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Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments, H. 79 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier: a modern urtext edition with commentary
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Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments, H. 79 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier: a modern urtext edition with commentary
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Content
TROISIEME MAGNIFICAT A 4 VOIX AVEC INSTRUMENTS, H.79
BY MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER:
A MODERN URTEXT EDITION WITH COMMENTARY
by
John Kyser Russell
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
(CHORAL MUSIC)
AUGUST 2013
Copyright 2013 John Kyser Russell
ii
DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to every music mentor and supporter I have ever had,
beginning with my parents, grandparents and sister, right up to my students of the past,
present and future. I have continually found inspiration from my involvement in music
as a profession, and I owe this opportunity to the many people who took the time to help
guide me on this path. I also dedicate this project to my wife, Jill, who is a continual
source of support, strength, love and encouragement. She was also responsible for
helping me renew my love and passion for music at an important point very early in our
relationship. I simply could not have accomplished this without her by my side.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the members of my committee, Dr. Jo-Michael
Scheibe (chair), Dr. Rotem Gilbert and Dr. Nick Strimple for their leadership and
guidance throughout the dissertation process. Each one of these professors offered
valuable insight into the development of my topic, research methods and constructive
revisions. I am most grateful for the time they spent seeing this project through to its
completion.
I would also like to thank Dr. Debora Huffman, Gordon LaCross, Dr. Lesley
Leighton, and all of my graduate school colleagues for their great help and support
throughout the duration of my degree program.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
List of Music Examples v
List of Tables vii
Abstract viii
Chapter One: Project Overview 1
Introduction 1
Sources and Current Scholarship 4
Concise Biography 7
Chapter Two: Editorial Concerns 15
Editorial Practices 15
Vocal Scoring 18
Instrumental Scoring 22
Basso Continuo 30
Meter 32
Other Score Details 35
Chapter Three: Performance Concerns 39
String Ensemble 39
Ornamentation 42
Notes Inégales and Overdotting 44
Modern Performance Conclusions 49
The Urtext Edition 50
H. 79 Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments 50
Bibliography 130
Appendix: Translation 133
v
LIST OF MUSIC EXAMPLES
Example 1. Charpentier’s use of the dotted note over the bar 16
Example 2. Modernized transcription of dotted note over the bar 16
Example 3. Charpentier's lack of beaming in the vocal lines 16
Example 4. In the urtext the beams are added to conform to meter in use 16
Example 5. Charpentier's use of void notation 17
Example 6. The modern transcription of the void notation 17
Example 7. The beginning of the "gloria patri" text 21
Example 8. Scoring indication for "Pre fl.", and "Sde fl." 23
Example 9. Scoring indication for bass violins 25
Example 10. Scoring indication for "Pr vion", and "Sd vion" 26
Example 11. The basso continuo figures that appear in the bass violin part 30
Example 12. The actual basso continuo line from m. 41 31
Example 13. Mm. 60-61 showing the setting of the word "misericordia" 34
Example 14. Mm. 219-222 showing the setting of the word "misericordiae" 34
Example 15. Mm. 219-222 showing the transcription of "misericordiae" 34
Example 16. The title page from H.79 36
Example 17. In m. 133, the first syllable of the word "sedes" 37
Example 18. In m. 62, the wavy slur above the first syllable of "ejus" 37
Example 19. In m. 47, the text "et sanctum sanctum nomen ejus" 38
Example 20. M. 59 shows a divisi of the tailles de violon 42
vi
Example 21. Shows the trill indication above the taille line 43
Example 22. A suggested interpretation for an accelerating trill 44
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Outline of H.79 Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix sections 3
Table 2. Vocal Ranges in H.79 19
Table 3. Outline of H.79 indicating primary and secondary soloists 22
Table 4. Original clefs and modern transcriptions 29
Table 5. Error corrections in H.79 38
Table 6. Suggested use of notes inégales 47
viii
ABSTRACT
This document is a critical urtext with commentary of Marc-Antoine
Charpentier's Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments, H.79. It includes a review
of recent research about Charpentier and his music, a concise bibliographical sketch of
his life and work and an investigation into the process of bringing this particular work
into a clear, modern edition. It was not until the middle of the twentieth century that
musicologists began in earnest the process of studying and performing much of the music
of Charpentier. A debt of gratitude is owed to Hugh Wiley Hitchcock for his
groundbreaking research into the composer's life and for editing Charpentier's
manuscripts and creating a catalogue of his works. This initial foray into the music of
Charpentier spawned further interest by other scholars and musicians, eventually leading
to the great research that continues today.
