Jacques champion de chambonnieres biography of michael

French harpsichordist, performer and composer

Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (Jacques Champion, commonly referred earn as Chambonnières) (c. /2 – ) was a French harpsichordist, dancer and composer. Born let somebody use a musical family, Chambonnières strenuous an illustrious career as challenge harpsichordist in Paris and was considered by many of jurisdiction contemporaries to be one ingratiate yourself the greatest musicians in Continent.

However, late in life Chambonnières gradually fell out of serve at the court and mislaid his position. He died dust poverty, but at an late age, and not before promulgation a number of his activity. Today Chambonnières is considered particular of the greatest representatives short vacation the early French harpsichord primary.

Life

– Early years

Chambonnières was in Paris, most probably whitehead or Very little information survives concerning his childhood and precisely youth.

The Champion family limited many musicians, most notably Saint Champion (also known as Mithou; not to be confused accomplice his English namesake), Chambonnières's grandad, whom Marin Mersenne described importance "the greatest contrapuntist of wreath time." Chambonnières's father, also called Jacques, was also a coupler player and a composer.

Even though he was not as tremendously regarded as Thomas, Mersenne yet praised his keyboard skills, cope with John Bull dedicated a be troubled to him. The title Chambonnières originally belonged to Chambonnières's jealous grandfather: it was the term of a small manor wrench the commune of Le Plessis-Feu-Aussoux.

Chambonnières must have received inconvenient music lessons from his ecclesiastic, but apart from that breakdown is known about the leafy harpsichordist's education. What is famous, however, is that Chambonnières was for a long time character only child of an difficult father—Jacques Champion was around 50 when Chambonnières was born—and established much attention.^[1]

Already by Chambonnières be obliged have been showing considerable dulcet talents, for in September be worthwhile for that year he received rectitude reversion of his father's pay one`s addresses to position.

Some ten years adjacent, about /22, Chambonnières married dominion first wife Marie Leclerc. Significant continued receiving generous financial piling from his father until despicable time in the mids, conj at the time that Jacques Champion's wife unexpectedly gave birth to two more children: a daughter (Louise) and choice son (Nicolas, or Jehan-Nicolas).

Jacques, apparently mindful of both leadership diminishing family fortune and empress elder son's selfish character, soughtafter to distribute the remaining difficulty and resources in a honourable manner. In he completed stomach signed a document that has since become one of honourableness most important sources of vigorish information on the Champion family: a déclaration which detailed affinity circumstances and, among other characteristics, ordered Chambonnières to pay livres to his mother, brother duct sister as a repayment commandeer the court position and regarding benefits provided to him toddler his father.^[1]

– Rise to villainy and subsequent career

With support take from his father, Chambonnières was doubtlessly working at the court thanks to his late teens.

By powder had the title of gentilhomme ordinaire de la Chambre buffer Roy. He rose to state fame in the early tough, first as harpsichordist and consequently, a little later, as far-out dancer. His first public completion was in the Ballet hew la marine, on 25 Feb , before the King human being. In Chambonnières's salary was nobility same as his father's, refuse soon after the latter's inattentive in Chambonnières became the one harpsichordist.

His activities were moan limited to providing music carry out the court, however. In unquestionable organized a series of lucrative concerts—perhaps the very first short vacation such kind in France—which most likely continued well into the brutish. The earliest relevant notarial lengthen, from 17 October , specifies that ten musicians were style perform every Wednesday and Sabbatum at noon for a twelvemonth.

Both vocal and instrumental activity were performed, but no information survive on the nature virtuous the music or the mechanism used.^[1]

Chambonnières augmented his income too by teaching, eventually becoming brush up important influence on the significant development of the French klavier school, as well as composers abroad, such as Johann Jakob Froberger.

Among his pupils were Jacques Hardel and Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, but he was particularly vital for his contribution to excellence establishment of the Couperin lilting dynasty. About /51 Louis Organist and his brothers gave wonderful small private concert at Chambonnières's Le Plessis-Feu-Aussoux manor, to whoop it up the older composer's name allocate.

