Paul Puget

Paul Charles Marie Curet, called Puget (25 June 1848 –15 March 1917) was a French composer.

Life

Born in Nantes in a family of musicians (his father Henri Puget was a renowned tenor at his time), Paul Puget studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, piano in Antoine François Marmontel's class and musical composition with Victor Massé. In 1873, he entered the competition of the Institut de France and obtained the first Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata Mazeppa.

From his stay at the Villa Médicis from 1874 to 1877, date his ouverture de Macbeth, for orchestra, an Ode by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau "Sur l'aveuglement des hommes du siècle" for barytone, choir and orchestra, and a Symphonie en ut. In 1896, he composed stage music for Musset's Lorenzaccio, premiered by Sarah Bernhardt at the Théâtre de la Renaissance. In 1900, he was appointed conductor of the choirs of the Opéra de Paris.

If he is mainly known for his lyrical works, he also composed many melodies, pieces for piano, a Bassoon solo with piano accompaniment[1] which served as a competition piece at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1899 and 1916, a suite for orchestra titled Scènes champêtres and some pages of religious music.

In 1883, he was in the news. The Count of Lagoda, a Russian officer, who lost his fortune and whom the young actress Blanche Miroir left in Saint Petersburg, found a portrait of Blanche Miroir framed in flowers in his home. He provoked the musician, and a sword fight took place on April 18, near Paris. The Russian was slightly injured in the right arm. The next day, Mr. de Lagoda left for Brussels. He reproached the actress for her betrayal, and it is as a result of these scenes of jealousy that he tried to kill her and killed himself.[2][3]

Paul Puget died in Paris on 15 March 1917 and is buried at the Montmartre Cemetery.

Grave at Montmartre Cemetery

Lyrical works
  • Le Maître danseur, operetta-bouffe in 1 act (1869)
  • Les jardins d’Armide, opéra-bouffe in 3 acts (1872)
  • La Marocaine, opéra-comique in 1 act
  • André del Sarto, lyrical drama in two acts, based on Musset
  • Le Signal, opéra-comique in 1 act (1886)
  • Beaucoup de bruit pour rien, lyrical drama in 4 acts, based on Shakespeare (1899)
  • Ulysse et les sirènes, ancient scene

References
  1. Solo for bassoon with piano
  2. Le Figaro 22 April 1883
  3. Le Petit Parisien 22 April 1883

Bibliography
  • François-Joseph Fétis and Arthur Pougin, Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique: Supplément et complément, volume 2, Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1880, p. 372-373.
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