Marin Marais (; 31 May 1656, 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 ...
– 15 August 1728, in Paris) was a French
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 ...
and
viol
The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...
player. He studied composition with
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...
, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol
Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for six months. In 1676 he was hired as a musician to the royal court of
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
and was moderately successful there, being appointed in 1679 as ''ordinaire de la chambre du roy pour la viole,'' a title he kept until 1725.
He was the father of the composer
Roland Marais (c. 1685 – c. 1750).
Career
Marin Marais was a master of the viol, and the leading French composer of music for the instrument. He wrote five books of ''
Pièces de viole'' (1686–1725) for the instrument, generally suites with
basso continuo
Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...
. These were quite popular in the court, and for these he was remembered in later years as he who "founded and firmly established the empire of the viol" (
Hubert Le Blanc, 1740). His other works include a book of ''Pièces en trio'' (1692) and four operas (1693–1709), ''
Alcyone'' (1706) being noted for its tempest scene.
Titon du Tillet included Marais in ''Le Parnasse françois'', making the following comments on two of his pieces, ''Le Labyrinthe'', perhaps inspired by
the labyrinth of Versailles
The labyrinth of Versailles was a hedge maze in the Gardens of Versailles with groups of fountains and sculptures depicting Aesop's fables André Le Nôtre initially planned a maze of unadorned paths in 1665, but in 1669, Charles Perrault advi ...
, and ''La Gamme'':
As with
Sainte-Colombe, little of Marin Marais' personal life is known after he reached adulthood. Marin Marais married a Parisian, Catherine d'Amicourt, on 21 September 1676. They had 19 children together.
Facsimiles of all five books of Marais' ''Pièces de viole'' are published by
Éditions J.M. Fuzeau. A complete critical edition of his instrumental works in seven volumes, edited by
John Hsu, is published by
Broude Brothers.
Marais is credited with being one of the earliest composers of
program music
Program music or programatic music is a type of instrumental art music that attempts to musically render an extramusical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience through the piece's title, or in the form of program note ...
.
His work ''The Bladder-Stone Operation'', for viola da gamba and
harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
, includes composer's annotations such as "The patient is bound with silken cords" and "He screameth."
[ The title has often been interpreted as "The Gall-Bladder Operation," but that surgery was not performed until the late 19th century. Urinary bladder surgery to remove stones was already a medical specialty in Paris in the 17th century.][François Tolet, "Lithotomy, or a treatise of the extraction of the stone out of the bladder . . ., ondon Will. Whitwood, 1689. ]oogle ebooks
A gutter punk is a Homelessness, homeless or Drifter (person), transient individual who displays a variety of specific lifestyle traits and characteristics that often, but not always, are associated with the punk subculture. Attributes may includ ...
/ref>
Works
Instrumental music
* Pieces for 1 and 2 viols, Book I (20 August 1686, only solo viols, 1 March 1689 first published with associated basso continuo)
* Pieces en trio pour les flutes, violon, et dessus de viole (published on 20 December 1692, dedicated to Marie-Anne Roland
Marie Anne or Marie-Anne is the name of:
Aristocrats
*Princess Marie Anne of France (1664-1664?), daughter of King Louis XIV of France
*Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal (1861-1942), Portuguese infanta and Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg
*Marie A ...
)
* Pieces for 1 and 2 viols, Book II (1701), including 32 couplets on "Les folies d'Espagne"
* Pièces de violes, Book III (1711)
* Pieces for 1 and 3 viols, Book IV (1717; includes the famous ''Suitte d'un Goût Étranger
''Suitte d'un Goût Étranger'' is a composition for bass viola da gamba and continuo by Marin Marais.
Origins
The ''Suite in a Foreign Style'' was included in Marin Marais's Livre IV of pieces for viol and continuo, and which also included th ...
''.)