The edition created here is primarily an urtext, and for the most part remains
unedited from Charpentier's original source. Several components have been modernized
by virtue of practicality and modern convention. Modern clefs are utilized throughout
and an incipit is included on the opening page, which indicates the original clefs used in
the manuscript. The clefs used are a vital part of decoding the score, as the type of clef
used by Charpentier remains one of the few indicators in his manuscripts as to
instrumentation. The bass figures are not realized, but are included in the same manner
that Charpentier indicated.
Some performance practice ideas are considered, including the choice of modern
string instruments that best imitate the multi-sized French violins that would most likely
ix
have been played in Charpentier's time. Some thoughts regarding ornamentation and
note inequality (notes inégales) are included as well as an English translation of the Latin
Magnificat text.
The primary reason for the creation of this edition is the opportunity to look closer
at the choral music of a master composer of the French Baroque. The existence of this
urtext edition should continue to encourage the creation of modern editions of
Charpentier's many unpublished compositions. This new edition should serve as an aid
to realizing a modern performance of H.79. Conductors who prepare H.79 and other
compositions by Marc-Antoine Charpentier will find the discussion of historical context,
editorial practices, and performing styles a resource, and hopefully will facilitate further
study.
1
CHAPTER ONE
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to provide a modern urtext edition of Marc-Antoine
Charpentier’s unpublished H.79 Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments,
(hereafter H.79) which is available as a facsimile version of the original manuscripts.
The original is housed in the Biblothèque Nationale in Paris (Rés. Vm
1
259). This
composition, written between the years 1692 and 1693, is one example of Charpentier's
settings of the Magnificat text. By creating a new, modern edition of H.79 the hope is to
offer the opportunity for public performance and further study of this and other
Magnificat settings composed by Charpentier. Though the aim was to create the modern
edition with as few changes as possible, still many editorial decisions needed to be made.
Charpentier composed at least 548 works during his lifetime, and although he
died in 1703, much of his compositional output remains unavailable in modern published
scores. The Magnificat, the revered text of the canticle of the Virgin Mary for Sunday
vespers, was set ten times by Charpentier during his lifetime.
1
Six of these settings have
been published in different modern performing editions.
2
Each of his settings includes
the same creative diversity of compositional traits seen in his mass settings and other
1
Catherine Cessac and Reinhard G. Pauly, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Portland: Amadeus Press,
1995), 551.
2
Catherine Cessac, "Catalogue of Modern Editions," Marc-Antoine Charpentier Research and
Documentation: Modern Editions, January 1, 2012, accessed January 14, 2013,
http://www.charpentier.culture.fr/fr/html/doc/fs_rech_1.php.
2
sacred music. The extant Magnificat settings range from a three-voice version,
Magnificat à 3 voix (H.73) that includes a repeated obbligato bass line (a descending
tetrachord of G-F-E-flat-D that occurs eighty-nine times), to an eight-voice setting,
Magnificat à 8 voix et 8 instruments (H.74), that includes a double chorus with a
strikingly symmetrical structuring of the measures written for each movement. Of the
four that remain unpublished, H.72, H.75, H.79 and H.81, this setting of H.79 was chosen
due to its accessible duration, and practicality to modern performers of sacred music.
3
The manuscript for H.79 is housed in Paris at the Bibliothèque Nationale de
France.
4
However, a clean facsimile of this work is available in the published edition:
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Œuvres completes, I: Meslanges autographes, 28 vols,
published under the direction of H. Wiley Hitchcock (Paris, 1990-2004).
5
As with many of his Magnificat settings, in H.79 Charpentier had a tendency to
move seamlessly from one section of the text to the next. Table 1 represents the initial
outline of H.79's movements and scoring. The idiosyncrasies in the manuscript including
clefs, orchestration, ensemble, ornamentation and pitch will all be discussed in further
detail in the following chapters.
3
The clarity of the autograph manuscript is quite clear and concise. Most all of Charpentier's
autograph manuscripts are quite neat and easy to read.
4
The Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix exists in Volume 24 of the complete works and also includes
H. 7 Messe des morts à 4 voix, as well as a collection of psalms and motets. The facsimile
provides a clear autograph copy of the work in the hand of Charpentier.