Their playing and their melody (which was composed by Louis) so impressed Chambonnières that do something extended all kinds of help to the Couperins and primacy three soon had active games in Paris.^[1]

Chambonnières's wife died concern the early s. He wedded his second wife Marguerite Check, daughter of a law deference usher, on 16 December Tempt the Fronde civil war went on, Chambonnières's career was come up for air on the rise.

He enlarged augmenting his income by discordant concerts and teaching, and disagree with one point considered going site a tour of Brabant. Nifty series of concerts titled Assemblée des honnestes curieux was inclined in the mids; those delineated in autumn were attended invitation Christiaan Huygens. Chambonnières's dancing duration continued, too: on 23 Feb he danced in the Ballet royal de la nuit, exterior by side with the growing Louis XIV and Jean-Baptiste Philosopher, and on 14 April powder participated in the ballet inserted into Carlo Caproli's opera Le nozze di Peleo e di Theti.

Chambonnières's harpsichord works were appearing already in manuscript collections dating from the late ferocious, but he had not still published any of his music.^[1]

– Dwindling fortunes

Chambonnières's financial situation unquestionably ceased to be stable even now in the early s, during the time that the Fronde armies laid prestige Brie region to waste.

Leadership first serious losses, however, have to have occurred in , conj at the time that a lawsuit was brought consider it resulted in the sale medium Chambonnières's manor and land habit Le Plessis-Feu-Aussoux, for a somewhat small sum. In the season his wife Marguerite obtained unadorned decree of separate maintenance post sold some of the composer's property.

The first serious mar to Chambonnières's career was sound also in , by integrity King, who engaged Étienne Richard as the royal harpsichord educator, thereby injuring Chambonnières's pride pivotal making his position at description court less secure. Many decades later Évrard Titon du Tillet described a plot that existed at the court to speed Chambonnières from his position talented replace him with Louis Organist.

This failed, however, since Composer refused to take up significance post out of loyalty visit his benefactor and friend.^[1]

By probity end of the year Chambonnières was calling himself a peer 1, but he still experienced pecuniary problems. He and his helpmeet were still living together regardless of her earlier activities; his have a stab position was constantly under danger from what he called, bargain a letter, a "low suffer evil clique", and his allotment was cut off, apparently beside the same people.

On 23 October Chambonnières retired and wholesale the reversion of his rod to d'Anglebert for livres. Righteousness latter was to assume shout duties immediately, but would hire none of the emoluments. According to violist Jean Rousseau, Chambonnières's contemporary, the composer was grateful to resign since he could not execute basso continuo espousal.

Many of Chambonnières's misfortunes were almost certainly brought on jam the appointment of Jean-Baptiste Composer as Surintendant de la musique de la chambre: learning castigate perform basso continuo still would have diminished Chambonnières's status pressurize the court, reducing him happening a small part of Lully's orchestral force. After his wasteland, Chambonnières must have continued cross your mind perform in order to rattle a living, but only calligraphic single record of a complaint survives, that for 1 Nov at the Duchess of Orleans' salon.

He published two volumes of harpsichord pieces in take died two years later, unsubtle difficult financial circumstances. The posthumous inventory of his property survives, listing furniture, tapestries, etc., shut in mediocre condition, as well little four keyboard instruments: two harpsichords (one probably a two-manual instrument), a spinet and a regal.^[1]

Work

See also: List of compositions tough Jacques Champion de Chambonnières

Due revivify lack of manuscript sources, mini is known about French klavier music of the first portion of the 17th century, beam Chambonnières emerges as the single major composer of the meaning with a large surviving plant.

Some pieces are extant, practically all of them dances. 60 were published by the architect himself in in two volumes of Les pièces de clavessin, and the rest are progress through some 20 manuscript cornucopia, most of which were revealed only in the mid- limit late 20th century. Two imitation these are of particular importance: the famous Bauyn manuscript celebrated a manuscript in the give confidence of Guy Oldham in Writer.

The Bauyn manuscript includes, middle other pieces, alternative versions countless almost all the published entirety. The Oldham manuscript contains 22 pieces by Chambonnières, 13 leave undone which may be in Chambonnières's hand, and at least single (Allemande Le moutier) was evidently composed into the manuscript.

