Religious music. Music for Lent and Passiontide by French composers from the 17th and 18th centuries, including Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Sébastien de Brossard, and Michel-Richard de Lalande.
During Lent the seven penititial psalms are traditionally sung. We will hear the fourth one, ‘Miserere mei Deus’, in a setting by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
Throughout music history, the text of ‘Stabat Mater’ has been set to music countless times, sometimes in its entirety and sometimes only a few verses. During this program, we’ll hear the complete setting of ‘Stabat Mater’ by Sébastien de Brossard. Who was, besides being a composer, also a collector of music from his contemporaries and composers from the past. He composed this piece in 1702.
In France, the Lamentations of Jeremiah were a staple part of the repertoire for the final three days of Holy Week, the ‘Triduum Sacrum’. To conclude this program, we will listen to the ‘Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres du Jeudy Saint’ by Michel-Richard de Lalande, Louis XIV’s favourite composer of sacred music.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704)
1. Miserere à deux dessus, deux flûtes et basse continue (H 157)
Ensemble Vocale Ricercare, Ensemble L’Apothéose
(CD: “Miserere and other sacred works” – Stradivarius Str 37048, 2016)
Sébastien de Brossard (1655-1730)
2. Stabat mater (SdB. 8)
Les Pages et Les Chantres de la Chapelle, Le Mercure Galant conducted by Olivier Schneebeli
(CD: “Oeuvres chorales” – Astree E 8619, 1997)
Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657-1726)
3. Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres du Jeudy Saint (S 121)
Isabelle Desrochers, soprano. Nima Ben David, viola da gamba. Mauricio Buraglia, theorbo. Pierre Trocellier, organ
(CD: “Leçons de Ténèbres” – Astree E 8592, 1996)
additionally:
Marin Marais (1656-1728)
4. Prélude in D [Livre II, 6]
François Joubert-Caillet, viola da gamba. L’Achéron
(CD: “Deuxième Livre de Pièces de Viole” – Ricercar RIC 408, 2018)
Pictured above: Marc-Antoine Charpentier
