Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/917

CAM Brumaire, and accepted the office of second consul under him. From this period he became one of the most useful and faithful followers of that great chief, who highly appreciated the character and talents of Cambaceres, and bestowed on him his fullest confidence. When Napoleon became emperor, he elevated Cambaceres to the office of arch-chancellor, with the perpetual presidency of the senate, and bestowed on him the title of duke, with other high honours. His friends allege that he bore his prosperity with great moderation, and that while he remained to the last faithful to the emperor, he endeavoured to dissuade him from the murder of the duke d'Enghien, and other crimes which stain his memory. On the abdication of Napoleon in 1814, Cambaceres withdrew into private life; but on the return of the emperor from Elba, he prevailed upon his old and faithful servant to accept of his former office of minister of justice. After the final overthrow of Napoleon, Cambaceres was banished from France on the ground of his having voted for the death of Louis XVI., and in February, 1816, went to reside at Brussels. But in 1818 he was reinstated in all his civil and political rights, and permitted to return to Paris, where he died in 1824. Cambaceres was courteous in his manners, as well as sagacious and moderate in his views. He was famous for hospitality, and his table was in fact an important state-engine. One of the brothers of Cambaceres became archbishop of Rouen in 1802, was elevated to the dignity of a cardinal in 1803, and in 1815 obtained a seat in the chamber of peers, of which he was deprived on the return of Louis XVIII. He was by no means so faithful as his brother to the fortunes of Napoleon, to whom he was indebted for many marks of favour. Another brother followed the military profession, and attained the rank of general. He took part in the campaigns in Spain and on the Rhine, and fought at Austerlitz and Jena in 1806, and at Lutzen, Bautzen, and Dresden in 1814.—The, uncle of the arch-chancellor—born in 1721; died in 1802—was a celebrated pulpit orator, and is the author of a panegyric on St. Louis, and of three volumes of sermons which have been greatly applauded.—J. T.  * CAMBACERES, J. P. H., Duc de, nephew of the arch-chancellor, was born in 1798. In 1812 he was nominated one of the pages of the emperor, and in 1815 accompanied him as first page in the campaign in Belgium, where he was taken prisoner on June 16th. After the restoration of the Bourbons, Cambaceres enrolled his name in the list of the advocates in the royal court of Paris, and on the death of his uncle in 1824, successfully resisted the attempt of the government to seize his papers. In 1830 he gave in his adhesion to the new dynasty, and in 1835 obtained a seat in the chamber of peers, and was made one of the secretaries of that chamber. In 1852 he was appointed grandmaster of ceremonies to Louis Napoleon, and one of the secretaries of the senate.—J. T.  CAMBERT,, a musician, notable as the first composer of French operas, was born at Paris in 1628, and died in England in 1677. His master for the clavecin was Chamboniére, from whom probably he learned the principles of composition. He held the office of organist at the collegiate church of St. Honoré. He was much patronized by the marquis de Sourdeac, to please whom, and to meet the growing taste for dramatic music in France, he set several dialogues, written for him by the Abbé Perrin. The success of these led to the construction of a work upon the model of Italian operas, that had been introduced in Paris by the Cardinal Mazarin, of which Perrin wrote the words, Cambert composed the music, and Sourdeac designed the decorations; this was entitled "La Pastorale, premiére comédie française en musique," and it was performed at the chateau d'Issy in April, 1659. Various rude attempts had been made in France to combine music with dramatic action, originating with Adam de la Hale in the thirteenth century; but this was the first production that assumed the character of a complete lyric drama. It created so great a sensation that Louis XIV. commanded its performance at Vincennes. Thus encouraged, the same author in 1661 produced "Ariane, ou le Mariage de Bacchus," a work of like construction, which, however, in consequence of the death of Cardinal Mazarin, was not performed. In 1666 Cambert received the appointment of superintendent de musique to the queen-mother. The king about this time granted to Perrin a patent for the performance of French operas, "after the manner of those of Italy, Germany, and England." The poet associated himself