PROGRAM NOTES: Marin Marais (1656-1728 ... - InstantEncore

PROGRAM NOTES:
Marin Marais (1656-1728) established himself as a virtuoso of the viola da gamba
at a young age, earning the opportunity to study gamba with Monsieur de Saint
Colombe and composition with Jean-­‐Baptiste Lully. Marais became one of the most
prolific composers of bass viola da gamba repertoire.
Marais approached composition differently than his predecessors. Rather than
leaving ornamentation to the discretion of the performer, Marais created his own
system of symbols depicting specific graces. His desire to have complete control
over every gesture stemmed from his studies with Lully, a composer who was also
notorious for adding precise ornamentation instructions.
La Gamme en forme d’un petit Opera (1723) is one of several trio sonatas Marais
composed for violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord. Each instrumental part in
this piece is equally challenging, creating a contrast of virtuosic lines throughout
each voice. The title “a scale in the form of a petit opera” suggests that Marais’ goal
through this composition was to depict the same drama and variation as a short
opera. Beginning in the key of C Major, Marais travels through each step of the scale
to create these various operatic scenes. Unlike Marais’ earlier works, this piece has
very few instructions on where to ornament. Therefore, the biggest challenge as a
performer is finding ways to embellish nuances in order to depict the vast amounts
of character changes that take place in this enormous work. Because the piece was
composed in the last year of his life, Marais probable assumed anyone performing it
would have studied his earlier music and would therefore understand the style of
ornamentation he demands.
Marais is most known for his collection of suites for viola da gamba, which are
divided into 5 books of over 550 songs. Similar to the standard baroque suite,
Marais’ suites include dance movements. However, rather than having a set number
of movements per suite, Marais created books of suites that relate to a “choose-­‐
your-­‐own-­‐adventure” novel. The irony lies in the fact that Marais was determined
to control how evey ornament and gesture was placed in his music, yet left the
overall structure of the performance entirely up to the performer.
Suite in E minor from Pieces de Violes Book II exemplifies the complex detail with
which Marais composed. The movements performed today are a small selection of
the large work. All of Marais suites begin the same way, with a single Prelude. This
slow beginning introduces the overall character of the suite. This expressive and
slow movement is intended to introduce the overall character of the suite. The
irregular phrase length and improvisatory gestures bear out typical French prelude
characteristics, portraying the affect of this somber E minor suite. The light and airy
Fantasie follows, gently segueing into standard dance suite movements: Allemande,
Courante, Sarabande, and Menuet.

The conclusion of the sections I am playing today represents something
unique to Marais. In his suites he generally incorporates character pieces into the
setting, which ties much of the work together. In this suite, Marais wrote a Tombeau
(a work commemorating the death of someone) to his teacher Monsieur de Saint
Colombe. Marais meticulously planned and crated each gesture to represent the
loss of his beloved teacher. From the sound of someone’s final heartbeat, to the
weeping of someone mourning, Marais captures the essence of our emotions
through this work.