5
Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Hugh Wiley Hitchcock, Oeuvres Complètes. 1, Meslanges
Autographes, Paris: Minkoff, 1990.
3
Table 1. Outline of H. 79 Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix sections based on scoring
changes
Measures Text Scoring
1-15 Prelude Str., Bc.
16-31 Magnificat anima mea Hc, 2 Fl., Str. Bc.
32-59 Quia fecit mihi magna Chorus, Str. Bc.
60-104 Et misericordia ejus B, 2 V., Bc.
105-190 Fecit potentiam Chorus, Str. Bc.
191-253 Suscepit Israel T, 2 Fl., Bc.
254-277 Sicut locutus est A, T, B, Bc.
278-348 Gloria Patri A, T, B, Chorus, Str., Bc.
349-364 Sicut erat in principio A, T, B, Bc.
365-end Et in saecula saeculorum, Amen Chorus, Str., Bc.
4
Sources And Current Scholarship
H. Wiley Hitchcock was one of the most influential scholars of the music of
Marc-Antoine Charpentier. His early publications included the first English-language
article on the composer in 1955 and the first book on Charpentier in English.
6
It is his
enthusiasm for uncovering the music of Charpentier during the second half of the
twentieth century that led to a surge in publication of research and scholarly output at the
start of the twenty first century, and which continues today.
7
Hitchcock is recognized for
his groundbreaking work that allows for the continued enjoyment and study of the
remarkable compositions of Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
In addition to directing the publication of the twenty-eight volume Meslanges
autographes, H. Wiley Hitchcock also compiled a complete catalogue of Charpentier’s
works that is deemed invaluable to those researching the composer and his music.
8
Published in 1982, the catalogue provides a thematic compilation of all of Charpentier’s
works and includes dates and text sources as well as a list of published editions and
discographies when available. A final important element of this work is a modern
transcription of the first few measures of each composition, a detail that helps
immeasurably when matching up the manuscripts with the catalogue. All of
6
H. Wiley Hitchcock, "The Latin Oratorios Of Marc-Antoine Charpentier," The Musical
Quarterly XLI, no. 1 (1955): 41-65. ; Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Oxford, 1990).
7
Examples of the scholarship include the works of Shirley Thompson and Catherine Cessac, as
well as well-known performing ensembles such as William Christie's early music ensemble Les
Arts Florissants.
8
H. Wiley Hitchcock, Les œuvres De Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Catalogue Raisonné = The
Works of Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Paris: Picard, 1982).
5
Charpentier’s works are typically referenced using their corresponding numerical entry in
Hitchcock’s catalogue, using the initial “H” as the prefix.
Catherine Cessac
9
, Patricia Ranum and Shirley Thompson are three scholars that
have taken up where H. Wiley Hitchcock concluded in the cataloging and scholarship of
Charpentier's music. In 2004, Catherine Cessac published the second edition of Marc-
Antoine Charpentier, a comprehensive biography of the composer, which also includes a
catalog of works sorted by chronology and scoring.
10
She also maintains an invaluable
list of published works from the twenty-eight volumes of the Minkoff facsimiles that is
essential in determining which of Charpentier’s compositions still have not been
published in modern performing editions. These documents are housed online on the
French State Department of Culture’s website on pages specifically dedicated to the study
of the life and music of Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
11
Cessac is also leading the CMBV’s
‘monumentales’ series of publications, which includes scholarly editions of many of
Charpentier’s compositions.
Patricia Ranum is the author of Portraits around Marc-Antoine Charpentier, a
thorough book published in 2004 that examines the life of Charpentier through the study
of those associated with him.
12
She also maintains a comprehensive website titled Panat
9
Catherince Cessac is the Director of Research at the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles
(CMBV), and is the leading scholar of Marc-Antoine Charpentier in France.
10
Catherine Cessac, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Paris: Fayard, 2004).
11
"Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Musicien Du Baroque," Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Musicien Du
Baroque, accessed March 03, 2013, http://www.charpentier.culture.fr/.
12
Patricia M. Ranum, Portraits around Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Baltimore: Dux Femina
Facti, 2004).
6
Times that is continuously updated with her scholarly findings and musings on
Charpentier.
