Esménard, Joseph-Alphonse
(1770–1811)> LIBRETTIST
Esménard, Joseph-Alphonse (1770, Pélissane; 25 June 1811, Naples), librettist, went to school in Marseille and left France to travel to the Indies before writing his first libretto about the Incas. His literary ambitions were thwarted by the outbreak of the Revolution, when he was delegated by his compatriots to journey to Paris to celebrate the Federation of 1790. After becoming involved in politics in the capital, he felt threatened and fled to London in the summer of 1792. He wandered around…