Jean Cathala was a French singer, composer and
cornett
The cornett (, ) is a lip-reed wind instrument that dates from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, popular from 1500 to 1650. Although smaller and larger sizes were made in both straight and curved forms, surviving cornetts are most ...
ist, active in the years (1645 – 1680).
Biography
His career began and ended in Paris, but also took place in
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
and
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
.
Paris
A mention on 17 February 1646, followed by a reference on 28 May 1650, indicates that he was a clerk and a singer (middle register voice) in the
Sainte Chapelle of the Palace and that he also played the
cornett
The cornett (, ) is a lip-reed wind instrument that dates from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, popular from 1500 to 1650. Although smaller and larger sizes were made in both straight and curved forms, surviving cornetts are most ...
. As he appears also in the registers of Notre-Dame at such a time (employed at 16 sous per day according to an act of 2 July 1649, and in 1652).
Amiens
He then appeared as
maître de chapelle of the
Amiens Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
and, on 2 October 1656, the chapter of the cathedral conferred on him the vicarial chapel of Saint-Quentin, which before him had been given to Jean Patte, then
Valentin de Bournonville Valentin de Bournonville (c. 1610 – c. December 1663) was a French Baroque composer and music master active in the middle of the 17th century.
Biography
Valentin de Bournonville was the son of Jean de Bournonville, and trained by his father in ...
. He resigned from his post of Amiens on 13 November 1658, probably because of a disagreement with the Chapter, and the Chapter instructed him a few days later to vacate the position before the next Saint-André (30 November). His successor was
François Cosset, like him, a composer of masses.
Auxerre
In Auxerre, Cathala succeeded
Annibal Gantez as ''maître de chapelle'' of the
Cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
. He was there in August 1663, when he gave the chapter of the
Troyes Cathedral
Troyes Cathedral () is a Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, located in the town of Troyes in Champagne, France. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Troyes. The cathedral, in the Gothic architectural style, has been ...
a copy of his mass ''Inclina cor meum'' in recognition of the donation to him made by the chapter for playing the cornett at the feast of St. Peter at the Troyes Cathedral.:
::''A esté agréé une messe en musicque composée par Maistre Jean Cathala Maistre de musicque en l'Eglise d'Auxerre et excellant joueur de cornet à bouquin intitulée Inclina cor meum deus, présentée de sa part en recognoissance du don qui lui fust faict par ce chapitre le trente juin dernier à cause de son assistance à la feste de Sainct Pierre à laquelle il joua dudict cornet. Laquelle messe a esté remise es mains de Me Jacques Michel Maistre de musique de ceste eglise pour la faire chanter au premier jour''.
Paris
Cathala seems to have returned to Paris on an unknown date: probably he was the "Cathalas", an ordinary singer of the Paris church, who attended the funeral of Louis Gingart's son, ordinary musician of the king and queen, on 27 February 1673, and who resided in the (La Madeleine parish). On 31 December 1679, he is said to be teaching music in Paris while witnessing the wedding of an officer of the archbishop of Paris.
Works

Cathala's only known works are seven Masses, all published in Paris by
Robert III Ballard, then
Christophe Ballard. Only two of them were found. Their writing is interesting, with quite developed melodies and a rather elaborate
counterpoint
In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...
: Cathala can be considered as one of the composers of the most interesting masses of his period.
*''Missa Inclina cor meum Deus'', 4 v. Paris : Robert III Ballard, 1663 or end of 1662. Guillo 2003 n° 1663-F.
::This is a lost edition, the existence of which is revealed by the chapter records of the cathedral church of Troyes.
::The second edition was published by Christophe Ballard in 1678 but was also lost. It is revealed by the catalogues of the Ballard company and
Sébastien de Brossard
Sébastien de Brossard (; 12 September 165510 August 1730) was a French music theorist, composer and collector.
Life
Brossard was born in Dompierre, Orne. After studying philosophy and theology at Caen, he studied music and established himself ...
's notes.
*''Missa Laetare Jerusalem'', 5 v. Paris: Robert III Ballard, 1666. Guillo 2003 n° 1666-H.
:: Lost edition, whose existence is revealed by Sébastien de Brossard's notes and Ballard's catalogues.
*''Missa In luce stellarum'', 5 v. Paris: Robert III Ballard, 1670. Guillo 2003 n° 1670-B.
:: Lost edition, whose existence is revealed by Sébastien de Brossard's notes and Ballard's catalogues..
*''Missa Ecce quam bonum'', 4 v. Paris : Robert III Ballard, c. 1660-1670 ? Guillo 2003 n° ND-23.
:: Lost edition, the existence of which is revealed by Ballard's catalogues. It could also have appeared at the beginning of Christophe Ballard's career.
*''Missa Nigra sum, sed formosa'', 5 v. Paris: Christophe Ballard, 1678. 2°, 20 f. RISM C 1522.
:: This Mass is entirely composed (and printed) in black notes, alluding to its title (taken from the beginning of the ''
Song of Songs
The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...
'').
*''Missa Non recuso laborem'', 4 v. Paris: Christophe Ballard, 1680. 2°, 18 f. RISM C 1523.
*''Missa sillabica pleno-cantu quatuor vocum ad imitationem moduli''. Paris: Christophe Ballard, 1683.
:: A lost edition, known by Sébastien de Brossard's notes and Ballard's catalogues.
Sources
* Michel Brenet (pseud. of
Marie Bobillier). ''Les musiciens de la Sainte-Chapelle du Palais : documents inédits, recueillis et annotés par Michel Brenet''. Paris : A. Picard, 1910
read on IMSLP
* Yolande de Brossard. ''Musiciens de Paris 1535-1792 d’après le fichier Laborde''. Paris : Picard, 1965.
* Aimé Cherest, ''Notice sur les musiciens qui ont illustré le departement de l'Yonne'', ''Bulletin de la Société des sciences historiques et naturelles de l'Yonne'' 4 (1850), p. 29–53.
read on Gallica see p. 43-44.
* Georges Durand, ''La musique de la cathédrale d'Amiens avant la Révolution'', ''Bulletin trimestriel de la Société des antiquaires de Picardie'' (1922), p. 329–457; repr. in ''La vie musicale dans les provinces françaises'', I (Geneva, 1972).
* Françoise Gaussen, ''Actes d'état-civil de musiciens français 1651–1681'', ''Recherches sur la Musique Française Classique'' 1 (1960), p. 153–203.
* Laurent Guillo,
Laurent Guillo on Iremus
/ref> ''Pierre I Ballard et Robert III Ballard, imprimeurs du roy pour la musique (1599-1673)''. Sprimont and Versailles: 2003. 2 vol.
* William Hays, "Cathala, Jean - composer, singer, cornettist", ''Grove’s Dictionary online''
read online
.
* Arthur Émile Prévost. ''Instruments de musique usitéz dans nos églises depuis le trezième siècle'', ''Mémoires de la Société d'agriculture, des sciences, arts et belles-lettres du département de l'Aube'' 68 (1904), p. 43–223.
* Jean-Paul Montagnier, ''The Polyphonic Mass in France, 1600-1780: The Evidence of the Printed Choirbooks,'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
References
External links
Jean Cathala (c.1620 - ap.1683) Missa "Non recuso laborem" - Gloria
on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathala, Jean
French Baroque composers
French composers of sacred music
17th-century French male singers
17th-century French composers