Henry Desmarest

Henri Desmarets (or Desmarest) (February 1661 in Paris – September 7, 1741 in Lunéville) was a French composer of the middle Baroque period. He was a child prodigy and sang as a boy soprano in the royal chapel. His opera "Endymion" was staged at Versailles in March, 1682. In 1683, King Louis XIV gave Desmarets a 900-livre pension. In 1696, Demartes' wife died. Three years later, Desmarets took a lover, Marie-Marguerite, and was arrested and sentenced to death for helping her flee a convent.