* La gamme et autres morceaux de symphonie (1723, includes ''La Gamme en forme d'un petit Opéra'', ''Sonate à la Maresienne'', ''Sonnerie de Ste-Geneviève du Mont-de-Paris Sonnerie is French (language), French for "making sound" or "Ring (telephone), ring". The term generally applies to bell towers or bell (instrument), bells in mechanical clocks or wristwatches (see for example grande sonnerie), but can equally be u ...
'')
* Pièces de violes, Book V (1725)
* 145 Pieces for viol (ca. 1680), about 100 pieces were published in Books I – III
Operas
* ''Idylle dramatique of 1686'' (music lost)
* ''Alcide'' (1693, in collaboration with Louis Lully Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ...
)
* ''Ariane et Bacchus
(''Ariadne and Bacchus'') is an opera by Marin Marais first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) on 8 March 1696. It takes the form of a ''tragédie en musique'' in five acts and a prologue. The libretto by Saint-Jean i ...
'' (1696)
* '' Alcyone'' (premiered on 18 February 1706)
* ''Sémélé
is an opera by Marin Marais with a libretto by Antoine Houdar de la Motte first performed on 9 April 1709, by the Paris Opera at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal. The opera is in the form of a ''tragédie en musique'' with a prologue and five acts ...
'' (1709)
* ''Pantomime des pages'' (with Louis Lully, music lost)
Sacred works
* ''Te Deum'' (1701) for the recovery of the Dauphin (lost)
* Motet ''Domine salvum fac regem'' (1701) for the recovery of the Dauphin (lost)
Discography
*''Sonnerie de Ste-Genevieve du Mont'', ''Suite en Do majeur'' (C major), ''Suite en Re majeur'' (D major); performers: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...
, A. Harnoncourt, L. Stastny, H. Tachezi; recording label: Harmonia Mundi, France, no. HMC 90414; 1973, 1987.
*''Les Folies d'Espagne'', ''La réveuse, L'arabesque, Le badinage, Sonnerie de Ste-Genevieve du Mont;'' performers: Jordi Savall (Bass viola da gamba), Pierre Hantaï
Pierre Hantaï (born 28 February 1964, Paris) is a French harpsichordist and conductor.
Career
The son of painter Simon Hantaï, he discovered the music of Johann Sebastian Bach when he was ten and first heard Gustav Leonhardt's recordings wh ...
(Harpsichord), Rolf Lislevand
Rolf Lislevand (30 December 1961 in Oslo, Norway), is a Norwegian performer of Early music specialising on lute, vihuela, baroque guitar and theorbo.
Biography
From 1980 to 1984, Lislevand studied classical guitar at the Norwegian Academy of Mu ...
(Theorbo); recording label: Alia Vox, 9821; 2002.
*''Pièces de viole du Second Livre'' (1701) (Le Parnasse de la Viole, vol. II) – Jordi Savall et al. – Alia Vox AV 9828
*''Suite d'un Goût Étranger'', ''Pièces de viole du Quatrième Livre'' (1717), (Le Parnasse de la Viole, vol. III) – Jordi Savall et al. – Alia Vox AVSA 9851
*''Pièces de viole du Cinquième Livre'' ~ J.Savall, C. Coin, T. Koopman, H. Smith, A. Gallet ~ Alia Vox AVSA 9872
*''Alcione,'' Tragédie lyrique, Jennifer Smith, Gilles Ragon, Philippe Huttenlocher, Vincent Le Texier, Véronique Gens, Les Musiciens du Louvre, conducted by Marc Minkowski, 3 CD Erato 1990
*''Alcione, Suites des Airs à joüer'' (1706), Le Concert des Nations, conducted by Jordi Savall
Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of ...
, CD Astrée-Auvidis 1994
*''Sémélé,'' Tragédie lyrique, Shannon Mercer, Bénédicte Tauran, Jaël Azzaretti, Marc Labonnette, Le Concert Spirituel
Le Concert Spirituel is a French ensemble specialising in works of baroque music, played on period instruments. Founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, it is named after the 18th-century concert series Concert Spirituel. The group performs internation ...
conducted by Hervé Niquet
Hervé Niquet (born 28 October 1957) is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music.
