Jean-Philippe Rameau

Born in 1683 in Dijon, he was one of the most important composers of the 18th century. At the age of 18, he went to Italy for studies, and upon returning to France, he worked as an organist in many French cities, especially in Clermont-Ferrand, where he stayed until 1722. In the same year, he wrote 'Traité de l’harmonie', a theoretical work that established the theoretical foundations of harmony and chords for future epochs. It was in this work that the idea of chord inversion first appeared - e-g-c, g-c-e instead of c-e-g.
In 1723, Rameau permanently moved to Paris and became a respected professor teaching harpsichord playing and music theory. He was also an organist at the Jesuit novitiate and at the church of Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie.
His early works included stage compositions, religious music, and harpsichord music. However, in 1731, he became the director of the orchestra of the wealthy music patron Jean Jacquea de la Pouplinière, which allowed him to focus on opera.
Rameau wrote 30 operas, among which are masterpieces of French lyric theater, such as 'Hippolyte et Aricie', 'Castor and Pollux', 'Dardanus', 'Zoroastre', as well as remarkable opera-ballets, such as 'Les Indes galantes', 'Les Fêtes d’Hébé', and 'La princesse de Navarre'. Both the instrumentation and harmony of these works, aimed at achieving dramatic effects, are intense and innovative, which made his works the subject of many controversies. Initially, his music was attacked by supporters of Lully, who considered Rameau's opera to be contradictory to tradition, and then in the second half of the 18th century by modernists defending the Italian opera of Pergolesi. Nevertheless, Rameau is considered the founder of French opera. His opera-ballets are enriched with beautiful recitatives full of musicality. Through his concerts for two violins and harpsichord, this composer made the harpsichord not only an accompaniment instrument but also a soloist. He died in 1764 in Paris, and Saint-Saëns considered him the greatest composer of France.