Elleviou, (Pierre-) Jean (-Baptiste-Fran-£ois)

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Elleviou, (Pierre-) Jean (-Baptiste-Fran-£ois)

Elleviou, (Pierre-) Jean (-Baptiste-Fran-£ois), notable French tenor; b. Rennes, June 14, 1769;d. Paris, May 5, 1842. He made his operatic debut as a baritone in Monsigny’s Le Deserteur at the ComedieItalienne in Paris in 1790. Turning to tenor roles, he made his first appearance there in Dalayrac’s Philippe et Georgette in 1791. During the French Revolution, he was compelled to leave its roster but was able to return in 1797. In 1801 he became a leading member of the Paris Opera-Comique, where he won distinction in roles created especially for him by Gretry. He also created roles in operas by various other composers, including Mehul’s Joseph (1807) and Boieldieu’s Jean de Paris (1812). In 1813 he retired from the operatic stage. He wrote the libretto for Berton’s Delia et Verdikan (1805).

Bibliography

E. H. P. de Curzon, j. E. (Paris, 1930).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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