Lamette, Jean-Louis
Lamette, Jean-Louis
Lamette, Jean-Louis, French tenor and composer; b. Paris, March 7, 1731; d. there, Jan. 10, 1792. He made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1752. In 1762 he became a member of the Comédie-Italienne when it merged with the Opéra-Comique, and sang there with notable success until 1779. Although he specialized in light tenor roles, he was heard in comic roles generally sung by basses. These roles are known to this day as laurettes. His importance as a composer rests upon his contribution to the development of the opéra-comique. His wife, Marie- Thérèse (née Villette) Lamette (b. Paris, March 6, 1744; d. there, June 16, 1837), was also a singer who appeared at the Paris Opéra and the Comédie-Italienne (1758–77).
Works
dramatic:opéras-comiques: (all first perf. in Paris): Le docteur Sangrado (Feb. 13, 1758; in collaboration with E. Duni); L’heureux déguisement, ou La gouvernante supposée (Aug. 17, 1758); Le médecin de l’amour (Sept. 22, 1758); Cendrillon (Feb. 21, 1759); L’ivrogne corrigé, ou Le mariage du diable (July 24, 1759); Le dépit généreux (July 16, 1761); Le guy de chesne, ou La fête des druides (Jan. 26, 1763); Les deux compères (Aug. 4, 1772).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire