Jean Gilles (Composer)
Encyclopedia
Jean Gilles was a French composer, born at Tarascon
.
at the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence
, he succeeded his teacher Guillaume Poitevin as music master there. After moving on several times, he became music master at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse
in 1697, as the successor of André Campra
. His musical style was influenced by Campra, as were most musicians of his day. He composed motets and a famous requiem
, which was performed for the first time at his own funeral (because the original commissioner thought it too expensive to perform), but was later sung at the funeral services for the King of Poland in 1736, Jean-Philippe Rameau
in 1764, and Louis XV in 1774. His motets were played frequently from 1728–1771 at the Concert Spirituel
.
His choral works often alternate passages sung by the soloists with those sung by the chorus. In 1752, in Lettres sur les hommes célèbres du règne de Louis XIV, Pierre-Louis d'Aquin said that Gilles would doubtless have replaced Lalande
if he had lived long enough. Gilles died suddenly at the age of 37 in Toulouse
.
(1957) and (1965), then two landmark recordings conducted by Philippe Herreweghe
- the first paired with the Carillon des morts of Michel Corrette
(1709-1795) performed by the Collegium Vocale Gent and Musica Antiqua Köln
for Archiv (1981) the second with La Chapelle Royale for Harmonia Mundi
(1990). Other recordings include the Boston Camerata
directed by Joel Cohen (1993), Le Concert Spirituel and Hervé Niquet
(2000), and Les Passions directed by flautist Jean-Marc Andrieu (2007).
Tarascon
Tarascon , sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
.
Biography
After receiving his musical training as a choirboyChoirboy
A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble.As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" refers to someone who is considered honorable or conscientious.- History :The use of choirboys in Christian...
at the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur at Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, he succeeded his teacher Guillaume Poitevin as music master there. After moving on several times, he became music master at the Cathedral of St Etienne at Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1697, as the successor of André Campra
André Campra
André Campra was a French composer and conductor.Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. He wrote several tragédies en musique, but his chief claim to fame is as the creator of a new genre, opéra-ballet...
. His musical style was influenced by Campra, as were most musicians of his day. He composed motets and a famous requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
, which was performed for the first time at his own funeral (because the original commissioner thought it too expensive to perform), but was later sung at the funeral services for the King of Poland in 1736, Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
in 1764, and Louis XV in 1774. His motets were played frequently from 1728–1771 at the Concert Spirituel
Concert Spirituel
The Concert Spirituel was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790; later, concerts or series of concerts of the same name occurred in Paris, Vienna, London and elsewhere...
.
His choral works often alternate passages sung by the soloists with those sung by the chorus. In 1752, in Lettres sur les hommes célèbres du règne de Louis XIV, Pierre-Louis d'Aquin said that Gilles would doubtless have replaced Lalande
Michel Richard Delalande
Michel Richard Delalande [de Lalande] 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 grand motets. He also wrote orchestral suites known as "Simphonies pour les Soupers du Roy" and ballets...
if he had lived long enough. Gilles died suddenly at the age of 37 in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Works
- RequiemRequiemA Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
- Mass
- Te Deum
- 24 grands motetsGrands motetsThe grand motet was a genre of motet cultivated at the height of the French baroque, although the term dates from later French usage...
- 5 motets for grand choeur
- 3 psalms
- 10 airs for solo voices, transcribed from the grands motets.
- Leçons de ténèbresLeçons de ténèbresLeçons de ténèbres, literally lessons of darkness, are a genre of French baroque music which developed from the polyphonic lamentations settings for the tenebrae service of Renaissance composers such as Sermisy, Gesualdo, Tallis, and Tomás Luis de Victoria into virtuoso solo chamber...
Selected recordings
The Requiem is one of the most frequently recorded of all French baroque works. Recordings include two early recordings conducted by Louis FrémauxLouis Frémaux
Louis Frémaux is a French conductor.-Life and career:Frémaux comes from an artistic background; his father was a painter, and his wife was a music teacher....
(1957) and (1965), then two landmark recordings conducted by Philippe Herreweghe
Philippe Herreweghe
Philippe Herreweghe is a Flemish conductor.In his school years at the University of Ghent, Herreweghe combined studies in medical science and psychiatry with a musical education at the Ghent Conservatory, where Marcel Gazelle, Yehudi Menuhin's accompanist, was his piano teacher...
- the first paired with the Carillon des morts of Michel Corrette
Michel Corrette
Michel Corrette was a French organist, composer and author of musical method books.-Life:Corrette was born in Rouen, Normandy. His father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Corrette served as organist at the Jesuit College in Paris from about 1737 to 1780. It is also known that he...
(1709-1795) performed by the Collegium Vocale Gent and Musica Antiqua Köln
Musica Antiqua Köln
Musica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18th centuries...
for Archiv (1981) the second with La Chapelle Royale for Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi
Harmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....
(1990). Other recordings include the Boston Camerata
Boston Camerata
The Boston Camerata is an early music ensemble based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Narcissa Williamson, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as an adjunct to that museum's musical instrument collection....
directed by Joel Cohen (1993), Le Concert Spirituel and Hervé Niquet
Hervé Niquet
Hervé Niquet is a French conductor, harpsichordist, tenor, and the director of Le Concert Spirituel, specializing in French Baroque music.-Biography:...
(2000), and Les Passions directed by flautist Jean-Marc Andrieu (2007).