2101QCM – Baroque StudiesProf. Peter Roennfeldt

Semester 2, 2015

Week 10Northwestern Europe Part 1 – Versailles

France – a unified absolute monarchy- By c.1600 France had 20 million residents, including 250,000 in Paris - the largest city in Europe- The court was based in Paris through the reign of Louis XIII (d.1643) and the early decades of Louis XIV’s

rule (1643-1714)- During the regency of Louis XIII’s widow Anne of Austria (1643-61), the influence of foreigners such as the

Italian Cardinal Mazarin caused dissent- The political insurrections (Frondes) by the aristocracy during the 1650s inspired Louis XIV to increasingly

centralise power in the monarchy after he attained maturity in 1661 - The concept of ‘divine right of Kings’ was used to reinforce absolute rule, supported by an elaborate

bureaucracy, restrictive protocols and court etiquette -

The Palace (Château) of Versailles- The greatly expanded palace of Versailles became the main location of the royal court from 1682

accommodating c.20,000 courtiers and employees- Designed around the original hunting lodge, it incorporated

o numerous state rooms including the Hall of Mirrors, o living quarters for royalty, aristocracy, servants, soldierso performance areas, though the chapel was only completed in 1710 and the opera house added in 1770

during the reign of Louis XVIo gardens and grand canal replete with mythological symbolism of statues, spectacular fountains and

design symmetry- Outdoor entertainments commenced in 1664 with the Plaisirs de l’Île enchantée, and continued with

occasional theatrical events in the Marble Court such as Alceste in 1674-

The King as arts patron- The imagery of the sun-god Apollo was used as a symbol of absolute power : Le Roi-Soleil (Sun-king) , first

seen when Louis XIV danced this role in Ballet de la Nuit of 1653- Apollo’s functions as god of music, learning, science and the arts further linked the King’s ambitions for

central control, with French culture as a major propaganda tool- Known as a skilled dancer, the King has personal interests in the performing arts but delegated authority to

various royal academies:o Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (1648)o Académie Royale de Danse (1661)o Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1663)o Académie d'Opéra / Académie Royale de Musique (1669) o Académie Royale des sciences (1669)o Académie Royale d'Architecture (1671)

- Each academy governed by leading practitioners who established standards for each artform, but deferred to the King’s wishes and recognised his supremacy in the inclusion of deferential statements in opera libretti etc.

-

Court musical structures- Church music was provided by the Chapelle-Musique:

o led by several sous-maître who alternated terms during the year o choir of up to 60 included boy trebles, castratos, high tenors (haute-contre), baritones and basseso accompanied by organ, string and wind instruments including the cornet and serpent

- Secular music was provided by the Musique de la Chambre:o led by two surintendants who organised and conducted performanceso female and male singers accompanied by luteo harpsichordists for solo music and accompanimentso string ensembles, the Petite Band (21 players) and the 24 Violins du Roi or Grande Bande,

comprising 6 violins, 12 violas in 3 parts, 6 basse de violin – 5 part textures were the norm- Ceremonial music was provided by the Musique de l’Ecurie:

o c.40 players of mostly wind instruments, particularly double reedso trumpeters and timpanists mounted on horsebacko some ‘soft’ instruments such as recorder

- Musicians were designated as either o ‘ordinary’ – regular schedules and daily allowances, serving in one or more departmentso ‘extraordinary’ – augmenting artists for special events, or visiting performers

Courtly dance and ballet- *Ballet de cour was a synthesis of all the arts – poetry, music and painting, structured as a series of entrées

with instrumental dances introduced by vocal sections on the topic of each scene- The tradition of staged spectacles which at times included participation by the royal audiences, and also their

interest in spoken drama prevented Italian opera from achieving success when introduced by Mazarin (Rossi, Cavalli)

- Coming to the King’s notice as a violinist dancing master, the Italian musician *Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-87) became prominent as a composer of dance-based theatrical works during the 1650s

- *Comédie-ballet drew on past French traditions but included a greater vocal component, though spoken dialogue was used rather than sung recitative