13
Ranum is also known for her in depth research of the House of Guise,
which is the Parisian estate where Charpentier lived and worked upon his return from
Italy. Her original article about the Guise house relates directly to the premise of the later
book in that it looks to the people associated with Charpentier as a way to understand him
as a person and a musician.
14
Shirley Thompson’s recently published New Perspectives on Marc-Antoine
Charpentier, is a collection of essays on the life, music and performance practices of the
composer. It was published in 2010 and came about following the 2004 conference titled
‘Charpentier and His World’, hosted by the Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham
City University, United Kingdom where Thompson is the Director of Postgraduate
Studies. All four of the scholars mentioned here contributed in some way to the edition,
which includes scholarship by musicologists and performers from France, the United
States and the United Kingdom and therefore brings attention to all aspects of this
manuscript from performance practice to chronology.
15
13
"Ranums' Panat Times," Ranums' Panat Times, accessed January 16, 2013,
http://ranumspanat.com/index.htm.
14
Patricia Ranum, "A Sweet Servitude: A Musician's Life at the Court of Mille De Guise," Early
Music XV, no. 3 (1987): 347-60.
15
Shirley Thompson, New Perspectives on Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Farnham, Surrey,
England: Ashgate, 2010).
7
Concise Biography
The biography of Marc-Antoine Charpentier begins with the honest summation
that very little is known about his early life. He was born in Paris in 1643 and was the
son of Louis Charpentier, a copyist, whose craft undoubtedly influenced the great
calligraphic skill that Marc-Antoine demonstrates in his autograph manuscripts
16
. It is
also known that during the 1660s he spent time in Rome studying music with Giacomo
Carissimi (1605-1674). Carissimi was employed as a director of music at the Jesuits’
German College and was a prominent composer of church music including cantatas and
oratorios.
17
It is likely that during Charpentier's time in Italy he was also influenced by
other Italian composers of the time including Luigi Rossi, Orazio Benevoli and Peir
Francesco Cavalli.
18
The influence of Carissimi and the other Italian composers on
Charpentier is evident in many of his compositions, in particular the Latin oratorios he
would compose upon his return to France.
19
It is most likely that Charpentier returned to Paris around 1670 and quite soon
after took up residency in the home of Marie de Lorraine, better known as Mademoiselle
16
Catherine Cessac and Reinhard G. Pauly, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Portland: Amadeus
Press, 1995), 26.
17
Andrew V. Jones, "Carissimi, Giacomo," Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press, accessed March 3, 2013,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/04932.
18
David C. Rayl and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, introduction, in Nine Settings of the Litanies De
La Vierge (Madison, WI: A-R Editions, 1994), vii.
19
Cessac, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 33.
8
de Guise. Outside of the court of Louis XIV, Marie de Lorraine was considered to be one
of the most important supporters of the arts in France at the time and hosted a great
number of professional musicians in her home.
20
The Guise family were supporters of
the arts, and after inheriting a family fortune in 1675 the House of Guise was in a position
to commission and perform several works by Charpentier, including several oratorios, or
dramatic motets.
21
Of particular note are devotional works to the Virgin Mary, who was
the patron saint of Mademoiselle de Guise.
22
Charpentier composed many such works
during his time at the House of Guise, where his main responsibility was a composer of
sacred music for Marie de Lorraine’s private chapel. Although Charpentier was not the
director of the Guise musical ensemble, he was responsible for the composition of much
of the music performed, as well as sharing some of the responsibilities of performing the
music himself, as a haute-contre (contralto).
23
Many of Charpentier’s autograph
manuscripts composed during his residency at the House of Guise include the names and
initials of specific performers from his time with the Guise ensemble. For example, the
20
Ranum, "A Sweet Servitude," 348.
21
H. Wiley Hitchcock, "Charpentier, Marc-Antoine," Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online,
Oxford University Press, accessed January 18, 2013,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/05471.
22
"Ranums' Panat Times," Ranums' Panat Times, Accessed January 16, 2013,
http://ranumspanat.com/index.htm.
23
Ranum, "A Sweet Servitude," 348.
9
taille (tenor) part in H.79, references Claude Desvoyes, a known Parisian tenor of the
time.
24
Charpentier’s association with Mademoiselle de Guise should not be
underestimated in how it influenced his career as well as the many commissions he would
compose while in her employ. It is quite possible that the princess was very influential in
recruiting friends of her house to commission his compositions. Charpentier’s
association with Mademoiselle de Guise likely led to two other significant appointments
that would overlap his service to her. In 1672 he was recruited to replace Jean Baptiste
Lully as the composer for the renowned playwright Molière.
