Marc-Antoine Charpentier

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"Monsieur Charpentier" from Pierre Landry's Almanach Royale (1682);
probably Marc-Antoine Charpentier

Marc-Antoine Charpentier [maʁk ɑ̃ˈtwan ʃaʁpɑ̃ˈtje] (* around 1643 in Paris ; † February 24, 1704 ibid) was a French composer at the time of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude to his Te Deum , which is now called Fanfare is used for television broadcasts within the framework of Eurovision .

Life

Newly discovered portrait that allegedly could represent Charpentier (forgery not yet ruled out, paper around 1750)

His father and grandfather were high officials at the French court and the Paris Parliament , so a career as an artist was an unusual path for Charpentier. But attracted by Italian paintings, he traveled to Rome in 1665 to study painting. He came into contact with Giacomo Carissimi , the most famous Roman composer at the time, and became his pupil.

In 1670 he got a job with Marie de Lorraine (1615–1688), called Mademoiselle de Guise, who had a famous musician and singer ensemble at her court. In 1672 he followed Molière's request to take the place of Jean-Baptiste Lully in order to design the musical part of his ballet comedies at the théatre français .

After the death of Mademoiselle de Guise in 1688, Charpentier got a job with the Jesuits as maître de chapelle (Kapellmeister) at the Church of Saint Louis and the College of Louis-le-Grand . Despite his best efforts, Charpentier did not get a job with the king, but was often given commissions. From 1698 he got a permanent job as a music teacher for the children of the Sainte Chapelle with a stately home within the palace . He also had to compose music for all festive occasions.

Key scheme "Énergie des modes"

In his music, Charpentier assigned the various keys to specific characteristics or moods, which he called "energy des modes".

key original translation
C major gai & guerrier funny and belligerent
C minor obscur & dreary dark and sad
D major joyeux & très guerrier happy and very belligerent
D minor grave & dévot serious and pious
E major cruel & dur cruel and hard
E minor horrible & affreux horrible and terrible
E flat major querelleux & criard belligerent and screaming
E flat minor efféminé, amoureux & plaintif effeminate, in love and plaintive
F major furieux & emporté angry and quick-tempered
F minor obscur & plaintif gloomy and plaintive
G major doucement joyeux cautiously happy
G minor sérieux & magnifique serious and ostentatious
A major joyeux & champêtre cheerful and rural
A minor tendre & plaintif tender and plaintive
B flat major magnifique & joyeux ostentatious and cheerful
B flat minor obscur & terrible dark and terrible
B major dur & plaintif hard and plaintive
B minor solitaire & mélancolique lonely and melancholy

Work (selection)

His music is based on a mixture of Italian and French style elements. For Molière he composed the interludes between Circé and Andromède . For Molière's conceited sick he composed the extensive prologue and the magnificent ceremony that followed the actual drama, in which the conceited sick person himself was raised to the rank of doctor. A large number of ecclesiastical works, oratorios, masses, psalms, a Magnificat , four Te Deum , of which the prelude of the Te Deum in D major, or its main theme, has been generally known since 1954 as the Eurovision melody, and a number have also been preserved secular works such as operas, divertissements, pastorals and sonatas. It is thanks to Charpentier's meticulous care to have all copies of his works bound and dated that more than three quarters of his works have been preserved for posterity. His legacy comprises 28 handwritten volumes with around 550 works that are cataloged in the Hitchcock directory (abbreviation: H).

Operas

Pastoral

  • Actéon (1684)
  • La couronne de fleurs ( The wreath of flowers ) (1685)
  • La fete de rueil (1685)
  • Il faut rire et chanter: Shepherds' dispute ( one should laugh and sing ) (1685)
  • Le retour de printemps ( The return of spring )
  • Cupid perfido dentr'al mio cor
  • Petite pastoral eglogue de bergers
  • Amor vince ogni cosa
  • Les plaisirs de Versailles (The joys of Versailles) (1680)

Incidental music

Comedies

  • Idylle sur le retour de la santé du roi ( The joy of the king's recovery ) (1686/87)
  • La comtesse d'Escarbagnas (1672)
  • Le médecin malgré lui ( The unwilling doctor ) (1672)
  • Les fâcheux ( The Troublesome ) (1672)
  • L'inconnu ( The Unknown ) (1675)
  • Les amours de Vénus et Adonis (1685)
  • La replique de Amos (1688)

Ballet comedies for Molière's works

Interludes (Intermezzi)

  • Le triomphe des Dames ( The Triumph of the Ladies ) (1676)
  • La pierre philosophale ( The Philosophical Stone ) (1681)
  • Endymion (1681)

Sacred vocal music

  • Te Deum in C major for eight voices (H. 145)
  • Te Deum in D major (H. 146) (the main theme from its prelude is known as the Eurovision melody )
  • Te Deum for four voices (H. 147)
  • Te Deum for four voices (H. 148)
  • Messe de Minuit - This is a parody fair , i.e. H. a mass that contains an already existing melody as cantus firmus . Charpentier relies on a technique that was used as early as the 4th age of the Franco-Flemish (1520–1550). He works several secular cantus firmi into each sentence, which he has taken from Christmas carols ( Noëls ) known at the time .
  • Magnificat
  • Motets
  • Cantatas , e.g. In Nativitatem DNJC Canticum

Instrumental

  • Christmas pieces for 2 violins and organ
  • Sonatas for several violins or flutes and organ
  • Numerous preludes and overtures
  • Instrumental concerts
  • Symphonies

Theoretical works

Eponyms

In 1999 the asteroid (9445) Charpentier was named after him.

literature

Web links

Commons : Marc-Antoine Charpentier  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Audio samples

  • Prelude from the Te Deum from 1692 (as a signature tune of Eurovision)

Sheet music editions

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Catherine Cessac : Marc-Antoine Charpentier. English translation: E. Thomas Glasow. Amadeus Press, Portland 1995, ISBN 0-931340-80-2 , pp. 406f and 524 (Original: Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris 1988).
  2. ^ Henri de Villiers: Marc-Antoine Charpentier: tableau des énergies des modes (French) , accessed on January 5, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Charpentier, Marc-Antoine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French composer
DATE OF BIRTH around 1643
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 1704
Place of death Paris