Michel-Richard Delalande (1657 - 1726)

Michel Richard Delalande [de
Lalande] (15 December 1657 -
18 June 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
grand motets. He also wrote
orchestral suites known as
"Simphonies pour les Soupers
du Roy" and ballets. His works
foreshadowed the cantatas of
JS Bach and the Water Music
and oratorios of Handel.
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 a 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.
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 details of
performing requirements and of
all source materials, as well
as with comprehensive indexes
and thematic locators (Hide extended text) ... (Read all)
Source : Wikipedia

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Le papillon et la fleur; Mai, Opus 1