Jean-François Lalouette, a pupil of Lully, held prominent positions as music director at Rouen Cathedral and Notre-Dame in Versailles before becoming choirmaster at Notre-Dame de Paris.
Composition History
Father François Berthod, a Franciscan friar and diplomat, published 'spiritual airs' between 1656 and 1662, converting popular secular love songs into religious texts for nuns.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Father Berthod's aim in rewriting secular songs was to allow devout persons to enjoy beautiful melodies and cadences by giving to God what had been given to the profane.
Interpretation
The ensemble La Néréide aims to tell stories of women, asserting that a woman who sings carries a voice and exists in a space where feminine voices often struggle for legitimacy.
Album & Artwork
The album's concept, 'Le Cœur et la Raison' (The Heart and the Mind), imagines the life of a young noblewoman in 17th-century France, torn between devotion and passion.
Historical Context
The Maison Royale de Saint-Louis at Saint-Cyr, founded by Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon, was a boarding school for 250 daughters of impoverished nobility, where music was a central part of their education.
Compositional Technique
The 'air sérieux' genre, which evolved from the earlier 'air de cour', often featured an ornamented repetition called a 'double' to showcase the singer's virtuosity.
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