Beaulieu (real name, Martin-Beaulieu), Marie-Désiré

Beaulieu (real name, Martin-Beaulieu), Marie-Désiré, French composer and author; b. Paris, April 11, 1791; d. Niort, Dec. 21, 1863. He studied violin with Kreutzer, composition with Benincori and Abbé Roze; then studied with Mehul at the Paris Cons., winning the Prix de Rome in 1810. He composed the operas Anacréon and Philadelphie , the oratorios VHymne du matin, L’Hymne de la nuit , etc., and also other sacred music, as well as secular songs. He publ. the essays: Du rythme, des effets qu’il produit et de leurs causes (1852), Mémoire sur ce qui reste de la musique de l’ancienne Grèce dans les premiers chants de l’Église (1852), Mémoire sur le caractère que doit avoir la musique de l’Église (1858), and Mémoire sur l’origine de la musique (1859). However, his main contribution to French musical culture was his organizing of annual music festivals in provincial towns. He founded the Association Musicale de l’Ouest in 1835, and in 1860 the Société des Concerts de Chant Classique, to which he bequeathed 100, 000 francs.