Nicolas Dalayrac

Nicolas-Marie d'Alayrac (French: [nikola mari dalerak]; bapt. 13 June 1753 – 26 November 1809), nicknamed the Musician poet, more commonly Nicolas Dalayrac, was a French composer of the Classical period. Intended for a military career, he made the acquaintance of many musicians in the Parisian salons, which convinced him of his true vocation.

Among his most popular works, Nina, or The Woman Crazed with Love (1786), which tackles the theme of madness and arouses real enthusiasm during its creation, premiered on 23 November at the Stroganov Palace. The Two Little Savoyards (1789), which deals with the rapprochement of social classes, a theme bearing the ideals of the French Revolution, Camille ou le Souterrain (1791), judged as his best production or even Léon ou le Château de Monténéro (1798) who by his leitmotifs announces a new genre. If he forges an international reputation, he remains nevertheless less known in the lyrical field than André Grétry.

His first compositions were violin duos, string trios and quartets. He published them under a pseudonym with Italian consonance. The quartets were very successful, and the true identity of their author was eventually discovered. According to René-Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt, he was initiated into Freemasonry and was a member of the Masonic lodge of «The Nine Sisters». In 1778 he composed the music for the reception of Voltaire, and of the party in honor of Benjamin Franklin at the home of Anne-Catherine de Ligniville Helvétius. Dalayrac actively participated in the development of copyright.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 8, 1753 (Muret), Died November 27, 1809 (Paris)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

= 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
Columbia (U.K.) WL2347 10-in. 7/1/1930 Quatuor 3, op. 7 : Siciliana Quatuor Krettly String quartet composer  
Columbia (U.K.) WL2348 10-in. 7/1/1930 Quatuor 3, op. 7 : Allegro spiritoso Quatuor Krettly String quartet composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Dalayrac, Nicolas," accessed April 27, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/326291.

Dalayrac, Nicolas. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 27, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/326291.

"Dalayrac, Nicolas." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 27 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/326291

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