1819 he produced his second opera in public, "Le Testament et le Billet-doux," which had no better success than his former essay; but he had still perseverance to write, and interest to bring out "La Bergère Châtelaine" in the following year, "Emma" in 1821, "Leicester, on le Chateau de Kenilworth," in 1822, "Vendôme en Espagne" (an opera he wrote in conjunction with Hèrold) in 1823, and in this year he wrote also "La Neige," which was the first of his works that met with any decided success, and that was ever performed out of his own country. His operas up to this period bear the impression of the all-pervading influence of Rossini's style, which then reigned paramount throughout Europe; but his own peculiar phraseology, and his forms of construction, began to be asserted in the one act opera, "Le Concert à la Cour," given in 1824, and though "Lèocadie," produced in the same year, made no effect, his individuality of thought and expression were decidedly confirmed in "Le Maçon," produced in 1825, and the success of this work surpassed that of all which had preceded it. His reputation stood now so high, that in this year the cross of the Legion of Honour was conferred upon him. In 1826 he brought out "Le Timide," which created no sensation; and he then seems to have purposely reserved himself for more careful application to his first grand opera, "La Muette de Portici," (Masaniello,) his unquestionable masterpiece, which was produced after a lapse of two years at the Academic Royale de Musique in 1828, met with the brilliant success it eminently merits, and immediately spread its composer's fame all over Europe. Critics have in vain sought to detract from the credit of this success, by ascribing it to the dramatic interest of the libretto, and to the sympathy with the story of the political feeling of the moment; but the eminently dramatic music, which certainly could only have been written to illustrate powerful dramatic situations, give vitality to those situations, such as no form of words could impart; and the revolutionary Spirit of the time could neither have made a bad opera successful, nor maintained the entire work upon the stage of every country, and its countless melodies in universal popularity all over the world, for all these years after the political agitation that was then ripening had come to its crisis, subsided, and been followed by another, still more violent, which also now belongs to the past. Public honours now accumulated upon Auber, he being elected membre de l'Academie des Beaux Art de l'Institut in 1829. "La Muette" was followed in this year by "La Fiancèe," and that by "Fra Diavolo" in 1830, which is perhaps to be ranked as second of his great successes. "Philtre," "Le Dieu et la Bayadère," and "Le Serment," were the next that followed; and "Gustave III." his second grand opera, was produced at the Academie in 1833, and transplanted at once to London. "Lestocq," "Le Cheval de Bronze," "L'Ambassadrice," "Le Chaperon brun," and "Le Domino Noir" followed; then "Le Lac des Fèes," the third grand opera. After this came "Les Diamans de la Couronne," "Zanetta," "Actèon," "La Part du Diable." On the death of Cherubini in 1842, Auber was appointed to succeed him in the direction of the Conservatoire. Whatever duties this important office in the famous French musical academy may have brought upon him, they did not relax his industry as a composer, for he continued to write a new opera on an average once a year, and with such certainty of attraction to the theatre, that he was able to make his condition for the first performance of a work, that it should be played at least forty times, and so he secured success and remuneration. "Le Duc d'Olonne," "La Sirène," "La Barcarole," and "Haydèe," were the next fruits of his fertility; "L'Enfant Prodigue," the fourth grand opera, was produced at the beginning of 1850, and "Zerline, ou la Corbeille d'Oranges" (written also in the same form, that is, with recitative instead of spoken dialogues, for Mademoiselle Alboni), in the year following. Subsequently to this period he produced "Marco Spada," "Jenny Bell," and, last of all, the additions to "Fra Diavolo" for the Italian version, given for the first time at the Lyceum theatre in July, 1857. Auber, with all his success and with all his merit, cannot be classed as a great musician, because of a want of profundity in his works, resulting, perhaps, rather from his temperament as a man, than from his defective qualification as an artist. His genius was especially dramatic, and it is in