Etienne Mehul (1763 - 1817) - Find A Grave Memorial

Actions

Etienne Mehul

Birth:	Jun. 22, 1763
Death:	Oct. 18, 1817
Composer. His music was innovative in form and highly original in orchestration and harmony. In his operas "Euphrosine et Corodin" (1790) and "Stratonice" (1792) Mehul was the first to employ spoken dialogue instead of recitative, a technique that came to be known in France as "opera comique". He expanded the use of cellos in the theatre orchestra and famously scored his opera "Uthal" (1806) without violins. Mehul's masterpiece is the Biblical opera "Joseph" (1807). The Symphony in G Minor" (1809) is considered the best of his three surviving symphonies. Mehul was born in Givet, France. During the Revolution he wrote civic pageants and songs in a republican spirit, notably the famous anthem "Le Chant du depart" (1794). His later career was hampered by tuberculosis. More than a century after his death Mehul received unwelcome notoriety when a melody from "Joseph" was appropriated for "The Horst Wessel Song" (1931), which from 1933 to 1945 was one of the official anthems of Nazi Germany. Mehul's tune has been banned in that country since the end of World War II. (bio by: Robert Edwards) Search Amazon for Etienne Mehul

Burial: Cimetière du Père Lachaise Paris Ile-de-France Region, France Plot: Division 13
Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Dec 19, 1999 Find A Grave Memorial# 7762