25
Moliére had recently
dissolved his relationship with Lully after the composer established the Académie Royale
de Musique, which effectively prohibited the performance of any exclusively musical
work without the written authority of Lully. This monopolization of musical authority
opened the door for Charpentier to collaborate with Moliére on several productions.
Charpentier composed all of the music for the play Le malade imaginaire, which
premiered in February of 1673 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal.
26
Although Moliére died
soon after this collaboration, Charpentier continued his relationship with the performing
company, which eventually evolved into the Comédie-Françase.
27
24
Cessac, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 172.
25
Hitchcock, "Charpentier, Marc-Antoine."
26
Marc Antoine Charpentier and John S. Powell, Music for Molière's Comedies (Madison, WI:
A-R, 1990), viii.
27
Ibid.
10
While still in the employment of the House of Guise, Charpentier continued to
become known as a talented church musician and composer. In 1679 he composed a
solemn mass for the Feast of St. Louis, which was sponsored by court artist Charles Le
Brun, and in 1680 it is reported by the Mercure Galant that crowds of people went to
hear his Tenebrae music for the Cistercian convent of the Abbaye-aux-Bois.
28
During the
early 1680s Charpentier began to compose music for the chapel of the Grand Dauphin,
the son of King Louis XIV. Although the Grand Dauphin’s chapel was separate from the
chapel royal of the King, Louis XIV was said to have highly favored the music of
Charpentier, going so far as to request some of his motets be sung every day at his own
private mass.
29
In 1683, Louis XIV reorganized the royal chapel and in doing so created a
vacancy in the position of sous-maître (music director and composer). Charpentier was
one of thirty-five candidates for the position and actually passed through the first round
of elimination. However, according to the Mercure Galant of April 1683 he was forced
to withdraw due to illness.
30
Unfortunately for Charpentier, this was the closest he would
ever come to claiming an official court position. However, the king did bestow a pension
on Charpentier following his withdrawal from the competition. This compensation was
most likely a reward for his continued work for the Dauphin.
31
28
H. Wiley Hitchcock, "Charpentier, Marc-Antoine."
29
Ibid.
30
Ibid.
31
Ibid.
11
Charpentier most likely left the musical patronage of Mademoiselle de Guise
during the mid-1680s. It was during this time that he was named the maître de musique
to the primary church of the Jesuits in Paris, Saint-Louis, a church that was later renamed
to Saint Paul-Saint Louis. By assuming this position, Charpentier assumed what
Sébastian de Brossard considered to be one of the finest musical posts in French musical
life.
32
Although no longer residing in the House of Guise, Charpentier most likely had
the Princess to thank for his new position with the Jesuits.
33
Her family had actually
contributed to the creation of the church, and she had called upon the services of spiritual
advisors from among the Jesuits.
34
Charpentier composed numerous sacred compositions
for the Jesuits during this time, including Tenebrae service music and the Latin oratorios
In nativitatem Domini Canticum (H.416), Dialogus inter Christum et homines (H.417),
and In honorem Sancti Ludovici Regis Galliae (H.418). The vespers services, in
particular, were known to be quite popular with the French nobility of the time and would
probably have generated a further reaching appreciation for Charpentier’s talent.
35
In
addition to the sacred music for the church, he also composed several dramatic works for
two Parisian Jesuit colleges, the Jesuit Collège d’Harcourt (no.498) and the Collège de
Louis-le-Grand.
36
32
Ibid.
33
Ibid.
34
Ranum, "A Sweet Servitude," 360.
35
Rayl and Charpentier, introduction, viii.
36
H. Wiley Hitchcock, "Charpentier, Marc-Antoine."
12
It was during his tenure at Saint-Louis that Charpentier likely composed H.79.
Cessac attributes H.79 to sometime in the early 1690s (1692-93) and this falls into the
timespan when Charpentier was working for the Jesuits.
37
Other clues to the dating of the
work include the singer names that are written into the manuscript by Charpentier.
Catherine Cessac indicates that many of the singers who are indicated by name were
known members of he Académie Royale.
38
Although there is no direct link, they likely
participated in the performances of sacred works by Charpentier at Saint-Louis.
