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 The grave of Ambroise Thomas at the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris. Picture by Androom (07 Feb 2025) |
Thomas, Ambroise |
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BORN 5 Aug 1811, Metz, Moselle - DIED 12 Feb 1896, Paris BIRTH NAME Thomas, Charles Louis Ambroise CAUSE OF DEATH congestion of the lungs GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 Avenue Rachel (division 28, ligne 01, numéro 33) |
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Thomas Ambroise was the son of the music teachers Martin Thomas (1770-1823) and Jeanne Thomas-Willaume (1780-1866). He was a fine pianist and violinist by the age of ten. His father died when he was twelve and he followed his older Charles brother to Paris, where Charles played cello in the orchestra of the Opéra. At the Conservatory he studied piano with Pierre Zimmermann and counterpoint with Victor Dourlen. Friedrich Kalkbrenner taught him the piano and he studied composition with Jean-François Lesueur and Auguste Barbereau. In 1832 he won the Grand Prix de Rome. He studied for three years in Rome, where he befriended Ingres. His first opera, the comedy "La double échelle", was produced at the Opéra-Comique and performed 247 times. During the following years it was performed internationally. Further successes were his opera's "Le caïd" (1849) and "Le songe d'une nuit d'été" (1850). In 1856 he became a professor at the Conservatory. His students included Jules Massenet and Gaston Serpette. During the 1850s his operas were less successful, but in 1866 his best-known opera "Mignon" was staged with Célestine Galli-Marié in the title role. "Hamlet" (1898) was another success. In 1871 he succeeded Daniel Auber as the director of the Conservatory. His regime was conservative. He kept Richard Wagner's work out of the curriculum, and he opposed Gabriel Fauré's appointment. In 1878 he married Elvire Remaury (1827-1910). He died in his flat in the Conservatory in 1896. Related persons • was teacher of Garcin, Jules • was pupil of Kalkbrenner, Friedrich Wilhelm • was pupil of Zimmermann, Pierre Events |
| 9/12/1857 | Premiere of Ambroise Thomas' "Le carnaval de Venise" by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart in Paris. The librett owas written by Thomas Sauvage. Marie Cabel was Sylvia. |
| 17/11/1866 | Premiere of Ambroise Thomas' opera "Mignon" at the Opéra-Comique in Paris |
| 9/3/1868 | Premiere of Ambroise Thomas' opera "Hamlet" at the Opéra in Paris. The libretto for this French adaption was written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. François George-Hainl was the conductor. It starred Jean-Baptiste Faure as Hamlet and Christine Nilsson as Ophelia. Pauline Guéymard-Lauters was Getrude and Armand Castelmary was Horatio. The opera was a huge success. [Guéymard-Lauters, Pauline] |
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The grave of Ambroise Thomas at the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris. Picture by Androom (07 Feb 2025) |
Sources • Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909 • Ambroise Thomas - Wikipedia (EN) • Le Carnaval de Venise - Bru Zane Mediabase | https://www.bruzanemediabase.com/ |
