however the outbreak of the French Revolution prevented this. Martini lost all his functions and took flight to Lyon. In 1800 he became a professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1814, after the Bourbon Restoration, Martini was finally appointed surintendant de la musique du roi, the post that he had been promised more than 25 years earlier. His last composition was a requiem in honour of Louis XVI of France, which he performed in the Basilica of St Denis on 21 January 1816, the anniversary day of the monarch's execution. He died in Paris in February 1816. |
Birth and Death Data: Born August 31st, 1741 (Freystadt), Died February 10, 1816 (Paris)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1934
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
Notes: Name also seen as Giovanni Martini or Jean Paul Egide Martini. Real name: Johann Schwartzendorf.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1405 | 7-in. | 5/21/1902 | Plaisir d'amour | Monsieur Fernand | Baritone vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1405 | 10-in. | 5/21/1902 | Plaisir d'amour | Monsieur Fernand | Baritone vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | B-1452 | 10-in. | 6/9/1904 | Plaisir d'amour | Sig. Carlos Francisco | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | C-4363 | 12-in. | 4/1/1907 | Plaisir d'amour | Charles Gilibert | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | C-6021 | 12-in. | 3/6/1908 | Plaisir d'amour | Emma Calvé | Soprano vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | C-9875 | 12-in. | 1/31/1911 | Andantino | Mischa Elman | Violin solo | composer | |
Victor | B-12731 | 10-in. | 12/18/1912 | Andantino | Fritz Kreisler | Violin solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | B-14426 | 10-in. | 2/6/1914 | Andantino | Fritz Kreisler | Piano solo | composer | |
Victor | C-14684 | 12-in. | 4/8/1914 | Menuette | Mischa Elman | Violin solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | B-17790 | 10-in. | 6/5/1916 | Love's delight | Maud Powell | Violin solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | C-18504 | 12-in. | 9/26/1916 | Plaisir d'amour | Alma Gluck ; Paul Reimers | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra | composer | |
Victor | B-20984 | 10-in. | 11/15/1917 | Plaisir d'amour | Eva Gauthier | Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Victor | B-31718 | 10-in. | 1/15/1925 | Plaisir d'amour | Georgie Gifford | Female vocal solo, with violin and piano | composer | |
Victor | BVE-34188 | 10-in. | 12/30/1925 | Plaisir d'amour | Victor Salon Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
Victor | CVE-47899 | 12-in. | 11/8/1928 | Plaisir d'amour | Nina Koshetz | Soprano vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | composer | |
Victor | BS-59007 | 10-in. | 9/22/1932 | Plaisir d'amour | Conrad Thibault | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | PBS-79435 | 10-in. | 11/1/1934 | Plaisir d'amour | Montgomery Davis | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Columbia | 81122 | 10-in. | 7/11/1923 | Plaisir d'amour | Carmela Ponselle | Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia | 30095 | 12-in. | ca. Jan.-Oct. 1907 | Plaisir d'amour | Charles Gilibert | Baritone vocal solo, with piano | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Martini, Johann Paul Aegidius," accessed May 27, 2022, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105467.
Martini, Johann Paul Aegidius. (2022). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105467.
"Martini, Johann Paul Aegidius." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2022. Web. 27 May 2022.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jean-Paul-Égide Martini
Discogs: Johann Paul Aegidius Martini
Allmusic: Johann Paul Aegidius Martini
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Martini, Johann Paul Aegidius, 1741-1816 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86860798
Wikidata: Jean-Paul-Égide Martini - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q696034
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/19866122
MusicBrainz: Jean‐Paul‐Égide Martini - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d74d65a1-2348-44c7-aabf-541f1e53fb59
ISNI: 0000 0001 1561 6447 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000115616447
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