Jean-Adam Guilain (real name Johann Adam Wilhelm Freinsberg) (c. 1680 – after 1739) was a German

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and

harpsichordist A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord. Harpsichordists may play as soloists, as accompanists, as chamber musicians, or as members of an orchestra, or some combination of these roles. Solo harpsichordists may play unaccompanied son ...

who was mostly active in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

during the first half of the eighteenth century. Little is known about his life. He was born in Germany, possibly around 1680 (the exact dates of birth and death are unknown). For an unknown reason he moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

some time before 1702, and almost certainly became one of

Louis Marchand Louis Marchand (2 February 1669 – 17 February 1732) was a French Baroque organist, harpsichordist, and composer. Born into an organist's family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French vi ...

's pupils - Guilain's organ collection is dedicated to Marchand, by then a prominent organ teacher. Guilain died some time after 1739, the year when he published a collection of harpsichord pieces. A unique copy may be found in the collection of the British Library. The volume is entitled "PIECES DE CLAVECIN / D'UN GOUT NOUVEAU / PAR Mr. GUILAIN./ Gravées par De Gland Graveur du Roy./ Prix 3l./ A PARIS. The 26 pieces of this anthology, carry the following titles: Fanfare - Je veux Garder - Le Beau B.T. - Amis - Ton H.C. - Babé L.R. - Joconde - Mirtil - Mon Cousin - Tircis Couché - Ma Cloris - L'autre jour - Mamy Margot - O Gué - Pierre B.- Les Pelerins 1er Air - 2e Air - Boire a son tour - je suis encor - Bransle de Metz - On dit - Allons - La Tétard - Menuet Allemand Although he came from Germany, Guilain's musical style appears to be in the pure French tradition. A single collection of organ pieces (''Pièces d'orgue pour le Magnificat sur les huit tons différents de l'église'') was published in 1706 in two volumes, of which only one is now extant. The full collection included eight suites of pieces for use with the

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "

y soul Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

magnifies

he Lord He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Eastern Christianity, Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated ...

, one suite for each

church mode A Gregorian mode (or church mode) is one of the eight systems of pitch organization used in Gregorian chant. History The name of Pope Gregory I was attached to the variety of chant that was to become the dominant variety in medieval western and ...

. Each suite contained seven short movements that were to alternate with the

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...

parts of the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

. *Suite du premier ton : : Plein jeu - Trio - Duo - Basse de trompette - Récit - Dialogue - Petit plein jeu *Suite du deuxième ton : : Prélude - Tierce en taille - Duo - Basse de trompette - Trio de flûtes - Dialogue - Petit plein jeu *Suite du troisième ton : : Plein jeu - Quatuor - Dialogue de voix humaine - Basse de trompette - Duo - Grand jeu - Petit plein jeu *Suite du quatrième ton : : Plein jeu - Cromorne en taille - Duo - Basse de cromorne - Trio - Dialogue - Petit plein jeu

External links

Recordings of several pieces composed by Guilain
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guilain, Jean-Adam 1680s births 18th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown French Baroque composers French male classical composers 18th-century classical composers 18th-century French composers 18th-century French male musicians 17th-century male musicians

See also

External links