- Lully provided incidental music for several plays by Jean-Baptiste Molière during the 1660s, some of which gave greater prominence to instrumental and vocal performance:

o L’amour médecin (1665)o Le bourgeois gentilhomme (1670)

- The Molière relationship gave way to Lully’s political ambitions to take over the Académie d’Opera established by Perrin and Cambert

Case Study No.1 - Jean-Baptiste Lully – Le bourgeois gentilhomme excerpts (Marche des Turcs from Act 3, Menuet and Choeur final form Act 5)

Genre: Comédie-balletPerformance: Theatrical company including several speaking parts, actor-singers of all voice parts, chorus,

orchestra of 5-part strings and doubling winds, large continuo groupInstrumental writing:

Dance forms with limited range and generally simpler homophonic writing5-part texture sometimes alternating with violin duet textures

Text setting: Various character parts requiring comic vocal effects or use foreign languages eg. the TurksSome more extended solos for non-acting singers, particularly in the ‘national’ scenes in Act 5 - Spanish, Italian and French each with local idioms

Form: Strophic air forms in style of dancesSome airs with ‘ritournelle’ instrumental interludesDance forms as stand-alone instrumental movements or alternating with vocal sections

Context: Performed for the court of Louis XIV at the Château de Chambord, later presented in public theatresOne of the final collaborations between Lully and Molière, following the tradition of social satire in caricature of an aspiring middle-class (bourgeois) gentleman Mr. Jourdain who unsuccessfully attempts to take on the social graces of the nobility – by implication it is also a satire on upper class social conventions

Original performers:

Molière’s troupe of actors, possibly accompanied by players from the King’s Chambre

Other recordings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBFigs-fjLs- Marche pour la Cérémonie des Turcs (compressed screen resolution)http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HoYR6A38hg - 5me Entrée including Menuet (1:40) and Choeur Final (5:07) - compressed screen resolutionFully staged performance in 17C theatre with period dance, pronunciation and gestures – higher quality resolution of complete production at:https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKuUqsR4WOY - Marche (2:20:25), Menuet (3:23:50), Choeur final (3:27:17)The march was also used in the 1991 film Tous les matins du monde, available at: http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScyTHuKDCFc

The score is available on IMSLP at:http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a0/IMSLP30656-PMLP05360-LWV43LeBourgeoisGentilhomme.pdf

French opera- After early experiments by Cambert and Perrin which established its potential, Lully’s focus turned to fully

sung opera - *tragédie en musique or tragédie lyrique- To be successful, Lully was aware of the need to retain a large dance component, and also used tragic-heroic

texts by the official librettist Jean-Philippe Quinault which usually included a finale in honour of the gracious but all-powerful King

- Lully’s monopoly ensure that only his operas were performed until his death in 1687, including:o Alceste (1675)o Atys (1676)o Persée (1682)

o Armide (1686)

- The 5-act format was established with the following features:o *Ouverture in two halves, the first majestic with homophonic dotted rhythms, the second being faster

and usually imitative textureso Prologue by solo voices addressing the King and the themes of the drama to followo Récitatif simple – free alternation of time signatures to accommodate French accentuation, syllabic

but with occasional word painting through large intervals and restso Récitatif mesuré – more regularly paced setting of prose and dialogueo Airs – strophic settings of rhymed text, usually in dance rhythmo *Divertissements featuring dancing and choral singing, towards the end of each act, with usually at

least one extended Chaconne o

Case Study No.2 - Lully – Armide – Ouverture, Act II scene 5 NAWM 77

Genre: Tragédie lyriquePerformance: 5-part string orchestra with doubling winds, large continuo group

15 soloists including Armide (soprano), Renaud (haute-contre)Chorus playing various roles such as nymphs, zephyrs, furies, demons, the pleasures etc

Instrumental writing:

French ouverture style with strong dotted rhythms in opening section and light articulate imitative writing in faster section, notes inégales treatment throughoutThe ritournelle for the air is in similar style with sharply accented rhythms by full orchestraThe air and recitative are accompanied only by the continuo group

Text setting: French récitatif simple for the highly passionate text which alternates between duple, triple and quadruple metre to accommodate accentuation of the French languageRhetorical rests for dramatic points, highlight Armide’s inner tension between love (for the enemy Renaud) and dutyAir is phrased regularly in a fast minuet style

Form: French Ouverture – duple stately dotted rhythms / fast triple imitative, brief reprise of openingRécitatif simple - through composed monologue or dialogueAir – minuet style

Context: One of Lully’s last operas produced in Paris in 1686, longtime librettist collaborator QuinaultBased on a story from the Crusades, with themes of human love and duty intertwined with the interventions of the gods – a tragic endingWhile composed in the official style of courtly opera, it was first presented at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in the presence of the Grand Dauphin – due to a recent scandal involving Lully, the King did not attend

Original performers:

Members of the Académie Royale de Musique conducted by Pascal CollasseThe part of Armide was sung by Marie Le Rochois, Renaud by Louis Gaulard Dumesny

Other recordings:

Other recordings:https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkebig1EFRg&list=PL9Kfr1H5- 6H21Vhr694RzviFa2CFDG0yy - Ouverture – from complete recording by La Chapelle Royale conducted by Philippe Herreweghehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ mB90qS_z-U – period staging and instruments, excerpt from documentary film, some sound quality issueshttp ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPSiWmUU4gM – Act II Scene 5Les Arts Florissants, Stephanie d’Oustrac, conductor William Christie, modern production design with period instruments

Music of the royal chapel

- Due to Louis XIV’s preference for a spoken Mass (‘low’ or ‘bas’), the major component of sacred services was a motet, sometimes performed while the priests continued reciting the liturgy

- As with opera, this area of court music was dominated by a single composer, *Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657-1726) who gained a position at the time the court moved to Versailles and eventually took over the entire year’s work

- The most common forms of royal chapel music were:o *Grand motet comprising solo voices, chorus and orchestra, usually in 4-6 sections like a church

cantatao *Petit motet for 1-3 voice and continuo, usually performed in private ceremonieso Te Deum for special occasions such as royal wedding or birth, battle victory or peace treatyo Organ music as an addition or replacement for sung sections of Mass - Louis XIV preferred a spoken

(low) mass, so few complete musical settings exist from this period

Case Study No.3 - Michel-Richard de Lalande – De Profundis openingGenre: Grand motetPerformance: 6-part chorus (SSATBB) (grand choeur), soloists (petit choeur), 5-part string orchestra with

doubling windsForm: Sectional treatment with solos, ensembles and choruses reflecting the layout of the Psalm 129

(130) text, including an imitative final chorusContext: This work was composed for the funeral of Queen Marie-Thérèse in 1683 at the Cathédral

Saint DenisLalande specialised in the grand motet genre, and some of his works continued to be performed at the Concert Spirituel concerts in Paris until 1770 – this work was performed there annually between 1728 and 1741 around All Saints Day

Original performers:

Singers and players of the Chapelle-Musique, which may have included some falsettists, castrati and boy trebles in the upper parts

Other recordings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW5ilV-LNmQChoir of New College Oxford conducted Edward HigginbottomOpening solo and chorus to 4:45

Chamber music- Plucked string and keyboards were the favoured instruments for private entertainments, either in solo

repertoire or as vocal accompaniment to the airs de cour- Lute playing reached a high point with the Gaultier family, whose solo publications and treatises were very

popular – the arpeggiated *style brisé or style luthé was a necessity on this instrument, but was adopted as a standard texture in solo harpsichord repertoire

- Dance music dominated the publications of lute and harpsichord solo repertoire, usually organised as a *suite or *ordre with a series of binary form dances in the same key

- An *unmeasured prelude was common in 17C keyboard suites, a type of written out improvisation with slurs indicating those notes which are harmonically related

- Among the more frequently included dances are:o Allemande – common time, continuous movement within a free-voice texture, style brisé o Courante – triple time, faster than Allemande, frequent use of hemiola at cadence pointso Sarabande – slow triple meter, emphasis on 2nd beat with longer notes / accents / ornamentso Gigue – fast compound meter, leaping intervals, often imitative textureso Gavotte – cut common time, fast with half-bar upbeatso Menuet - moderate triple meter, no upbeats, usually clear 2-bar phrases

