Chevalier de Meude-Monpas
Meude-Monpas was born in Paris and studied violin with , and composition with Giroust, but later he pretended to be one of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's pupils because he shared the man's opinions and purported to be extremely sensitive. In 1786 Meude-Monpas published six concertos for violin, with 2 violins, viola, double bass, 2 oboes and 2 horns. Like many other members of the court, he left the country during the French Revolution and served for a time in a corps under the orders of the Prince de Condé. Later, Mme de Genlis met him in Berlin where he was writing and publishing poetry. She gave the poetry a bad review, an opinion shared by Framery, who criticized it as ignorant and absurd in the Mercure de France (ann. 1788, n.26). On May 5, 1790, Meude-Monpas had an impromptu published in which he suggested that the Duke of Aiguillon had dressed as a woman to take part in the Women's March on Versailles (this was a preexisting legend) : "We have been transported to miraculous times. / While d'Aiguil ... disguises himself as a woman, / Antoinette becomes a brave man, / Worthy of honouring the noble blood of the House of Guise." Meude-Monpas denied that he had been referring to the duke and on May 23, the Marquis de Condorcet's "Chronique de Paris" jeered at him and reminded the public that Meude-Monpas was a self-styled "chevalier" - in fact the son of a master goldsmith in Paris, a Mr. Josse "who would be amazed to see his youngest son has become a gentleman-servant and a chevalier (knight) in spite of his ancestors, and the Don Quixote of dukes, marquis and counts, his noble peers and friends. "
An article by Camille Pelletan in Georges Clemenceau's newspaper "La Justice" published on April 29, 1889, describes a counter-revolutionary newspaper called "Le petit Gautier" or, more officially, "Le Journal de la cour et de la ville". François Jourgniac de Saint-Méard (1745-1827) and Jean-Olivier de Meude-Moupas were notable contributors. Meude-Monpas was known as a staunch supporter of Louis XVI and had a public reputation. Nearly a century later, he became a character in a play by Edmond de Goncourt, "La Patrie en Danger", drame en cinq actes, en prose, premiered on March 19, 1889 at the Théâtre Libre, salle des Menus-Plaisirs. (see "Journal des débats politiques et littéraires", March 19, 1889). Meude-Monpas is mentioned in François-Joseph Fétis's "Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique". The author notes that Meude-Monpas was a "black musketeer" (which means that he belonged to a company riding black horses, not to the other company having grey ones). One of his concerti was recorded by Rachel Barton Pine – Cedille Records, 1997: CDR 90000 035.
A recording of his Concerto in D (1876) was included as part of a compilation of violin concertos of 18th and 19th century French composers in 1998.
Music career
Meude-Monpas was otherwise known as J.J.O. de Meude-Monpas (possibly Josse Jean-Olivier).