13 Titles - Viola da Gamba Society

secular work by Charpentier to use two treble viols in combination with a pair oftransverse flutes and continuo. 8But among the most interesting and significant of the works to incorporate trebleviolwriting is the Première Leçon du Vendredy St., scored for soprano voice, treble violand continuo. 9 The part for treble viol contained here is an early and extendedexample of entirely idiomatically-conceived writing for the instrument which predatesby several decades the earliest printed solo music for dessus de viole by LouisHeudelinne. 10 The Premiere Leon thus reveals Charpentier in a new light as animportant and sympathetic composer for the treble viol, and, therefore, the workmust assume a prominent place in any study of the evolution of a uniquely Frenchmanner of writing for this instrument. 11There seems little doubt that it was the works of Henri Dumont (1610-84) [48] thatprovided the models for much of Charpentier's own sacred vocal music, 12 a connectionwhich is shown both by the musical styles adopted by the two composers and, to acertain extent, by their instrumentation and scoring. 13 Dumont seems particularly tohave favoured the treble viol (and, in turn, to have influenced Charpentier in thisrespect), and he often requests it in preference to the violin, although the latter isusually mentioned as an alternative. His Cantica Sacra II. III. IV cum Vocibus, tum etInstrumentis Modulata..... 14 (Paris, 1652-62), a collection of motets and instrumentalpieces, 15 gives seven of its obbligato accompanying parts to the treble viol which, asDumont states in his long 'Au Lecteur', can be omitted if not desired:8 F-Pn MS Vm 6 18. This work does not form part of the Meslanges.9 Meslanges IV, f41r10 See his Trois Suites de Pièces à Deux Violles .... (Paris, 1701/ R 1980) and the Second Livre de Piécespour le Dessus et Basse de Viole .... ( Paris, 1705).11 As Julie-Anne Sadie has shown in her study The Bass Viol in French Baroque Chamber Music (AnnArbor, 1980), Charpentier's Sonate pour 2 flutes Allemandes, 2 demur de violon, une base de viole, unebase de violon a 5 cordes, un clavecin et un teorbe (F-Pn Vm 7 4813) includes an important bass-viol partwhich is wholly idiomatic and illustrates the composer's obvious awareness of this instrument'smusical potential.12 According to Evrard Titon du Tiller (See Le Parnasse François (Paris, 1732), Chapitre CXXXVI,pp.388-9), Dumont was 'Organist of the Church of St. Paul [ Paris] & to Monsieur le DUCD'ANJOU [the] King's only brother, Composer & Master of Music at the King & Queen's Chapel,and at the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Silly ....'. Later, he writes 'We have several Motets by Dumont,which today are still valued by our greatest Musicians: and one can say of him that he has surpassed,above-all on account of his Church Music, all of the Musicians who have preceded him.'.13 There are many examples that could be cited here, but, in connection with those works of Charpentieralready mentioned, compare, for instance, the instrumental introductions (for two treble viols andcontinuo) to Pro omnibus festi BVM and Litanies de la Vierge with the Préludes (for the sameinstrumental combination) from Dumont's Meslanges. Charpentier's Prélude to Pro omnibus festi BVM,like many of the Dumont pieces, is of bipartite construction, having a slow and stately first section induple time, followed by a lively and fugal second section in triple time, concluding with a return to thematerial of the first section (in the manner of a French overture).14 . F-Pn 116s. Vm 1 92-9315 Contains a Pavana for treble, tenor and bass viols with organ; a Symphonia for two treble viols, bassviol and organ; an Allemande ('gayement') for the same combination, and an Allemanda gravis fortreble and two tenor viols with organ.