Antoine Bullant

Who was Antoine Bullant?

Antoine Bullant, also Anton Bullandt was a Czech musician and opera composer that worked first in France but primarily in Imperial Russia.

Antoine Bullant is also sometimes referred to as Jean Bullant or Anton Bullandt. However, most current scholarly sources refer to him as Antoine Bullant as all 18th-century printed and manuscript copies of his own works spell the name ‘Bullant’. In Russian his name was also transliterated as Булан, Булант, Буллант and sometimes "trans-transliterated" in other languages as Bulant, Bullanto, Bullault, Bullandt, Bjulan.

The Grove Dictionary of Music describes him as a French composer and bassoonist of Czech origin, born in Amiens, who in 1771 or 1772 settled in Paris, where published four symphonies and some chamber instrumental ensembles.

There is some controversial information that Bullandt came to Russia in 1780, and entered the service in Imperial St Petersburg Theatres in 1783 and was a founder of "St Petersburg Philharmonic Society". Biographical data about him are scarce.