Joseph est bien marié. Marc-Antoine Charpentier

Описание: Joseph est bien marié
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
(1643 – 24 February 1704)

A Christmas carol made famous by its use in 1694 by Marc Antoine Charpentier for the first Kyrie of his “Messe de minuit pour Noel”

Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. “Messe de Minuit pour Noel” I. Kyrie. Marc-Antoine Charpentier
   • Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. “Messe de Min...  

Joseph est bien marié is secular in origin, and in theory the use of secular material in church music had been forbidden by the Council of Trent, but long traditions were tolerated. Joseph est bien marié is used in Kyrie I of the Messe de minuit pour Noël.

Messe de minuit pour Noël (Midnight mass for Christmas), is a mass for four voices and orchestra by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, written in 1694 based on the melodies of ten French Christmas carols. ( Joseph est bien marié is secular). Charpentier called for eight soloists, a duo of two sopranos and two trios of alto, tenor and bass, but it can be performed by five soloists. Choir and orchestra are in four parts, scored for flutes, strings (violins and viols), organ and basso continuo. The mass is regarded as unique in both the composer's work and in the genre. While in Charpentier's time, the mass was performed by all-male choirs, it has later been performed and recorded also by mixed choirs with modern instruments.
Charpentier composed the Messe de minuit pour Noël c. 1694 for the Jesuit church of the Église Saint-Louis in Paris where he was music director. He upheld a longstanding tradition for this mass to be celebrated around midnight as the first of three on Christmas Day: to base the music on melodies of French noëls (Christmas carols). Some of these tunes were secular in origin, and in theory the use of secular material in church music had been forbidden by the Council of Trent, but long traditions were tolerated. Charpentier had written instrumental version of nine carols, of which he used seven also for the mass. The texts of the mass ordinary were matched with ten carol tunes. The music is set for four vocal parts and a small orchestra of two flutes, strings and organ.



Claude-Bénigne Balbastre (1724-1799) composer of Joseph est bien marié, 2nd Noël from the 1ère Suite de Noëls.

Claude-Bénigne Balbastre was a French organist, harpsichordist and composer, born in Dijon. He was organist at Saint Roch and Notre-Dame de Paris. He was also harpsichordist at the French royal court in Versailles, and organist at the Chapelle Royale.
He was famous for his Noëls. So many people came every year to Saint Roch at Midnight Mass that the Archbishop of Paris had to prohibit him from playing, because of the noise and the lack of respect of the crowd...