Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, born in 1711, was one of the most celebrated French composers of the early 18th century, alongside Jean-Philippe Rameau.
Album & Artwork
The album is a production of the Orfeo Music Foundation Budapest in partnership with the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, a unique institution dedicated to rediscovering and promoting 17th and 18th-century French heritage.
Compositional Technique
Mondonville's contribution to the grand motet genre includes the use of virtuosity across all parts and the empowering of different musical assemblages in relation to each other.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall of Müpa Budapest, Hungary, in November 2015.
Composer Biography
Mondonville began his career as a virtuoso violinist and composer in Paris at the age of 20, after likely receiving his musical training in cathedral choir schools.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mondonville was a versatile composer who skillfully combined French declamatory art with Italian style, incorporating elements like regular phrase structures, harmonic chordal progressions, and strict fugues.
Critical Reception
Despite initial success, Mondonville's motets fell into neglect after his death, being supplanted by works from a new generation of composers.