once more with Cambert and the marquis, and in fulfilment of his privilege opened the Académie Royale de Musique, June 28, 1669. Here was produced in 1671 "Pomone," and in 1672 "Les Peines et les Plaisirs de l'amour," the two most important of Cambert's compositions. Perrin then quarrelled with Sourdeac, the consequence of which was that his patent was revoked, and another was granted to Lulli. This excluded Cambert and his compositions from the Académie. His more courteous manners than those of Lulli retained friends around him, but the superiority of his rival's talent at once eclipsed the popularity of Cambert's music. Annoyed by the neglect he now experienced, Cambert came in 1673 to England, and, probably in the following year, was engaged to replace Banister as master of the band of Charles II., known by the name of "the four-and-twenty fiddlers." It appears that Cambert reproduced here his opera of "Pomone," and perhaps also gave that of "Ariane;" but under what circumstances these were performed, and whether in French or in English, is not known. The Siege of Rhodes, the earliest English opera, was produced in 1656. This gave rise to a taste for the musical drama in London, which became very general by the time of Cambert's arrival; but the operas then in vogue consisted of spoken dialogue interspersed with music, whereas those performed in Paris were composed entirely of music. It may have been the difference in their construction which rendered the works of Cambert unacceptable here; but whether from this or any other cause they did not succeed, and he is said to have died from disappointment at their failure.—G. A. M.  CAMBESSEDES,, an eminent French botanist of the present century. He has written a monograph of the genus spiræa an account of the plants of the Balearic islands; memoirs on the natural orders of ternstrœmiaceæ, guttiferæ, and sapindaceæ; and a synopsis of the Brazilian plants of the orders cruciferæ, caryophyllaceæ, paronychiaceæ, portulacaceæ, crassulaceæ, ficoideæ, and cunoniaceæ.—J. H. B.  CAMBIASO or CANGIAGIO, or, and called also. This distinguished painter was the son of Giovanni Cambiaso, also an artist, and was born at Moneglia, near Genoa, in 1527. He studied under his father, but soon distanced his preceptor. At the early age of fifteen he had produced works of an extraordinary promise. His rapidity of execution was only equalled by his fertility of invention. He worked with a wonderful facility, and yet with a most remarkable correctness. His power of foreshortening was very great. He visited Florence and Rome, and studied the productions of Raffaelle and Michel Angelo. Cangiagio had three manners of painting. His earliest was daring to extravagance and gigantesque in size; his second was infinitely his best style. These were productions of extreme care, and are very highly esteemed. His third was a return to much of his old hasty execution. He became a hack picture-manufacturer, and painted as much as he could for the benefit of his family—not of art. His most prized works are his "Martyrdom of St. George," his "St. Benedetto," and "St. Giovanni Battista," at Rocchettini, and his "Rape of the Sabines," at Terralba, near Genoa. On the invitation of Philip II. he went to Madrid in 1583, and died there in 1585. He painted the ceiling of the choir in the Escurial. The work represents the assemblage of the blessed, and is of enormous size. His works are very numerous.—W. T.  CAMBINI,, a musician, was born at Leghorn, February 13, 1746, and died in the hospital of Bicêtre at an extreme age. He began to study the violin very young; and though he never became eminent as a soloist, his general knowledge of music induced such admirable style in his performance, that Manfredi, Nardini, and Boccherini, the three most distinguished quartet players of the last century, each chose him to play the viola with him in music of this class. Cambini went in 1763 to Bologna, to study composition under the famous Pardre Martini, with whom he remained till 1766, when he proceeded to Naples. Here he appears to have produced an unsuccessful opera, which was his first introduction into public life. At Naples he formed an attachment with a young lady of his native city, with whom he embarked to return to Leghorn, in order that they might be married; their vessel was, however, captured by a corsair commanded by a Spanish renegade, and they were carried to Barbary and sold for slaves. Cambini was purchased by a Venetian merchant named Zamboni, who gave him his liberty. In 1770 he went to Paris, where he made the acquaintance of Gossec, through whose interest some of his instrumental compositions were publicly 