Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer

Royer composing his opera Zaïde, by Jean-Marc Nattier. Private collection.

Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (ca. 1705 – 11 January 1755) was a French composer and harpsichordist.

Born in Turin, Royer went to Paris in 1725, and in 1734 became maître de musique des enfants de France, responsible for the musical education of the children of the king, Louis XV. Together with the violinist Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, Royer directed the Concert Spirituel, starting in 1748. Royer was at the Paris Opéra during the 1730s and the 1750s, writing six operas himself, of which the best known is the ballet-héroïque Zaïde, reine de Grenade. In 1753 he acquired the prestigious position of music director of the chambre du roi (the king's chamber), and in the same year was named director of the Royal Opera orchestra. He died in Paris.

Works

Royer is particularly known for his often extravagant and virtuosic harpsichord music, especially "La Marche des Scythes," which ends his first book of harpsichord pieces.

Operas

Title	Genre	Sub­divisions	Libretto	Première date	Place, theatre
FacheuxLe fâcheux veuvage (contributions)	opéra comique	3 acts	PironAlexis Piron	1725-09-00 September 1725	Paris, Foire St Laurent
Crédit est mort (contributions)	opéra comique	1 act	PironAlexis Piron	1726-02-00February 1726	Paris, Foire St Germain
Pyrrhus	tragédie lyrique	5.1prologue and 5 acts	Fermelhuis Fermelhuis	1730-10-2626 October 1730	Paris, Académie Royale de Musique
Zaïde, reine de Grenade	ballet héroïque	3.1prologue and 3 acts	La MarreAbbé de La Marre	1739-09-055 September 1739	Paris, Opéra
PouvoirLe pouvoir de l'Amour	ballet héroïque	3.1prologue and 3 acts	Saint-MarcC-H Le Febvre de Saint-Marc	1743-04-2323 April 1743	Paris, Académie Royale de Musique
Prométhée et Pandore	tragédie	5 acts	Voltaire	1752-10-05composed 1744-54, private rehearsal 5 October 1752	Paris
Almasis	acte de ballet	1 act	MoncrifFrançois-Augustin de Paradis de Moncrif	1748-02-2626 February 1748	Versailles
Myrtil et Zélie	pastorale-héroïque	1.1prologue and 1 act		1750-06-2020 June 1750	Versailles

Other works

• 1746: Premiere livre de pièces pour clavecin (1746)

1. La majestuese: courante
2. La Zäide: rondeau (Tendrement)
3. Les matelots: (modérément)
   

   Frontpage to Ode à la fortune, 1747
4. Premier et deuxième tambourins
5. L'incertaine: (marque)
6. L'aimable: (gracieux)
7. La bagatelle
8. Suite de la bagatelle
9. La remouleuse: rondeau (modérément)
10. Les tendre Sentiments: rondeau
11. Le vertigo: rondeau (modérément)
12. Allemande
13. La sensible: rondeau
14. La marche des Scythes: fièrement
15. La chasse de Zäide (1739)

• 1746: Ode à la fortune, text by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, (first performance 25 December 1746, Concert spirituel)
• 1751: Venite exultemus, motet (first performance 18 December 1751, Concert spirituel)

Recordings

• Complete Harpsichord Music - Yago Mahugo (harpsichord), OnClassical (OC67B) licensed for Brilliant Classics (BC 94479), 2013
• Pieces de Clavecin - William Christie (harpsichord), Harmonia Mundi France (HM1901037), rec. 1981, CD-release 1992 (out of print)

External links

• Free scores by Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer at the International Music Score Library Project
• The Mutopia Project has compositions by Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer