Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Te Deum

Discussion in 'Classical Music' started by tones, Apr 17, 2004.

  1. tones

    tones compulsive cantater

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    This is simultaneously the best and worst-known classical piece in Europe, best because of the famous prelude with its soaring trumpet line, long used as the Eurovision tune, worst because most folk haven't the faintest idea what comes next. Today's "Discothek im 2" on Swiss Radio featured five relatively recent recordings; here's a link:


    http://www.drs.ch/index.cfm?gbActio...oryNodeID=06DFCF9D-1FD1-11D5-BE010002A507D34A

    I've always been rather fond of it, to the point of having the famous fanfare as our wedding march (it is not often heard in Australia, so I was safe!). Erato's first record was the Te Deum, and this recording became rather famous (relatively speaking) because of two unknown young musicians, an organist called Marie-Claire Alain and a trumpet player called Maurice André. I still have a weakness for this old recording with the mighty André soaring in the stratosphere.

    The Te Deum is a curious mix of intimate and great pomp. Nobody has the faintest idea why it was composed (at the time French court music was dominated by the tyrannical Lully, and Charpentier was somewhat of an outsider). As a result, it may be played in all sorts of styles, and the Discothek certainly produced some. In the end, it came down to two, Marc Minowski's (which I have) and one I hadn't heard, by Concert Spirituel on Naxos, which I must look out for. Bill Christie's also got quite good marks (it has the unusual feature of starting with a drum solo before the high-flying trumpet comes in.

    The Minowski is typical Minowski, high energy, but his Musiciens du Louvre meet the challenge well. The CD also has the charming Messe de Minuit for Christmas, made up of old French Christmas carol melodies.

    The French baroque doesn't get nearly as good a billing as its English and German counterparts, hardly surprising when they have to contend with giants such as Bach, Telemann and Handel. But Charpentier's Te Deum is a reminder that the French composers did produce some very good stuff.
     
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    tones, Apr 17, 2004
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  2. tones

    Rodrigo de Sá This club's crushing bore

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    Oh, baroque French music is marvelous. Grigny, d'Anglebert, the Couperins.

    Thank you for the information.
     
    Rodrigo de Sá, Apr 17, 2004
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  3. tones

    tones compulsive cantater

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    I just knew you'd like the Couperins, RdS! Did you know that several generations of them played the organ at the little church of St. Gervais-St. Protais, just behind the Paris town hall? This church has another unfortunate claim to fame - on Good Friday 1918, it received a direct hit from the German Pariskanone firing at a range of 90 km (this is the gun that the British usually refer to (incorrectly) as "Big Bertha"). 80 people were killed and another 80 injured.

    I like Rameau a lot. However, I find much of the French baroque rather ordinary. Much of it was churned out to order for the endless court functions and entertainment of Louis XIV (crafty old Louis knew that, if he kept all his nobles at Versailles, diverted them with entertainments and set them against each other, rather than against him, he'd have an easier time of it - it just cost rather a lot). And Lully ruled them all with a rod of iron, until the day he banged the rod on his foot and died of the resulting abscess, thus becoming the only person known to have killed himself with a baton.
     
    tones, Apr 19, 2004
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  4. tones

    Rodrigo de Sá This club's crushing bore

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    Dear Tones:

    I knew about St. Gervais, I had forgotten the Pariskanone - or perhaps I never knew it. And - just out of curiosity: shame: why is 'Big Bertha' incorrect?

    The French baroque 'ordinary'? Mmm. I don't think so. There is quite a lot of 'serious' baroque music in 17th Century France. Have you listened to Nicolas de Grigny? His Organ Mass is one of the most impressive organ works ever. Also, Chambonières is rather touching. And, of course, D'Anglebert's harpsichord suites are exquisite.

    It takes some time to really get to this kind of music, because (not Grigny) it can be rather subtle and understated. But it can also be tremendously powerful - the 17th C. was a time of excesses and strong emotions. This is especially true of solo music - for instance, Louis Couperin and the already noted Grigny and also François: his 8ème ordre is stunningly powerful.

    But then I may be biased. There is an excellent little book on How to Bluff your Way into Music. Organists are mentioned twice. First it is said that they are dangerous for the instant expert who should avoid them at all costs :cool: and the other says that in spite of having the most powerful and marvelous instrument at their disposal they usually choose to play from mouldy old books on counterpoint :cool: .

    And, while I am now into harpsichord music, my heart remains an organist's one... I didn't change my avatar... Every time someone is invited chez moi, I bore the pants out of him or her with counterpoint. So it is hopeless. Organists understand each other: the highlight of my week is a two-hour get together with an organist friend; we spend this time sitting at the harpsichord and reading and analyzing partitions - counterpoint, of course...:rolleyes:

    But do not fell too put off by what I say: French baroque music is not that counterpointy (of course, there is Roberday; even I find it boring). It just needs a very subtle approach.


    Edited to add: About Lully; yes, he killed himself with his baton. But batons were different from today's specimens! They were heavy and long sticks; you banged the beat on the floor. It must have been awful: Pang!Da-daa,dadada,da, Pang! daa, daa; daPang!da and so forth... Of course you know this. I just bring it up because I've seen drawings depicting Lully sticking a sharp and small baton into his foot!
     
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    Rodrigo de Sá, Apr 20, 2004
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  5. tones

    tones compulsive cantater

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    Hi, RdS.

    Big Bertha, "Dicke [fat] Bertha" to the German gunners, was a 420mm short-range howitzer designed specifically to smash the fortresses around Liège in Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan to attack and defeat France by invading through neutral Belgium. One looked like this

    http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWbertha.htm

    They succeeded very well, but failed against the much better-built French fortifications defending Verdun.

    The Pariskanone was a gun designed to fire at enormously long range. It was basically a 250 mm naval gun with an enormous cantilevered barrel extension. The actual damage caused to Paris did not justify the cost - the enormous wear on the gun barrels meant very frequent replacement. Even the charges were increased with every shot to compensate for the wear. One can be seen here:

    http://www.vectorsite.net/tarokt4.html

    For some reason, the British gave the name of the howitzer to the Paris gun. Interesting fact - the Paris gun was the first to send a man-made object into what is now generally accepted as space - the shell rose something like 40 Km into the air before descending on Paris and the gunners had to take into account the rotation of the earth and other factors.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2004
    tones, Apr 20, 2004
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  6. tones

    Rodrigo de Sá This club's crushing bore

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    Tones:

    Fascinating. But - excuse my curiosity - how come you know all that?? I just had time to reply to Philip at the Cantata thread and you had two links ready!
     
    Rodrigo de Sá, Apr 20, 2004
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  7. tones

    tones compulsive cantater

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    An apparently endless memory for totally useless information (which may account for why I'm such a bad patent attorney).
     
    tones, Apr 20, 2004
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  8. tones

    Carlithus

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    Hello.
    I am analyzing the prelude of Te Deum and I have a doubt.
    This is a Rondeau (ABACA) and the main tone is D Major (Section with timpani amb trumpets).
    And the sections B and C finishes in A Major. However these sections have more modulations? For example section C to Bminor E Major..
    I hope you can sort out my doubt.
    Thanks.
     
    Carlithus, Nov 16, 2023
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