Louis-Joseph Marchand (1 January 1692,

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

— 20 November 1774) was a French

music theorist Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

choir director A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Life and career

Born in Troyes, Louis-Joseph Marchand studied singing in Bourges and Auxerre. He became a priest in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Troyes The Diocese of Troyes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Trecensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Troyes'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Troyes, France. The diocese now comprises the ''département'' of Aube. Erecte ...

. He first served as the 'maître de musique' at the

Châlons Cathedral Châlons Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Châlons) is a Roman Catholic church in Châlons-en-Champagne, France, formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Châlons and was consecrated in 1147 ...

, before taking up a similar position at the

Besançon Cathedral Besançon Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon) is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint John located in the city of Besançon, France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Besançon. The cathedral consists of a large nave ...

. He left the latter post in August 1735 to head the maîtrise (a term used in France to refer collectively to a position of responsibility over the choristers, their living quarters, and other associated responsibilities) at the Collegiate Church of St Maxe at Bar-le-Duc; a position he held until his retirement 32 years later. He also concurrently held the position of

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

at the

Notre-Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

in 1764–1765. After retiring in 1767, he returned to Troyes where he lived until his death on November 20, 1774. Marchand authored the first work on

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

published in France in the 18th century: ''Traité du contrepoint simple, ou Chant sur le livre'' (published 1739 by Richard Briflot in Bar-le-Duc). His theories were conservative, and did not agree with the more progressive theories proposed by

Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of Fr ...

. The work heavily influenced composer and theorist

Henry Madin Henry Madin (7 October 1698 – 3 February 1748) was a French composer at the Chapelle royale and music theorist. Biography Madin was born in Verdun of Irish parents who had left Ireland in the early 1690s with the Wild Geese and settled in Ver ...

who in turn published ''Traité de contrepoint simple'' (Paris, 1742) after being inspired by Marchand. Only one work composed by Marchand survives, the choral work ''Missa quatuor vocibus, cui titulus, Quis, ut Deus? ''(Paris, 1743).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchand, Louis Joseph 1692 births 1774 deaths French music theorists French composers 18th-century French Roman Catholic priests