Davis Auber Composer Date of Birth: 29.01.1782 Country: France

Biography of Daniel Auber

Daniel Auber, a French composer and master of French comic opera, was born on January 29, 1782 in Caen. He gained his first public success with the comic opera "La Bergère châtelaine" (The Shepherdess - The Castle Owner) in 1820. Continuing to work for the opera house, Auber collaborated with É. Scribe, the most famous playwright and librettist of France at that time. Together, they created a series of comic operas and two works in the genre of "grand opera". Among the comic operas, notable ones include "Fra Diavolo" (1830), "Le Cheval de bronze" (The Bronze Horse, 1835), "Le Domino noir" (The Black Domino, 1837), and "Les Diamants de la couronne" (The Crown Diamonds, 1841). Although none of these operas can be considered a masterpiece, they are all characterized by inspiration and melodic charm, which earned Auber widespread recognition for his compositions.

On the stage of the Paris Opera, Auber made his debut with the operas "La Muette de Portici" (The Mute Girl of Portici, 1828) and "Gustave III" (1833), works that greatly influenced the development of the genre of French "grand opera" in the 19th century. Auber's "La Muette de Portici" went down in history as an attempt to create a large-scale historical musical drama. Thanks to this opera, new lighting techniques and technical effects were introduced to the Opera stage, which were previously used in Parisian theaters on the boulevards by figures such as L. Daguerre and R. Fulton. Auber strived to ensure that his music corresponded to the scale and sharp clashes of the chosen plot, but he was not suited for a high tragic style: the composer excelled in genre scenes. Overall, Auber's music is graceful, transparent in texture, melodic, and unpretentious.

Due to his educational background and personal disposition, Auber was better suited for chamber comic opera, to which he returned after "Gustave III". Auber was elected a member of the French Academy in 1829. In 1842, King Louis Philippe appointed him as the director of the Paris Conservatory, and in 1857, Napoleon III bestowed upon him the title of court composer. Auber passed away in Paris on May 12, 1871.