The choral music of the French church in the years before the Revolution was more popular than history has recorded, as is witnessed in the large amount of music composed for the nation's cathedrals, and its enduring success at the Concerts Spirituels in Paris and various provincial centres. The chief vehicle for music in the church was not the Mass, but the Grand Motet, a large-scale work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. As a genre it reached its heights early in the century with Charpentier, Campra, and above all Lalande. Late in the century, it suffered from the stifling popularity of early masters, the declining influence of church and court, and the attraction to major composers of the livelier world of opera. The motet survived until the Revolution, however, and in these late years Fran~ois Giroust was arguably its most important composer, in terms of position, popularity, and productivity. His career and works give us a comprehensive guide to the state of French church music in the second half of the century. Each stage of his career-boy in the choir-school of Notre Dame, maitre of the Cathedral of Orleans, advancement to Paris and the Church of SS Innocents and the Concert Spirituel, ultimate success at the chapel at Versailles, and finally the upheaval of the Revolution--is used to provide the basis for a wider discussion. Among the matters investigated are the training of church musicians, the role of the cathedral maitre, and the place of music in cathedral services; the state of church music in Paris and at Versailles under Louis XVI; and the fate of church music and musicians during the Revolution. A look at the motet through the century, including a discussion of the demands of the court, the influence of secular mus-ie, and the views of the critics, leads finally to a close examination of the motets of Giroust, where such features as style, format, performing resources, and form are dealt with. This is the first critical examination of his music, and what emerges is a motet with which we are not at all familiar. A second volume presents a catalogue of all the known motets of Giroust, including works of questionable attribution. In addition to incipits and performance instructions for all movements, the catalogue includes such details as performers (where mentioned), known first performances, complete orchestration, and timings.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:617028 |
| Date | January 1988 |
| Creators | Eby, John Douglas |
| Publisher | King's College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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