Michel Richard de Lalande/Delalande (1657 - 1726) 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 grands motets. He also wrote
orchestral suites known as Simphonies pour les Soupers
du Roy and ballets.
Born in Paris, he was a contemporary of Jean-Baptiste
Lully and François Couperin. Delalande taught music to
the daughters of Louis XIV of France, and was director
of the French chapel royal from 1714 unt...(+)
Michel Richard de Lalande/Delalande (1657 - 1726) 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 grands motets. He also wrote
orchestral suites known as Simphonies pour les Soupers
du Roy and ballets.
Born in Paris, he was a contemporary of Jean-Baptiste
Lully and François Couperin. Delalande taught music to
the daughters of Louis XIV of France, and was director
of the French chapel royal from 1714 until his death at
Versailles in 1726.
Delalande was arguably the greatest composer of French
grands motets, a type of sacred work that was more
pleasing to Louis XIV because of its pomp and grandeur,
written for soloists, choir and comparatively large
orchestra. According to tradition, Louis XIV organized
a contest between composers, giving them the same
sacred text and time to compose the musical setting. He
alone was the judge. Delalande was one of four winners
assigned to compose sacred music for each quarter of
the year (the other composers being Coupillet, Collasse
and Minoret). Delalande's was the most important
quarter of the year because of the Christmas holiday.
Later he had full responsibility for the church music
for the complete year. At his death, since he left no
mass of his own, the 1656 requiem of the Dukes of
Lorraine by Charles d'Helfer was sung.
Delalande left many versions of his works. His earlier
versions show adherence to French Baroque style, but
the later revisions incorporate more Italian melismatic
lines and greater attention to polyphonic
counterpoint.
Also, at least four collections of his works exist,
each displaying different looks at composer's work as
viewed by the people who assembled each collection.
Scholarship of Delalande's work was for many years
hindered because of inconsistencies in the spelling of
his last name: de Lalande, Lalande, la Lande, de la
Lande, and others. The family wrote the name as
'Delalande'. Finally, in 2006 the definitive "Thematic
Catalogue of the Works of Michel-Richard de Lalande
(1657-1726)" by noted British musicologist Lionel
Sawkins came out which runs to 752 pages containing
over 3,000 music examples and details of performing
requirements and of all source materials, as well as
with comprehensive indexes and thematic locators.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Richard_Delalande
).
Although originally created for 3 Violins, 2 Violas &
Continuo, I created this Interpretation of the Chaconne
from "Les fontaines de Versailles" (The fountains of
Versailles) for Wind Sextet (Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet,
English Horn, French Horn & Bassoon).
SHEET MUSIC