(Clément Philibert) Léo Delibes

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(b StGermain du Val, 21 Feb 1836; d Paris, 16 Jan 1891). French composer. A church, organist until 1871, he was drawn to the theatre, first writing light operettas in the style of his teacher Adolphe Adam (roughly one a year from 1856 to 1869), then becoming chorus master at the Théâtre-Lyrique and the Opéra. He is best known for his appealing classical ballets Coppélia (1870), with its charming character numbers, and the tuneful but more sophisticated Sylvia (1876), both admired by Tchaikovsky. Meyerbeer's influence is evident in his serious opera Jean de Nivelle (1880), and a gift for witty pastiche in his dances for Hugo's play Le roi's′amuse (1882). His masterpiece is Lakmé (1883), a highly successful opera indebted to Bizet and memorable for its oriental colour, strong characterization and fine melodies.

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Delibes, Clément Philibert Léo (b St-Germain-du-Val, 21 Feb. 1836, d Paris, 16 Jan. 1891). French composer. He studied under Adam and was commissioned to write part of the score for Saint-Léon's La Source (Paris Opera, 1866). Delibes composed Act II and the first scene of Act III; Minkus composed the rest. In 1867 he contributed to the score for Le Corsaire and in 1870 was commissioned to compose Coppélia (chor. Saint-Léon, Paris Opera, 1870). Influenced by Adam, this score made extensive use of leitmotifs for character and mood but its vivid scene painting was surpassed in his score for Sylvia (chor. Mérante, Paris Opera, 1876) which is renowned for its brilliant and varied orchestration. Tchaikovsky both admired and was influenced by Delibes's ballet music.

Delibes, Léo (1836–91), French composer of opera and ballet. At the Paris Conservatoire Delibes studied composition with Adolphe Adam, whose influence helped him secure the post of accompanist at the Théâtre Lyrique in 1853. In the same year he also took on the post of organist at St Pierre de Chaillot. There then followed a series of operettas, the second of which, Deux vieilles gardes (The Patient) in 1856, was much praised. The ballet La Source (1866) marked a turning point in his career.

Delibes's wealth of melodic invention and assured style suited him for work as a composer of ballet music, the culmination of which was his masterpiece, Coppélia (première Paris Opera, 1870). The work is in three scenes and is based on a fairy tale by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The toymaker, Coppelius, has produced a number of lifelike mechanical dolls which are able to dance. One, Coppélia, is especially beautiful, and for a time it causes jealously between the lovers Swanhilda and Franz. They are eventually reconciled and the story ends happily.

A later work, Sylvia (1876), has been styled as a grand mythological ballet and is based on a drama by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso (1544–95). Delibes's last significant work was the opera Lakmé (1883). Set in mid‐19th‐ century India, it tells of a doomed love story between a British officer and the daughter of a Brahmin priest (Lakmé).

— Tom Higgins

1836-1891.

French composer of melodic orchestral works, such as the ballets Coppélia (1870) and Sylvia (1876).

• Period: Romantic (1820-1869)
• Country: France
• Born: February 21, 1836 in Saint-Germain-du-Val, Sarthe, France
• Died: January 16, 1891 in Paris, France
• Genres: Ballet, Opera, Orchestral Music, Vocal Music

Biography

Léo Delibes was the first notable composer of ballet to emerge after the death of Rameau, the art of ballet composition having suffered a period of neglect in the interim. Delibes was the first to craft a full-length ballet score with the care and distinction already common among the best opera composers; not only could he produce buoyant, memorable tunes, but he delivered them in sparkling orchestrations. He also wrote several operas, of which Lakmé -- which generated one popular aria (the "Bell Song") and a now-ubiquitous duet -- is the best known.

Delibes studied at the Paris Conservatory under Adolphe Adam. In 1853, he became accompanist at the Théâtre-Lyrique, moving to the same position at the prestigious Paris Opéra ten years later. His great success as a composer of music for the theater in the 1870s and early 1880s gained him a professorship in composition at the conservatory in 1881, and membership in the French Institute in 1884.

The French did not place much value on instrumental music during Delibes' youth, so the emerging composer concentrated on light-hearted operettas and farces in the manner of Offenbach. His first opportunity to work on a large ballet score came in 1866, when he collaborated with Ludwig Minkus on La Source. The success of this ballet led eventually to commissions for the two works that would again raise ballet music to its highest level: Coppélia (1870), based on a story of E.T.A. Hoffmann, and Sylvia (1876), based on a mythological theme. The former is still produced regularly; both light, graceful works generated concert suites that, although not as common in the concert hall as they might be, have been frequently recorded.

Meanwhile, Delibes honed his skill as an opera composer. Most notable are his opéra comique Le Roi l'a dit (1873) and his more serious, exotic Lakmé (1883). Delibes's church music (he once worked as an organist) has fallen by the wayside, as have most of his colorful songs, with the exception of Les Filles de Cadiz, which exudes the same Franco-Spanish air as Bizet's Carmen.

His most important work, clearly, was for the stage, particularly those two 90-minute ballet scores. Their significance, beyond their own merits, is the direct influence they had on Tchaikovsky, whose mastery of the symphonic ballet owes everything to Coppélia and Sylvia.

~ James Reel, All Music Guide