Vogüé, Eugène Marie Melchior, vicomte de, 1848-1910, French critic. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War and was imprisoned for six months at Magdeburg. He served (1876-82) in the embassy at St. Petersburg and became interested in Russian literature. Preferring romanticism to naturalism, Vogüé wrote a series of essays, Le Roman russe (1886, tr. The Russian Novel, 1913), which introduced Russian novelists to France and had a wide influence on French literary thought.

Polignac, Melchior de, 1661-1742, French diplomat, churchman, and author, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. As ambassador to Poland he directed (1697) the unsuccessful candidacy of François Louis de Conti for the Polish crown. He was one of the negotiators of the Peace of Utrecht (1713-14). After being in disgrace during the regency of Philippe II d'Orléans, he served as ambassador to the Holy See. His Anti-Lucretius (1745, in Latin; tr. 1757) is a philosophical poem attacking materialism from the Cartesian viewpoint.

Mühlenberg, Heinrich Melchior, 1711-87, American Lutheran clergyman, b. Germany, educated at Göttingen and at Halle. He arrived (1742) in Pennsylvania to serve as pastor of several congregations in and near Philadelphia, but he soon became the leader of all the Lutheran groups in the colonies. Often called the patriarch of Lutheranism in America, he organized (1748) the first Lutheran synod in the country.

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, 1746-1807, American clergyman, Revolutionary officer, and legislator, eldest son of Heinrich, was born in Trappe, Pa., and studied at Halle. Although he was raised a Lutheran and studied for the Lutheran ministry, he was ordained an Episcopalian to insure his legal status as a clergyman in Woodstock, Va. In 1776 he left his church in Woodstock to raise and lead a regiment in the American Revolution. Throughout the war he served with distinction, retiring (1783) as brevet major general. He entered political life in Pennsylvania and served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, 1750-1801, Lutheran clergyman and legislator, second son of Heinrich, also was born at Trappe, Pa., and educated at Halle. He was pastor of various churches in Pennsylvania and pastor (1773-76) of Christ (Lutheran) Church, New York City. Because of his sympathies with the Revolutionary cause, he left New York City (then under British occupation) and returned to Pennsylvania. Muhlenberg was a delegate (1779-80) to the Continental Congress and a member (1789-97) of the House of Representatives, twice serving as speaker. He cast the decisive vote on the appropriations bill that ensured the ratification of Jay's Treaty.

Melchior, Lauritz, 1890-1973, Danish heroic tenor. He made his debut in Copenhagen in 1913, singing a baritone role in I Pagliacci, and sang regularly at the Bayreuth Festivals from 1925 to 1931. In addition to possessing a great voice, Melchior was an exciting actor. He was the leading Wagnerian tenor at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, from 1926 to 1950, singing over 1,000 performances. Although he confined his career at the Metropolitan to Wagnerian roles, he did appear successfully in Europe as the leading tenor in Verdi's Otello and Aïda.

Melchior: see Wise Men of the East.

Klesl or Khlesl, Melchior, 1552-1630, Austrian politician, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. The son of a Protestant baker, he was converted to Catholicism by the Jesuits and became chancellor of the Univ. of Vienna. Made (1581) an official of the bishop of Passau and then (1598) bishop of Vienna, he led the campaign to drive Protestantism from Lower Austria. Later, however, as adviser to Archduke (after 1612, Holy Roman Emperor) Matthias, he concluded that only a policy of compromise would preserve intact the Hapsburg domains. In 1615 he was created cardinal. Archduke Ferdinand (later Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II), attributing the emperor's delay in putting down the Prague insurrection (the prelude to the Thirty Years War) to Klesl's influence, had him imprisoned (1618). Later released (1622) and transferred to Rome, he returned to Vienna as bishop in 1627.

Khlesl, Melchior: see Klesl, Melchior.

Hondecoeter, Melchior d', 1636-95, Dutch animal painter. His grandfather, Gillis d'Hondecoeter (d. 1638) and his father, Gysbert d'Hondecoeter (1604-1653), were landscape and animal painters. After four years at The Hague, where he painted The Menagerie of William III at Loo, Melchior settled in Amsterdam. He painted all forms of animal life, but is best known for his depiction of birds and fowl, in which he has few equals. Representative works, executed in a smooth, precise style, include the Dead Cock (Brussels) and The Floating Feather (Amsterdam).

Grimm, Friedrich Melchior, Baron, 1723-1807, German man of letters in France. He contributed to the Encyclopédie articles on music that were belligerently partial to Italian opera buffa. His Correspondance littéraire (1st complete ed. 1829-30) is an important source for the study of the Enlightenment.

Broederlam, Melchior, active c.1381-1409, Franco-Flemish painter. Broederlam was among the first practitioners of the International Gothic style (see Gothic architecture and art). He was court painter after 1387 to Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy. Broederlam attempted to place figures in perspective, as in his panels for Baerze's Retable (Musée de la Ville, Dijon).