Antoine Houdar de La Motte

Antoine Houdar de la Motte (18 January 167226 December 1731) was a French writer.

De la Motte was born and died in Paris. In 1693 his comedy, Les Originaux (Les originaux, ou, l'Italien), was a complete failure, and so depressed the author that he contemplated joining the Trappists. Four years later he began writing texts for operas and ballets, e.g. L'Europe galante (1697), and tragedies, one of which, Inès de Castro (1723), was an immense success at the Theâtre Français. He was a champion of the moderns in the revived controversy of the ancients and moderns. His Fables nouvelles (1719) was regarded as a modernist manifesto. Anne Dacier had published (1711) a translation of the Iliad, and La Motte, who knew no Greek, made a translation (1714) in verse founded on her work.

He said of his own work: "I have taken the liberty to change what I thought disagreeable in it." He defended the moderns in the Discours sur Homère prefixed to his translation, and in his Réflexions sur la critique (1716). Apart from the merits of the controversy, it was conducted on La Motte's side with a wit and politeness which compared very favourably with his opponents' methods. He was elected to the Académie Française in 1710, but soon afterwards went blind. La Motte carried on a correspondence with the duchesse du Maine, and was the friend of Fontenelle. He had the same freedom from prejudice and the same inquiring mind as the latter, and it is on the excellent prose in which his views are expressed that his reputation rests.

His Œuvres du theâtre (2 vols.) appeared in 1730, and his Œuvres (10 vols.) in 1754. See , Histoire de la querelle des anciens et des modernes (1859).

Poetry

1701: Le Premier livre de l'Iliade, translated into French verse 1707: Églogue sur la naissance de Mgr le duc de Bretagne Odes 1707: Odes avec un Discours sur la poésie en général, et sur l'ode en particulier, (several latter editions) 1712: Le Deuil de la France, ode 1712: Le Souverain, ode 1716: Ode sur la mort de Louis le Grand, ode 1720: La critique, ode Fables 1714: Le Cygne, fable allegorique 1719: Fables nouvelles, Paris, (several latter editions) 1720: L'Indien et le soleil

Critics

1714: Discours sur Homère 1715: Réflexions sur la critique, Paris, G. Du Puis 1719: Discours sur la fable, Paris, Grégoire Dupuis 1754: Discours sur la poésie, Paris, Prault l'aîné 1754: Discours sur la tragédie, Paris, Prault l'aîné 1730: Suite des Réflexions sur la tragédie

Theatre

1693: Les Originaux ou l'Italien, three-act comedy, music by M. de Masse, presented at théâtre de l'Hôtel de Bourgogne, 13 August 1697: Issé, pastorale héroïque in 3 acts with prologue, présented at Château de Fontainebleau 7 October 1697: L'Europe galante, opéra-ballet in 4 acts and a prologue, music by André Campra, given at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 24 October 1699: Amadis de Grèce, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts and a prologue, music by André Cardinal Destouches, given 25 March (Académie royale de musique) 1699: Marthésie, première reine des Amazones, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts and one prologue, music by André Cardinal Destouches, presented at Château de Fontainebleau 11 October 1700: Le Triomphe des arts, opéra-ballet in 5 acts, music by Michel de La Barre, presented at théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 16 May 1700: Canente, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts and one prologue, music by Pascal Collasse and Antoine Dauvergne, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 4 November 1701: Les Trois Gascons, comédie avec divertissements in 1 act, with Nicolas Boindin, music by Giuseppe Maria Cambini and Nicolas Racot de Grandval, dit Grandval le Père, presented at Comédie-Française 4 June 1701: Omphale, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts and one prologue, music by André Cardinal Destouches, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 10 November 1702: La Matrone d'Éphèse, comedy in 1 act and in prose, presented at Comédie-Française 23 September 1703: Le Carnaval et la folie, comédie-ballet in 4 acts and one prologue, music by André Cardinal Destouches, presented at Château de Fontainebleau 3 January 1704: Le Port de mer, comedy in 1 act and in prose, with Nicolas Boindin, music by Nicolas Racot de Grandval, called Grandval le Père, presented at Comédie-Française 27 May 1705: La Vénitienne, opéra-ballet in one prologue and 3 acts, music by Michel de La Barre, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 26 May. This same text was later set by Antoine Dauvergne, Académie royale de musique, 6 May 1768 1709: Sémélé, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts, music by Marin Marais, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 9 April 1715: La Ceinture de Vénus, tableau dramatique, music by Jean-Joseph Mouret, presented at Château de Sceaux 19 April 1706: Alcione, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts and a prologue, music by Marin Marais, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique), 18 February 1715: Apollon et les muses, tableau dramatique, music by Jean-Joseph Mouret, presented at Château de Sceaux 19 April 1716: L'Amante difficile ou l'amant constant, comedy in 5 acts and in prose, with Pierre Rémond de Sainte-Albine, presented at Théâtre de l'Hôtel de Bourgogne 17 October 1721: Les Macchabées, tragedy in 5 acts and in verse, presented à la Comédie-Française 6 March 1722: Romulus, tragedy in 5 acts and in verse, presented at Comédie-Française 8 January 1723: Inès de Castro, tragedy in 5 acts and in verse, presented at Comédie-Française 6 April 1726: Œdipe, tragedy in 5 acts and in verse, presented at Comédie-Française 18 March 1730: Dalcyone, opera, presented in September 1731: L'Italie galante ou les contes, comedy in one prologue and 3 parts (Le Talisman, Richard Minutolo, Le Magnifique), presented at Comédie-Française 11 May 1731: L'Amante difficile, divertissement in 5 acts and in prose, music by Jean-Joseph Mouret, presented at Théâtre de l'Hôtel de Bourgogne 23 August 1735: Scanderberg, tragédie lyrique in 5 acts and a prologue, with Jean-Louis-Ignace de La Serre, music by François Francœur and François Rebel, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 25 October 1748: Pygmalion, ballet, reworked by Ballot de Sauvot, music by Jean-Philippe Rameau, presented at Château de Fontainebleau 27 August 1753: Prométhée, prologue in verse, presented in Paris 9 January 1753: Titon et l'Aurore, pastorale héroïque in 3 acts, with Claude-Henri de Fusée de Voisenon and Abbé de La Marre, music by Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, presented at Théâtre du Palais-Royal (Académie royale de musique) 9 January 1753: Le Magnifique, comedy in 2 acts and one prologue with three intermèdes, presented at château de Fontainebleau 15 November Le Ballet des fées, ballet Le Calendrier des vieillards, comedy in 1 act and in prose Climène, pastorale in 1 act and in verse Les Âges, opéra-ballet in 4 acts and one prologue