The ''chapelle royale'' (chapel royal) was the musical establishment attached to the royal chapel of the French kings. The term may also be applied to the chapel buildings, the Chapelle royale de Versailles. The establishment included a choir, organist and instrumentalists and was separate from the ''musique du chambre'' which performed secular music.

Maîtres and sous-maîtres of the Chapelle Royale

During the reign of Louis XII (1498–1515)

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

''premier chantre de la chapelle de Louis XII'' In 1511 Louis XII decided the responsibilities of the treasurer of the

Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...

and the master of the chapelle royale. The death, and sumptuous 40-day funeral of Louis' wife,

Anne of Brittany Anne of Brittany (; 25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was reigning Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She was the only woman to have been queen consort of Fran ...

in 1514 marks the origin of a unified ''chapelle royale'' combining the chapels of both Louis and Anne. Though at Anne's funeral the two chapels sang separately for the last time. Louis' ''Chapelle du Roi'' led by Antoine de Févin, included Johannes Prioris, Costanzo Festa, and Antoine de Longueval but not Jean Braconnier (died 1512). Anne's ''Chapelle de la Reine'' led by Antoine Divitis included

Jean Mouton Jean Mouton (c. 1459 – 30 October 1522) was a French composer of the Renaissance music, Renaissance. He was famous both for his motets, which are among the most refined of the time, and for being the teacher of Adrian Willaert, one of the f ...

, Jean Richafort, Claudin de Sermisy, and Pierre Moulu.

François I (1515–1547)

* François I inherited all 29 singers of the combined chapels of Louis and Anne. Claudin de Sermisy, who was earlier noted as ''clerc musicien'' of the

in 1508, and in 1515 as a member of the Chapelle Royale under Louis II, from 1532 became ''sous-maître'' of the ''chapelle'' of François I.

Henri II (1547–1559), François II (1559–1560)

Pierre Certon Pierre Certon (ca. 1510–1520 – 23 February 1572) was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was a representative of the generation after Josquin and Mouton, and was influential in the late development of the French chanson. Life Most likely ...

(died 1572).

Charles IX (1560–1574), Henri III (1574–1589), Henri IV, Bourbon (1589–1610)

Henri IV was the king whom legend tells said " Paris is worth a Mass." *

Eustache du Caurroy François-Eustache du Caurroy (baptised February 4, 1549 – August 7, 1609) was a French composer of the late Renaissance. He was a prominent composer of both secular and sacred music at the end of the Renaissance, including ''musique mesurée'', ...

''maître de la chapelle du roi'' * Nicolas Morel * Estienne Le Roy

During the reign of Louis XIII (1610–1643)

* Eustache Picot * Nicolas Formé, ''sous-maître'' from 1609 to 1638 * Jacques Blondin, ''maitre de la chapelle royale de Paris''

During the reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715) "The Sun King"

* Jean Veillot, ''sous-maître'' from 1643 to 1662 * Thomas Gobert, ''sous-maître'' from 1654 to 1668. * Henry Du Mont (1610–1684), ''sous-maître'' from 1663 to 1683; ''compositeur'' from 1672. * Pierre Robert (composer) (c. 1615 – 1699), ''sous-maître'' from 1663 to 1683; ''compositeur'' from 1672. * Nicolas Le Prince. On the 1683 retirement of Henry Du Mont and Pierre Robert the position of ''maître'' of the chapelle was divided into four positions: *

Pascal Collasse Pascal Collasse (or Colasse) (22 January 1649 (baptism, baptised) – 17 July 1709) was a French composer of the Baroque era. Born in Rheims, Collasse became a disciple of Jean-Baptiste Lully during the latter's domination of the French operati ...

(1649–1709), ''sous-maître'' from 1683 to 1704, assistant to Lully until 1683, when he won one of the four seasonal assignments into which the Chapelle Royale directorship had been divided. His later years were devoted to

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

. *

Michel Richard Delalande Michel Richard Delalande e Lalande'' (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote o ...

(1657–1726), ''sous-maître'' from 1683 to 1723. * Nicolas Goupillet (1650–1713), ''sous-maître'' from 1683 - but in 1693 dismissed for plagiarism of

Henri Desmarest Henri Desmarets (February 1661 – 7 September 1741) was a French composer of the Baroque period primarily known for his stage works, although he also composed sacred music as well as secular cantatas, songs and instrumental works. Biogr ...

