Louis de Caix d'Hervelois (pronounced: [lwi də ke
də‿ɛʁ.və.lwa]; ca. 1670, France {October 18 1759,
France) was a composer of chamber music.
Caix d'Hervelois wrote music almost exclusively
for the viol. Most of his other works exist as
transcriptions from his viol music. A native of
the north of France, almost nothing is known of
his life. However, his changing addresses appear
in his published music as well as in passing in
contemporary discussions of the viol, and in brief
notes archives. The longest archival text (1697)
documents a request by a canon of Sainte-Chapelle,
annoyed by the noise of the young chapelain
ordinaire Caix learning to play the viol, that
Caix practice in a room under the stairs. Louis de
Caix d'Hervelois was a pupil of the great Marin
Marais.
Caix's tuneful, graceful music is firmly in the
French tradition of character pieces in dance
suites. It is among the most idiomatic music
written for the viol, its apparent simplicity
deepening when interpreted in the light of the
traditions of French viol performance practice.
The French musicologist Philippe Beaussant wrote
of Caix's music and anonymity:
« L'on pourrait considérer Caix d'Hervelois comme
une sort de pseudonyme sous lequel se cacherait un
personnage réel, dont le nom est: la Viole, en
France, au moment où elle est en passe de
disparaître. »
'One might look upon Caix d'Hervelois as a sort of
pseudonym masking a person whose name was 'the
Viol of France,' just at the moment when it was
about to disappear.'
Facsimile editions of Caix's music are available
from Éditions J.M. Fuzeau, the Société de
Musicologie de Languedoc, and from Éditions August
Zurfluh, the last of which also sponsors the
Association Caix d'Hervelois. Text source : Wikipedia (Hide extended text) ... (Read all)
