''All the World's Mornings'' (french: Tous les matins du monde) is a

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Pascal Quignard Pascal Quignard (; born 23 April 1948) is a French writer born in Verneuil-sur-Avre, Eure. In 2002 his novel ''Les Ombres errantes'' won the Prix Goncourt, France's top literary prize. ''Terrasse à Rome'' (Terrasse in Rome), received the Fren ...

. It is a story of the apprenticeship of Marin Marais in the house of the austere, reclusive and mysterious violist,

Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe Jean (?) de Sainte-Colombe () was a French composer and violist. Sainte-Colombe was a celebrated master of the viola da gamba. He is credited (by Jean Rousseau in his ''Traité de la viole'' (1687)) with adding the seventh string, tuned to the no ...

, obsessed with his late wife, and of his romantic entanglements with his master's two daughters, Madeleine and Toinette.Quignard, Pascal. Tous les matins du monde. Gallimard, 1991. The story is taken from an anecdote in the work of

Evrard Titon du Tillet Evrard or Évrard may refer to People * Évrard d'Espinques, French manuscript illuminator * Ray Evrard (1895-1974), American lawyer * St. Evrard, another name of St. Eberhard of Friuli Eberhard (c. 815 – 16 December 867) was the Frankish D ...

. Among the historical facts that the book outlines are Sainte-Colombe's addition of the viola da gamba's seventh and lowest string. The novel's narration has a contemplative pace, weaving in impressions of melancholy music and still life paintings. Sainte-Colombe is portrayed as a country recluse who eschews court life because of its artificiality. In the same year as the book was published, the author participated in creating the screen adaptation with director Alain Corneau for the film of the same title.

References

1991 French novels Novels by Pascal Quignard French historical novels French novels adapted into films Novels set in the 17th century Éditions Gallimard books {{1990s-hist-novel-stub

See also

References