Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed six ''
Te Deum'' settings, although only four of them have survived.
Largely because of the great popularity of its prelude, the best known is the ''Te Deum'' in
D major,
H.146, written as a ''
grand motet The grand motet (plural grands motets) was a genre of motet cultivated at the height of the French Baroque music, French baroque, although the term dates from later French usage. At the time, due to the stylistic feature of employing two alternating ...
'' for soloists, choir, and instrumental accompaniment probably between 1688 and 1698, during Charpentier's stay at the
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
Church of Saint-Louis in
Paris, where he held the position of musical director.
[ ISMN M-0006-52543-0]
It is thought that the composition was performed to mark the victory celebrations and the
Battle of Steinkirk
The Battle of Steenkerque, also known as ''Steenkerke'', ''Steenkirk'' or ''Steinkirk'' was fought on 3 August 1692, during the Nine Years' War, near Steenkerque, then part of the Spanish Netherlands but now in modern Belgium A French force ...
in August, 1692.
Structure
The composition consists of the following parts:
*Prelude (''Marche en rondeau'')
*Te Deum laudamus (bass solo)
*Te aeternum Patrem (chorus and SSAT solo)
*Pleni sunt caeli et terra (chorus)
*Te per orbem terrarum (trio, ATB)
*Tu devicto mortis aculeo (chorus, bass solo)
*Te ergo quaesumus (soprano solo)
*Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis (chorus)
*Dignare, Domine (duo, SB)
*Fiat misericordia tua (trio, SSB)
*In te, Domine, speravi (chorus with ATB trio)
Charpentier considered the key
D major as ''"bright and very warlike"'';
indeed D major was regarded as the "key of glory" in
Baroque music
Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...
. The instrumental introduction, composed in the form of rondo, precedes the first verset, led by the bass soloist. The choir and other soloists join gradually. Charpentier apparently intended to orchestrate the work according to the traditional exegesis of the Latin text. The choir thus predominates in the first part (verset 1–10, praise of God, heavenly dimension), and individual soloists in the second part (verset 11–20, Christological section, secular dimension). In subsequent versets, nos. 21–25, both soloists and choir alternate, and the final verset is a large-scale fugue written for choir, with a short trio for soloists in the middle.
Orchestration
The composition is scored for choir (SATB) and 5 soloists (SSATB), accompanied with an instrumental ensemble of 2 alto recorders, 2 oboes, trumpet, low trumpet and timpani (playing the same part), 2 violins, 2 violas ("haute-contres de violon" and "tailles de violon") and basso continuo. The bass part is marked "" ("organ and
bass violin and
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
") in the holograph manuscript.
The orchestral tutti is mostly constricted to 4 parts (all high wind instruments and violins playing the same line), while the vocal soloist sections make use of a lighter three-part instrumental texture including 2 recorders and basso continuo as well as 2 violins and basso continuo.
Cultural legacy
After the work's rediscovery in 1953 by French musicologist
Carl de Nys Carl de Nys (26 March 1917 – 4 April 1996) was a French priest and musicologist.
Biography
De Nys was born in Eupen, Belgium. After completing his studies at Verviers and Namur, and then in the Vosges department at the seminary of Saint-Dié ...
, the instrumental prelude, ''Marche en rondeau'', was chosen in 1954 as the theme music preceding the
Eurovision network broadcasts of the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...
.
This version was arranged by Guy Lambert and directed by Louis Martini.
References
External links
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{{authority control
Compositions by Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Charpentier
Charpentier () is the French language, French word for "carpenter", and it is also a French surname; a variant spelling is Carpentier. In English, the equivalent word and name is "Carpenter (surname), Carpenter"; in German, "Zimmermann (disambigua ...
1692 compositions
Music television series theme songs
Eurovision Song Contest