A la gloire de Dieu et du Roi: Splendeurs de la musique sacrée sous Louis XIV

Featuring

Jean-Baptiste Robin
Claire Lefilliâtre
François-Nicolas Geslot
Bruno Boterf
Jean-Claude Sarragosse
Jean Tubéry

François Espinasse
Gérard Lesne
Henri Ledroit
Vincent Dumestre
Michel Bouvard
Frédéric Desenclos
Robert Getchell
Hervé Lamy
Alain Buet
Olivier Schneebeli
Chœur de chambre de Namur
Les Agrémens
Ricercar Consort
Le Poème Harmonique
Pages et Chantres de la Chapelle
Nicolas Lebègue
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
François Couperin
Henri Dumont
Michel-Richard de Lalande
Louis Marchand
Jean-François Dandrieu

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Instruments

Four organists shared the task of playing the instrument commissioned by Louis XIV at Versailles, each taking a quarter of the year, with François Couperin and Louis Marchand being among the most famous.

Historical Context

The king's daily office at Versailles included a low mass recited by the priest, while the Musique du Roi performed splendid music in the gallery, typically a grand motet, a petit motet for the Elevation, and the royal anthem Domine salvum fac Regem.

Historical Context

During the reign of Louis XIV (1638-1715), sacred music at the royal court of France took three essential forms: the grand motet, the petit motet, and organ pieces alternating with plainchant.

Cultural Impact

The sacred music of Louis XIV's court, particularly motets by composers like Lully and Charpentier, spread throughout French provinces and influenced German and English composers across Europe.

Cultural Impact

Grands motets from Louis XIV's era remained popular at the Concert Spirituel in Paris from its founding in 1725 until the Revolution, performed alongside newer compositions.

Historical Context

The Royal Chapel at Versailles, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, was completed in 1710 and inaugurated with a magnificent Cliquot-Tribuot organ.

Compositional Technique

The 'pomp' of Versailles, illustrated by Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Te Deum on this recording, involved soloists, a large chorus, and an orchestra with trumpets and timpani.