Jean-Joseph Mouret was a French composer of the Baroque era who was also known for his excellent singing voice and charming personality. He was the first composer to use comedy in opera with his Les fêtes, ou Le triomphe de Thalie, from 1714. Mouret was born in Avignon in 1682, and his father was a successful silk merchant and amateur violinist. The details regarding his education are unknown, but based on his family's wealth, we can safely assume that he had a very good education. He likely studied at the Avignon Cathedral, which was an important regional church and school at the time. By 1707 he was living in Paris, and he accepted his first professional appointment as the master of music for the Marshal of Noailles. The following year, Mouret became the superintendent of music in Sceaux by invitation of the Duke of Maine. In this capacity, he composed operas and interludes, and for the Duchess' popular "Grandes Nuits" performance series that she hosted from 1714 to 1715, he composed allegorical cantatas in the courtly "masque" tradition. His shining personality kept him among the most exclusive patrons and performers. As a composer, Mouret had a natural inclination for lighthearted and comedic topics, which brought both controversy and success. While he was the orchestra director at the Paris Opera (from 1714 to 1718) he conducted the premiere performance of his opéra-ballet Les fêtes, ou Le triomphe de Thalie in August 1714. In a time dominated by stories of the epic Greek tragedies and romances, Mouret's introduction of comedy into opera proved to be a scandalous innovation. However, librettist Joseph de la Font took the blame and rewrote the libretto for a later edition entitled La Provençale, which was very popular and widely performed until the 1770s. Mouret began composing divertissements for the Comédie-Française in 1716, and in 1717 he was appointed composer and director of the Comédie-Italienne. Three years later, he became an ordinaire du Roy as a singer in the king's chamber, in addition to his appointments at the Comédie-Italienne and in Sceaux. Beginning in 1728, he started working with Pierre Simard as artistic director of the Concerts Spirituel, which was one of the very first public concert performance series. This provided Mouret with an important public outlet for his own compositions, which also contributed to his success and reputation. In 1730, the Concerts Spirituel had numerous financial and legal problems that deeply affected him, and eventually led to his resignation in 1734. Two years later, following the death of the Duke of Maine, Mouret lost his position in Sceaux, and he also lost his appointment at the Comédie-Italienne in 1737. After he lost every source of income, he began suffering from problems with his mental health and was consumed with jealousy over Rameau's success as a composer. Mouret passed away in 1738 at the Frères de la Charité asylum in Charenton-Saint-Maurice. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi