Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (12 May 1703 – 11 January 1755)[1] was a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist, organist, and administrator.[2]
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 de Mondonville, Royer directed the Concerts Spirituels 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 in 1755, at the age of 51.
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.
| Title | Genre | Subdivisions | Libretto | Première date | Place, theatre | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le fâcheux veuvage (contributions) | 3 acts | September 1725 | Paris, Foire St Laurent | |||
| Crédit est mort (contributions) | opéra comique | 1 act | Alexis Piron | February 1726 | Paris, Foire St Germain | |
| Pyrrhus | prologue and 5 acts | Fermelhuis | 26 October 1730 | Paris, Académie Royale de Musique | ||
| Zaïde, reine de Grenade | prologue and 3 acts | Abbé de La Marre | 5 September 1739 | Paris, Opéra | ||
| Le pouvoir de l'Amour | ballet héroïque | prologue and 3 acts | C-H Le Febvre de Saint-Marc | 23 April 1743 | Paris, Académie Royale de Musique | |
| Prométhée et Pandore | 5 acts | composed 1744–54, private rehearsal 5 October 1752 | Paris | |||
| Almasis | 1 act | François-Augustin de Paradis de Moncrif | 26 February 1748 | Versailles | ||
| Myrtil et Zélie | prologue and 1 act | 20 June 1750 | Versailles |
Premier livre de pièces de clavecin (1746)
Venite exultemus, motet (first performance 18 December 1751, Concert Spirituel)