Pierre-César Abeille (1674 - after 1733) was a French composer. Born in the

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, Selon de Provença/Seloun de Provènço, ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d' ...

of southern France, he was baptized on 24 February 1674. He was the son of Jean Abeille, a royal notary. From 1699 to 1700, Abeille was ''maître de chapelle'' of the primate's

Church of St. Trophime, Arles The Church of St. Trophime (french: Cathédrale Saint-Trophime d'Arles) (''Trophimus'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of southern France. It was built between the ...

. When he was succeeded by Fançois Pétouille, he was ''vicaire de choeur'' and ''maitre de musique'' at the royal parish church of

Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois The Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois is a Roman Catholic church in the First Arrondissement of Paris, situated at 2 Place du Louvre, directly across from the Louvre Palace. It was named for Germanus of Auxerre, the Bishop of Auxerre (378-448) ...

in Paris.

Music

Abeille's best known work is the two volume set ''Psalms of David'', dedicated to

Madame de Maintenon Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...

. It is a set of 150 psalms that alternate among airs,

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

s, and

ritornello A ritornello (Italian; "little return") is a recurring passage in Baroque music for orchestra or chorus. Early history The earliest use of the term "ritornello" in music referred to the final lines of a fourteenth-century madrigal, which were usu ...

s. The pieces are generally performed in a concertante style.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abeille, Pierre-Cesar 1674 births 18th-century deaths French Baroque composers French male musicians French male classical composers Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown 18th-century French composers 18th-century French male musicians 18th-century classical composers 17th-century French composers 17th-century male musicians