Biography
Born on 28 October 1957, Hervé Niquet was raised at Abbeville in the ...
, 2 CD Glossa 2007. Le Diamant magazine Opéra, 10 de Classica, Diapason découverte.
*''Ariane et Bacchus'' (1696)'','' Suite d'orchestre, The Versailles Revolution, Indiana Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Barthold Kuijken
Barthold Kuijken (; born 8 March 1949, Dilbeek) is a Belgians, Belgian flautist and Recorder (musical instrument), recorder player, known for playing baroque music on Historically informed performance, historical instruments and particularly kno ...
, CD Naxos 2018
*''Sémélé,'' Ouvertures et danses, Montréal Baroque, conducted by Wieland Kuijken
Wieland Kuijken (; born Dilbeek, 31 August 1938) is a Belgium, Belgian musician and player of the viola da gamba and baroque cello.
Biography
Kuijken started his career in music in 1952 with the Brussels Alariusensemble of which he formed part un ...
, SACD Atma baroque 2006
*''Premier Livre de pièces de viole, complete'' (1686)'','' L'Achéron, François Joubert-Caillet, viole de gambe. 4 CD Ricercar 2016–2017. Diapason d'or.
*''Deuxième Livre de pièces de viole, complete'' (1701)'','' L'Achéron, François Joubert-Caillet, viole de gambe. 5 CD Ricercar 2019. Diapason d'or.
*''Alcione
Alcione may refer to:
* ''Alcione'', a 1638 literary work by Pierre du Ryer
* ''Alcione'', a 1787 musical drama by João de Sousa Carvalho
* '' CANT Z.1007 Alcione'', World War II Italian bomber aircraft
* ''Alcione'' (opera), a 1706 opera by ...
,'' Tragédie lyrique, Lisandro Abadie
Lisandro Abadie (born 28 July 1974) is an Argentine bass-baritone. He studied in Switzerland, initially in Basel at the Schola Cantorum (music diploma in 2001) and subsequently at the Music School of Lucerne University, graduating with a solo-sin ...
, Marc Mauillon, Cyril Auvity, Le Concert des Nation, conducted by Jordi Savall, 3 SACD Alia Vox 2020
*''Troisième Livre de Pièces de viole'', complète (1711), L'Achéron, François Joubert-Caillet, viole de gambe. 4 CD Ricercar 2021.
References in film
*Marais and his music were featured in the film '' Tous les matins du monde'' (1991), an atmospheric, meticulously imagined life of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe. Marais' music figured prominently in that film, including his longer work ''Sonnerie de Ste-Geneviève du Mont-de-Paris Sonnerie is French (language), French for "making sound" or "Ring (telephone), ring". The term generally applies to bell towers or bell (instrument), bells in mechanical clocks or wristwatches (see for example grande sonnerie), but can equally be u ...
'' (1723). The role of Marin Marais is played by Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
as an old man and by Guillaume Depardieu
Guillaume Jean Maxime Antoine Depardieu (7 April 1971 – 13 October 2008) was a French actor, winner of a César Award, and the oldest child of Gérard Depardieu.
Early life
Depardieu was the son of actor Gérard Depardieu and his first wife, a ...
as a young man. The soundtrack was done by the violist Jordi Savall
Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of ...
.
*A recording of the ''Sonnerie'' performed on a Fairlight synthesizer
The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight.
— with links to some Fairlight history and photos
It was based on a commercial lice ...
was used in the cult classic film ''Liquid Sky
''Liquid Sky'' is a 1982 American independent science fiction film directed by Slava Tsukerman and starring Anne Carlisle and Paula E. Sheppard. It debuted at the Montreal Film festival in August 1982 and was well received at several film festiv ...
''.
References
External links
*
*.
*.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marais, Marin
1656 births
1728 deaths
French Baroque composers
French Baroque viol players
French male classical composers
Musicians from Paris
18th-century classical composers
18th-century French composers
18th-century French male musicians
17th-century male musicians