the most exciting dramatic situations, such as that of the dumb girl watching the marriage of her lover, of her revealing herself to him and his bride, of her protecting them from the insurgents, in "La Muette," and of the duet between the king and Amelia, and of the one between Aukastrom and his wife, in "Gustave," that it asserts itself to the best advantage; but he had also an infinite power of vivacity, as is amply proved in "Fra Diavolo," "Le Domino Noir," and many other of his comic operas. His melodies, of which he produced more than perhaps any composer that ever existed, are irresistibly striking, essentially individual, piquant, pretty, tender, but rarely, if ever, pathetic, and never grand; the feeling they embody is intense, but never deep. His habit of making repeated rhythmical closes, instead of giving continuous development to an idea, imparts an air of triviality to his longer pieces, that nothing but their ceaseless fluency and constant animation could counterbalance. His instrumentation, the colouring of music, is perhaps that branch of the art in which he was most consummately a master; brilliant, sparkling, rich, and clear to transparency; his method of treating the orchestra alone is sufficient to make him a valuable study. He entered public life at the advanced age of twenty-nine, and was for many years one of the most generally popular composers throughout the world. The late commencement of his career, and, very much more, the peculiar character of his productions, make a remarkable analogy between his genius in music and that of Walter Scott in letters, and the more closely this comparison is traced, the more distinctly will it prove itself in the nature of their several works, and in the effect these have made upon the world. Auber died May 13, 1871—(Fètis, Conversations Lexicon, and original sources.)—G. A. M.
AUBERNON, Phillip, a French commissary officer, who filled important offices throughout the times of the republic, the consulate, and the empire; died in 1832.
AUBERT, bishop of Cambray and Arras from 633 to 668.
AUBERT, bishop of Avranches in the first half of the eighth century. Conformably to a vision with which he was favoured, he founded a monastery on the rock called Mont de la Tombe. It was a famous resort of the pious in the eleventh and twelfth centuries—J. S., G.
AUBERT, Augustin, a modern French painter of considerable merit. He was a pupil of Peyron, resided and worked in Marseilles. Born in 1781; died in 1832.
AUBERT, Augustin, a French artist, was born in 1781, died in 1832.
AUBERT, Esprit, a French author of the seventeenth century, a native of Avignon.
AUBERT, Father, a French jesuit of the last century, who wrote on the tidal phenomena presented by a well near Brest.
AUBERT, François, a French author of the last century, who wrote on the "soul of animals."
AUBERT or GAUBERT DE PIUCIBOT, a French troubadour, died about the year 1263. He is called also Le Moine de Piucibot, on account of his having passed the earlier part of his life among the Benedictines of that district.
AUBERT, Guillaume, a French jurist of the sixteenth century, who wrote a history of the first crusade.
AUBERT, Hubert François, a lawyer of Nancy in France, who lived in the last century, and wrote a memoir of Stanislaus, king of Poland.
AUBERT, Jacques, a French physician, who flourished in the sixteenth century, and wrote on the origin of metals, on the plague, on the diagnosis of diseases, besides a commentary upon the "Physics" of Aristotle.
AUBERT, Jean Louis (l'Abbé), a French critic, was born in 1731, became professor of French literature at the Royal college, and chief editor of the "Gazette de France," and was subsequently appointed "royal censor." As a writer of fables, he was considered by Voltaire equal to Lafontaine,—a tribute with which he was by no means contented. He distinguished himself also as a poet and a reviewer, in which latter capacity he was dreaded by many of his contemporaries. His works were published at Paris in 1774. He died in 1813.
AUBERT, Michel, a French engraver of the last century.
AUBERT, Pierre, a French historian of the seventeenth century, who wrote a chronicle of the kings of France.
AUBERT de la Chesnaye des Bois, a French capuchin, born 1699, died 1784, author of a "Dictionary of the Nobility, containing the Genealogy of the noble families of France," Paris, 1770-1786, 15 vols. 4to. The three last volumes are extremely scarce, having for the most part been destroyed at the Revolution.
AUBERT DE VITRY, François Jean Philibert, was born
