Théodore Lajarte

Théodore Dufaure called de Lajarte, (10 July 1826, Bordeaux – 21 June 1890, Paris aged 63) was an 19th-century French musicologist and librarian.

Lajarte is remembered for his position as archivist to the Paris Opera of which he was the second librarian in 1873, but he also touched on theater. He provided the music for Monsieur de Floridor, one act in two tableaux, lyrics by Nuitter and Tréfeu, performed in 1880 at the Opéra-Comique with Belhomme (Mathurin), Grivot (Floridor) and Mlle Ducasse (Thérèse). In 1886, he gave the Opéra les Jumeaux de Bergame, one-act ballet-pantomime after Florian, by Nuitter and Mérante, with Mlle Subra (Caroline), very well received. His other works include le Secret de l’Oncle Vincent, Mam’selle Pénélope, le Neveu de Gulliver, le Portrait and le Roi de Carreau.

As a musicologist, he left reductions for piano and singing of old French operas and ballets, overall sixty-two books in nine series under the title Chefs-d’œuvre classiques de l’opéra français. Lajarte is buried at Montmartre Cemetery.

Sources

• Théodore Lajarte on Data.bnf.fr
• Albert Lavignac, Lionel de La Laurencie, Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du Conservatoire, vol.3, Paris, C. Delagrave, 1913, (p. 1788–9).