Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

composed six ''

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...

'' 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 D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, 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, although the term dates from later French usage. At the time, due to the stylistic feature of employing two alternating choirs, the works we ...

'' 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 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. Si ...

, 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 for ...

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

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 transit ...

. 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 Bass violin is the modern term for various 16th- and 17th-century bass instruments of the violin (i.e. ''viola da braccio'') family. They were the direct ancestor of the modern cello. Bass violins were usually somewhat larger than the modern cell ...

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 virtuos ...

") 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 Eurovision is a pan-European television telecommunications network owned and operated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It was founded 1954 in Geneva, Switzerland, and its first official transmission took place on 6 June 1954. Major tel ...

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 service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the C ...

. This version was arranged by Guy Lambert and directed by Louis Martini.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Compositions by Marc-Antoine Charpentier Charpentier 1692 compositions Music television series theme songs Eurovision Song Contest