Méreaux
Méreaux
Méreaux, family of French musicians:
(1)Nicolas-Jean Le Froid de Méreaux, organist and composer; b. Paris, 1745; d. there, 1797. After training in Paris, he was organist at St. Sauver, the Petits Augustins, and the royal capel.
Works
dramatic: opera (all 1st perf. in Paris):La ressource comique (Aug. 22, 1772); Le retour de tendresse (Oct. 1, 1774); Lamette (July 23, 1777); Alexandre aux Indes (Aug. 26, 1783); Oedipe et Jocaste (Oedipe à Thèbes) (Dec. 30, 1791); Fabius (Aug. 9, 1793). other: 3 oratorios:Samson (1774), Esther (1775), and La Résurrection (1780); cantatas; motets.
(2)Jean-Nicolas Le Froid de Méreaux, organist, pianist, teacher, and composer, son of the preceding; b. Paris, June 22, 1767; d. there, Feb. 6, 1838. He was a pupil of his father. Although a Roman Catholic, he served as organist of the Protestant church of St. Louisdu-Louvre (1791–1811). Thereafter he was organist of the Chapelle de l’Oratoire St. Honoré. For Napoleon’s coronation (1804), he composed a hymn for Soloist, Chorus, and Orch. Among his other works were flute sonatas, and sonatas and fantasias for piano.
(3)Jean-Amédée Le Froid de Méreaux, pianist, music scholar, and composer, son of the preceding; b. Paris, Sept. 17, 1802; d. Rouen, April 25, 1874. He was a pupil in piano of his father. After law studies at the Univ. of Paris, he received training in counterpoint from Reicha. He began his career as a pianist in 1830. After performing and teaching in London (1832–33), he settled in Rouen. He gave a series of historical concerts in Rouen in 1842 and in Paris in 1843. Méreaux devoted much time to the study of early keyboard music and ed. the collection Les clavecinistes de 1637 à 1790 (1864–67). Among his own works were orch. pieces, chamber music, piano pieces, and vocal scores. His Grandes études pour piano en 60 caprices (1855) were adopted for use by the Paris Cons.
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire