Malter family

The Malter family, also recorded under the spellings Malterre and Maltaire, was a large French family dynasty associated with dance and theatrical performance. Its members worked as dancers, dance masters, choreographers, ballet masters, and teachers, and several belonged to the Académie royale de danse, the royal institution that helped organize and professionalize dance in France during the ancien régime. The family’s activities extended beyond Paris to the French provinces and, in at least one case, to London. The family is not a modern commercial brand or a single legal organization. Rather, the name identifies a network of performers whose relationships are reconstructed from contemporary documents and later dance histories. Because the family was large and given names recur across generations, historians have cautioned that individual identifications and genealogical links can be difficult. The surviving record nevertheless documents a substantial contribution to French theatrical dance. Among the earliest documented figures were René Malter, Jean-Pierre Malter, Claude Malter, and François-Antoine Malter. Jean-Pierre, who died in 1730, was a dance master and member of the Académie royale de danse. Claude worked as a dance master in Paris, while François-Antoine, whose birth date is uncertain and who died in 1761, was also a dance master and academy member. René Malter, born in 1695 and deceased in 1775, became a prominent member of the academy and was described in the historical record as one of its favored figures. His relatives François-Louis Malter and Jean-Baptiste Malter were active performers in royal ballets and at venues in France and England. The family’s best-documented activities belong to the eighteenth century, when court ballet, the Paris Opéra, provincial theaters, and dance academies provided multiple professional settings. François-Louis Malter, born in 1699 and deceased in 1788, danced in the ballets du Roi and belonged to the Académie royale de danse. Jean-Baptiste Malter, born in 1701 and deceased in 1746, performed notably in Grenoble, Lyon, and London. Sources also describe three dancers connected with René Malter: François-Antoine the elder, nicknamed “la Petite Culotte”; François-Louis the younger, nicknamed “the Devil”; and Jean-Baptiste, sometimes called Malter III and nicknamed “the Bird” or “the Englishman.” The dynasty continued into later eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century theater. François Duval dit Malter, born in 1743, became ballet master of the Paris Opéra. He was the son of the dance master Antoine Duval and Henriette Brigitte Malter and a nephew of earlier Malter dancers. Élisabeth Malter worked as a dancer and ballet mistress, while Jean-François Malter performed in the French provinces. Jean Malter dit Hamoir served as ballet master of the Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes from 1779 to 1781, and Pierre-Conrad Malter was ballet master at the Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique in 1788. The family’s historical importance lies in its representation of dance as a multigenerational profession and in its links to key institutions of French performance culture. The documented members illustrate the movement between court entertainment, academies, opera, provincial stages, and commercial theaters. No continuing corporate entity, consumer offering, website, or current commercial operation is associated with the family name.

The Malter, Malterre, or Maltaire family comprised a number of French dance professionals whose careers span the eighteenth century and extend into the early nineteenth century. Contemporary evidence identifies several family members as dance masters or members of the Académie royale de danse. Later reference works assemble these individuals into a family history while noting that the size of the family and the repetition of first names make some relationships difficult to establish with complete certainty. The earlier generation includes René Malter, Jean-Pierre Malter, Claude Malter, and François-Antoine Malter. Jean-Pierre, who died in 1730, was a dance master and academy member. Claude was active as a dance master in Paris. François-Antoine, who died in 1761, also belonged to the academy and is identified as the brother of Jean-Pierre and Claude. His son René Malter, born in 1695, became a prominent and favored member of the Académie royale de danse and died in 1775. Two further members associated with François-Antoine were François-Louis Malter and Jean-Baptiste Malter. François-Louis, born in 1699, danced in the ballets du Roi and belonged to the academy before his death in 1788. Jean-Baptiste, born in 1701 and deceased in 1746, performed in Grenoble, Lyon, and London. Other accounts distinguish three dancers connected with René Malter: François-Antoine the elder, known by the nickname “la Petite Culotte”; François-Louis the younger, known as “the Devil”; and Jean-Baptiste, also called Malter III and associated with the nicknames “the Bird” and “the Englishman.” These overlapping names are one reason the genealogy requires careful handling. The name remained connected with professional theater later in the century. François Duval dit Malter, born in 1743, became ballet master of the Opéra. He was the son of Antoine Duval, a dance master, and Henriette Brigitte Malter, and is described as a nephew of earlier Malter figures. Élisabeth Malter worked as a dancer and ballet mistress. Jean-François Malter performed in provincial France. Jean Malter dit Hamoir held the position of ballet master at the Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes from 1779 to 1781. Pierre-Conrad Malter was ballet master at the Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique in 1788. Taken together, these careers show how dance families could operate across several layers of eighteenth-century performance culture. Members were connected with the royal academy and court ballets, but they also worked at the Paris Opéra, provincial theaters, and commercial playhouses. Their careers included performance, teaching, choreography, and ballet administration. The family therefore provides an example of the professional networks that supported the development of French theatrical dance before and during the transformation of the French theater system. The Malter family is historical rather than active. There is no documented modern company, product portfolio, corporate headquarters, public listing, or current management structure attached to the name. Its significance is instead genealogical and cultural, resting on the documented participation of several relatives in French and international dance during the eighteenth century.

• 1805

  Death of Jean Malter dit Hamoir

  [1]Malter familyen.wikipedia.org

  Jean Malter dit Hamoir, a theater ballet master, died in 1805.

• 1788

  Pierre-Conrad Malter at the Ambigu-Comique

  [1]Malter familyen.wikipedia.org

  Pierre-Conrad Malter was documented as ballet master at the Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique in 1788.

• 1779

  Jean Malter dit Hamoir becomes ballet master

  [1]Malter familyen.wikipedia.org

  Jean Malter dit Hamoir served as ballet master of the Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes from 1779 to 1781.

• 1761

  Death of François-Antoine Malter

  [1]Malter familyen.wikipedia.org

  François-Antoine Malter, a dance master and academy member associated with the earlier generation of the family, died in 1761.

• 1746

  Death of Jean-Baptiste Malter

  [1]Malter familyen.wikipedia.org

  Jean-Baptiste Malter, a member of the academy who performed in Grenoble, Lyon, and London, died in 1746.

• 1730

  Death of Jean-Pierre Malter

  [1]Malter familyen.wikipedia.org

  Jean-Pierre Malter, identified as a French dance master and member of the Académie royale de danse, died in 1730.

A historical performing-arts dynasty rather than a contemporary commercial brand; associated with French dance education, ballet performance, choreography, and theatrical management.

1. 1Malter familyen.wikipedia.org