. * Guillaume Minoret, ''sous-maître'' from 1683 to 1714

Louis XV (1715–1774)

Charles-Hubert Gervais Charles-Hubert Gervais (19 February 1671 – 14 January 1744) was a French composer of the Baroque era. The son of a valet to King Louis XIV's brother, Monsieur, Gervais was born at the Palais Royal in Paris and probably educated by Monsieur's mu ...

(1671–1744), In 1721 named one of four ''sous-maîtres'' *

André Campra André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several '' trag ...

(1660–1744), ''sous-maître'' from 1721 * Nicolas Bernier (1664–1734), ''sous-maître'' from 1721 *

Anne Danican Philidor Anne Danican Philidor (11 April 1681 – 8 October 1728) was a French woodwind player and composer of the Philidor family. Born in Paris on 11 April 1681, his grandfather and father were also professional woodwind players in the king's service. ...

(1681–1728) ''sous-maître'' from 1723 * Henry Madin (1698–1748), ''sous-maître'' from 1736 *

Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (, 25 December 1711 (baptised) – 8 October 1772), also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French people, French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoy ...

(1711–1772), ''maître de musique de la chapelle du roi''. Acquired the reversion of André Campra's post in 1740, he acceded to the position itself on 4 March 1744 on the death of Charles-Hubert Gervais. But since he was not permitted to publish the motets he composed for the chapel, he resigned from the post in 1758. 1761 Four posts reduced to two. *

Esprit Antoine Blanchard Esprit-Joseph-Antoine Blanchard (29 February 1696 – 19 April 1770) was a French baroque composer, a contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau, regarded as a representative composer of religious music in eighteenth-century France.Tai Wai Li ''Marc-Fran ...

(1696–1770) * Abbé (1725–1799) * Julien Amable Mathieu (1734–1811)

During the reign of Louis XVI (1774–1792)

François Giroust François Giroust (10 April 1737 – 28 April 1799) was a French composer. He was born in Paris, where he was the last ''maître'' of the Chapelle royale before the French Revolution. He died, aged 62, at Versailles.John Eby, ''Giroust, Fr ...

Chapelle de l'Empereur (1804–1814)

Jean-François Le Sueur Jean-François Le Sueur (more commonly Lesueur; ; 15 February 17606 October 1837) was a French composer, best known for his oratorios and operas. Life He was born at Plessiel, a hamlet of Drucat near Abbeville, to a long-established family of P ...

Louis XVIII (1815–1824), Charles X (1824–1830)

Luigi Cherubini Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethov ...

from 1816, ''directeur''

Louis Philippe I (1830–1848), Second Empire (1852–1870)

* Daniel François Esprit Auber succeeded Cherubini and then was ''maître de chapelle'' of

Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

from 1852.fut membre de l'Institut, grand officier de la Légion d'honneur, directeur du Conservatoire, maître de chapelle de Louis- Philippe et de l'empereur Napoléon III. Il ne voulut pas quitter

Organists

François d'Agincourt François d'Agincourt (also d'Agincour, Dagincourt, Dagincour) (1684 – 30 April 1758) was a French harpsichordist, organist, and composer. He spent most of his life in Rouen, his native city, where he worked as organist of the Rouen Cathedra ...

* Guillaume-Antoine Calvière (1685–1755) *

François Couperin François Couperin (; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a French Baroque music, Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as ''Couperin le Grand'' ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musi ...

, organist (January trimester) from 1693 to 1730 * Jean Buterne, (April trimester) * Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, organist (July trimester) * Nicolas Lebègue, (October trimester) * Jacques Thomelin * Jean-Baptiste Buterne * Gabriel Garnier *

Louis Marchand Louis Marchand (2 February 1669 – 17 February 1732) was a French organist, harpsichordist and composer. Born into an organist's family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French virtuosos of ...

* Jean-François Dandrieu * Nicolas-Hubert Paulin * Louis-Claude Daquin * Pierre-Claude Foucquet, succeeded François d'Agincourt in 1758 * Jean Landrin * Claude-Bénigne Balbastre * Armand-Louis Couperin * Jean-Jacques Le Bourgeois * Pierre-Louis Couperin * Nicolas Séjan

References

{{Authority control Music of France