Born in Aix-en-Provence as son of a surgeon, he joined the church choir aged 14
and went on to ecclesiastical studies four years later. In 1681, Campra left his
home town to become maître de chapelle in Arles, then moved on to Toulouse
where he became maître de musique at St Etienne in 1683. During that time
in Toulouse we have the first evidence of him composing. In 1694 he was given
leave to go to Paris from where he didn't return.
Instead, he became maître de musique at Notre Dame. During the following years he must have had a couple of other jobs at other churches in Paris and began to compose profane music, but the moralist Mme de Maintenon, mistress of Louis XIV, had soured the climate for stage performances: his first opéra-ballets and divertissements were published anonymously.
When the King died, however, the protection of the Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, secured Campra chief positions in the service of various princes and at the Chapelle Royale. Between 1700 and 1720, he composed a number of successful operatic works. In 1735, at the age of 75, he began to retire and died in 1744, respectable 84 years old, in relative poverty.
In contrast to Lully's tragédie lyrique, Campra developed the stage genre of opéra-ballet, which is, as the name implies, more lively and amusing. Campra himself said they were a mixture of French delicatesse and Italian vivacité. Similar can be said of his divertissements. He liked decoration so much that he was accused of drowning the subject in it.
Me being given to lively, dance-like music, there's no need to elaborate on why I like Campra's music. I know a recording of some Cantates (the discographic details elude me), and his opera Tancrède but was unable to find Les Festes Vénitiennes. If you know of a recording, please let me know!
There are some pieces from Les Festes Venitiennes in the MIDI archive.