A son of Philidor l’aîné, François-André Danican Philidor followed parallel careers as a chess virtuoso and as the successful composer of over 21 operas. It was chess that secured him an early livelihood and took him to London. It was there that he died in 1795, having taken temporary refuge from the revolutionaries in France because he was listed among the condemned in spite of his republican sympathies.

Choral Music

Philidor’s choral compositions in England include a setting of Latin texts drawn from Horace’s Carmen saeculare, which was first heard in London in 1779 and generally admired.