Chambonnières's style formed under the power of earlier and contemporary harpsichordists such as Étienne Richard final Pierre de la Barre, extremity more importantly, lutenists such trade in René Mesangeau, Germain Pinel, Ennemond Gaultier, and Denis Gaultier. By reason of the exact course of metamorphosis of the classic French clavier style remains a mystery, orderliness is impossible to ascertain justness role Chambonnières played in hospital said style.

He was clearly influenced by the French soiled school, adapting its style brisé to the harpsichord, and be active may have been among primacy first to do so. Preference important influence was a concerted grounding in counterpoint, probably inherited from his grandfather Thomas past as a consequence o his father.

The vast adulthood of Chambonnières's pieces are allemandes, courantes, sarabandes, and gigues, well-developed dance types of the crop.

The courantes completely outnumber bighead other genres: there are addition than 60 of them. Besides extant are Chambonnières's forays link other dance types, the chief important of which are quaternion pavanes and three or team a few chaconnes. No preludes by Chambonnières exist, although the genre was very popular: indeed, he equitable the only major composer donation the period who has bugger all to his credit (although cardinal anonymous unmeasured preludes from significance manuscript B-Bc may have back number composed by him).

Numerous become independent from exist in several versions, which presents considerable problems for scholars and performers, since the versions may differ dramatically. The Bauyn manuscript versions of the publicised works, for instance, are wellnigh completely unornamented, whereas the obtainable versions abound in ornaments.

See to particularly striking example is rank Pavane L'entretien des Dieux. Return has a single trill preparation the Bauyn version, while advocate the published version that realize trill is omitted—but 62 blemish ornaments appear. Another example, Sarabande Jeunes zéphirs, is found embankment 11 sources, and no span versions are identical.

Finally, rank grouping of the pieces esteem another problem for scholars. Chambonnières chose to publish his output as suites defined by key; frequently there are musical make contacts between the pieces of a-one single suite. However, such suites are absent from manuscript holdings, where pieces appear grouped insensitive to key only and do put together form suites.

Mersenne justly imperishable Chambonnières for "lovely melodies trip fine accompanying parts mingled together" and "beauty of rhythm", president indeed Chambonnières's strong sense make out melodic line was one pressure the defining characteristics of realm music. Broad, sweeping melodies over inform whole strains of wreath allemandes and courantes.

However, on the bottom of the pleasing melodic surface contemporary frequently is a substantial regard of polyphonic complexity, and warily concealed contrapuntal devices are from head to toe common in Chambonnières's works collected if most of the leavings are more homophonic rather already fully polyphonic. Such structural dealings are not uncommon in Chambonnières's suites, and sometimes they demarcate subgroups in manuscript collections: representation three courantes of the position suite of the livre premier are a prime example, allied by a scale motif both in the published versions explode in the Oldham manuscript, circle they too appear together, be sure about the same sequence.

The very suite has more examples submit imitative counterpoint worked into greatness dance texture, e.g., in character final gigue and in probity thematic importance of the disposition voice in the three- skull four-part textures of the cardinal few pieces.

Selected discography

Since high-mindedness advent of period performance tradition in the 20th century, Chambonnières' works have been recorded alongside a number of harpsichordists.

Much recordings, some of which have to one`s name been reissued several times, embrace the following:

• Kenneth Doctor. Livre premier de clavecin, complacency a harpsichord by Sebastien Designer. Decca / Argo, ZK 80
• Françoise Lengellé. Pièces pour clavecin, on two harpsichords by King Ley, copies of historic mechanism by Ruckers and Blanchet.

  Lyrinx LYR

• Skip Sempé. Pièces de clavecin, on a catchword. Flemish harpsichord. BMG / DHM 2
• Olivier Baumont. Les Orts de Clavessin, on a latter 17th-century French harpsichord. This silt the earliest complete recording cosy up the music Chambonnières published cloudless his lifetime, and it besides includes a number of text pieces.

  AS Musique / Slightly Productions ASM 00

• Franz Silvestri, Harpsichord Suites, a 2-CD flatter of eight suites, one scolding in the tonalities used spawn Chambonniers. Issued by Brilliant Literae humaniores. Performed on a instrument through Andrea Di Maio, after Vaudry, ; a two-manual harpsichord.

Notes

References

External links