- Composers of harpsichord and chamber music at Versailles included:o Denis Gaultier (1603-72)o Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (1601-72)o Louis Couperin (1626-61)o Jean Henry D’Anglebert (1629-91)o Marin Marais (1656-1728)o Elisabeth-Jacquet Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729)o François Couperin (1668-1733)

Case Study No.4 - Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre – Suite No.3 in A minor NAWM 78 a-fGenre: Harpsichord suitePerformance: Solo harpsichord, probably double manual (keyboard)Instrumental writing:

The unmeasured prelude can be played with considerable freedom, observing the phrasings implied by the slursThe lute-like style brisé is evident throughout, particularly in slower tempo dances, while many of the larger chords can also be arpeggiatedThe highly ornamented style is indicated by agréments which provide embellishment for melodic lines but particularly for harmonic / rhythmic accentsThe low range typical of many French harpsichord composers is seen in the final cadences on the low A, and the opening phrases of the Chaconne

Form: Binary form dances except for the Chaconne which is in the style of a RondeauModulations to the relative major or dominant keys occur at the half-way point

Context: Published in Pièces de clavecin in 1687, one of four suitesWhile also used in chamber concerts, primarily intended for trained amateur performers

Original performers:

The composer herself and others at court or in homes of the nobility

Other recordings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbW5EpqOVsoElizabeth Farr, harpsichord – Allemande (2:09) Courante (5:35) Sarabande (10:33) Gigue

(12:46) Chaconne (14:44) Gavotte (18:12) Menuet (19:51)

French baroque performance practice

- Several elements in French baroque music are quite distinct from other national styles- While other countries readily included French elements, France itself remained largely immune to foreign

influences until composers such as Charpentier and F. Couperin introduced genres such as the oratorio, cantata and sonata

- French rhythmic practice is linked to the dance, with a strong awareness of weak-strong emphasis and physical movements of each form

- Subtlety of interpretation is required for *notes inégales whereby stepwise patterns of a single note value are not played strictly in time, usually long-short

- Overdotting arose from the French Ouverture, but can be applied in other situations – often upbeats are shortened

- Ornamentation is less vocal and improvisatory than Italian practice – French practice is more linked to rhythm and harmony, with ornaments applied to cadence points, dissonances and melodic climaxes

- The various signs used for French agréments were published in keyboard collections, but differ between composers – a common principle is to commence trills and other ornaments on the upper note and on the beat

Case Study No.5 - Marin Marais – Chaconne from Pièces de viols Book V

Genre: Solo piece for Viola da gamba (basse de viol)Performance: Viola da gamba, with continuo provided by a second gamba and harpsichord and/or luteInstrumental writing:

Idiomatic for the 7-string viol, with lyrical high range melodies as well as virtuoso passages crossing the entire register and double stops

Form: Variation form on a 4-bar bass pattern, the chaconne is a dance form found also in opera and other genres

Context: Marais was an ‘ordinaire de la chamber du roy pour la viole’ from 1679 until 1725, and was a prominent musician at Versailles working alongside Lully as assistant conductor

His five books of Pièces de viole were published between 1686-1725, comprising dance suites and other pieces popular at court

Original performers:

Probably the composer himself and other ‘ordinaire’ musicians at the court in Versailles

Other recordings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSMuzDRV5NIJosh Cheatham, Julien Léonard, Skip Skempé

Bonus tracks

a) Lalande - Simphonies pour le Soupers du Royhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxyCc6BMd1w

La Simphonie du Marais, conducted Hugo ReyneThis selection comes from a large set of suites for ceremonial usage including dining and processions, composed by Lalande – the video has many images of the palace of Versailles, gardens and fountains

b) Marais – Sonnerie de Sainte Genevièvehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdcDi5_t3-gFrom the collection La gamme et autres morceaux de symphonie 1723, featuring a 1-bar pattern over which is composed a virtuoso set of variations for both violin and viola da gambaChamber ensemble performing in the Royal Chapel at Versailles