Etienne Nicolas MEHUL

Etienne Nicolas MEHUL was born the 22nd of June 1763 in GIVET, . His father was first butler of the Montmorency Earl then a simple restaurant owner.

Etienne Nicolas received a severe religious instruction done by the teachers of the Recollectines couvent . It was an old blind organist who gave him his first music lessons.

Afterwards, the young man who was very gifted for the musical composition, made so fast progresses that he wasn't long to became famous.

In PARIS, he was the disciple of GLUCK.

We'll remind his works, like :

"PSYCHE", "ANACREON","STRATONICE" "ALONZA et CORA", "EUPHRASINE et CORADIN", "LE JEUNE HENRI" and "JOSEPH", is masterpiece, played at the Comic Opera in 1807.

Also we owe him some patriotics hymnes like :

"LE CHANT DE LA VICTOIRE" and particularly lthe very famous"CHANT DU DEPART", with lyrics of Joseph CHENIER. "The victory singing, open us the gate, the liberty guide ours steps..."

Stanislas MARTOUGEN was born in GIVET the 31 of March 1873. In 1891, he studied at the school of the decorative Arts of PARIS, then the studio of the master Gustave MOREAU, teacher of the painter MATISSE.

MARTOUGEN studied in the studio of MOREAU, his favorite models were LE CORREGE and LEONARD DE VINCI.

We owe him numerous drawings and portraits among his capital works : "LE COMTE OGIER", "LES DAMES DE MEUSE" for the painting and the statue of the philosopher and historian Hyppolite TAINE, for the sculpture.

Charles BRUNEAU was born in GIVET, the 19 of november 1883. Great grammarian, teacher at the university of NANCY during nearly twenty years, we owe him several thesis and works about the local dialectes and especially about the patois of the Ardennes, region he loved.

He also wrote " The Ardennes gave me with two home lands, Belgium and France, with the idol of running waters and large woods, a picturesque vocabulary embellished by the delicate walloon intonations ".

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