In the religious era of Louis XIV, Easter was the most important period for piety throughout society. But Christmas became increasingly important, to the point where it took second place in the hearts of the faithful.
Specific scores were dedicated to Advent and Christmas, using popular melodies and silencing the organ from the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas, when it resurfaced with vigor to perform the famous Christmas carols!
While Charpentier found his way back into posterity with the first notes of his Te Deum, his Midnight Mass is probably one of the main works that made him famous. It invites us to immerse ourselves in a musical world where scholarly and popular traditions are not opposed, quite the contrary: all of Charpentier's art and science are illustrated in this invitation to traditional Christmas carols within a mass composed around 1690 for Christmas Eve. These melodies, familiar to all, peasants and gentlemen alike, who recognized them, are interwoven within a subtle counterpoint and renewed harmony, enriched with orchestral parts. The pleasure of music is offered to everyone: to recognize a familiar tune, or to grasp its extraordinary arrangement. The simplicity of the original songs also gives the entire mass a candor and simplicity that spoke universally at the time.
CD available in the Château de Versailles Spectacles collection.
While Charpentier found his way back into posterity with the first notes of his Te Deum, his Midnight Mass is probably one of the main works that made him famous. It invites us to immerse ourselves in a musical world where scholarly and popular traditions are not opposed, quite the contrary: all of Charpentier's art and science are illustrated in this invitation to traditional Christmas carols within a mass composed around 1690 for Christmas Eve. These melodies, familiar to all, peasants and gentlemen alike, who recognized them, are interwoven within a subtle counterpoint and renewed harmony, enriched with orchestral parts. The pleasure of music is offered to everyone: to recognize a familiar tune, or to grasp its extraordinary arrangement. The simplicity of the original songs also gives the entire mass a candor and simplicity that spoke universally at the time.
CD available in the Château de Versailles Spectacles collection.