39
The
Parisian Opera singers names in Charpentier's sacred works frequently included Jean Dun,
Jean Boutlou, Desvoyes and Charles Hardouin, all who were known to be regular
performers at the Académie.
40
Cessac uses the existence of these singer names to date
other similar sacred works that exist from around the same period including H.211 De
profundis à 4 voix (Hardouin), H.225 Confiebor à 4 voix et instruments (Boutlou,
Desvoyes, Hardouin, and Dun), and H.10 Messe des morts à 4 voix et symphonie (Dun).
41
In 1698, with the death of François Chaperon, the position of maître de musique
of the Saint-Chappelle became available. Saint-Chappelle was the gothic chapel located
in the Palais de Justice, and was considered by many to be one of the most important
posts in French sacred music, second only to the royal chapel at Versailles. Charpentier
37
Ibid.
38
Cessac, Charpentier, 171.
39
Ibid., 172.
40
Ibid.
41
Ibid., 464-467.
13
was awarded the position after an intercession by the Duke of Chartres, the nephew of the
king, who was a student of Charpentier’s at the time.
42
His duties at Saint-Chappelle
included directing music at all services and ceremonies, composing music, and
instructing the choirboys in solfege, plainsong, counterpoint and vocal technique.
43
This
was one of the most important positions of Charpentier’s career, and it was during this
time that he composed a number of significant compositions, including the motet pour
longue offrande (H. 434), the dramatic motet (oratorio) Judicium Salomonis (H. 422), and
one of his greatest masses, Missa Assumpta est Maria (H. 11). Charpentier held this
position until his death on February 24, 1704.
44
Although he was a prolific composer and well-respected church musician, very
little of his compositional output was published during his lifetime. Christophe Ballard, a
publisher in Paris, published Airs de la comedie de Circé in 1676 and Médée in 1694.
45
Charpentier’s manuscripts have been well preserved, and include the majority of his
compositional output. Fortunately for this author, Charpentier was meticulous about
cataloging and compiling his work. After his death, his manuscripts were given to
Charpentier’s nephew and heir, Jacques Edouard, who himself was a Parisian bookseller
and printer.
46
In 1709, Edouard published a collection of twelve petits motets.
42
Ibid.
43
Ibid.
44
Rayl and Charpentier, introduction, viii.
45
Ibid.
46
Cessac, Charpentier, 22.
14
Unfortunately, the publication had very little commercial success and Edouard chose not
continue to publish any of his other compositions. In 1727, after failing to sell the
manuscripts to private collectors, he sold them, now somewhat incomplete, to the king’s
library. The collection remained in the library, in relative obscurity, until French
musicologists uncovered it in the early part of the twentieth century and began to edit and
perform the compositions contained within.
47
The collection, which is now referred to as
the Meslanges autographes, were bound in twenty-eight volumes, and are now available
in facsimile format in libraries around the world.
48
47
H. Wiley Hitchcock, "Charpentier, Marc-Antoine."
48
Ibid.
15
CHAPTER TWO
EDITORIAL CONCERNS
Editorial Practices
The source used for this edition was the facsimile version of the score for H.79
located in volume twenty-four of the Mélanges autographs prepared by H. Wiley
Hitchcock.
1
This is a facsimile of the only known version of this work, and the original
is held in the Biblothèque Nationale in Paris (Rés. Vm
1
259). Charpentier’s autograph is
quite clear, especially considering it is hand written. However, even with a clean
manuscript there are still notational conventions that are different from the modern style
of engraving and must be reconciled when creating a new edition. Very few changes
were made to the notational style used by Charpentier, only allowing a few variances for
clarity, and to conform to modern musical notation.
All editorial changes, or updates, that were made in the engraving process by the
author are included in brackets. These include instrument names, voices, singer names,
and solo sections. Some general alterations were made by the author that are consistent
throughout the score, however they are not bracketed. This includes updating
Charpentier’s practice of carrying dotted notes across the barline, in which case ties were
added, as in Example 1 and 2.
1
Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Hugh Wiley Hitchcock, Oeuvres Complètes. 1, Meslanges
Autographes, (Paris: Minkoff, 1990).
16
Example 1. Charpentier’s use of the dotted note over the bar in m. 372 going in to m. 373
of the H. 79 manuscript.
Example 2. The modernized transcription with the added tie over the barline.
Beams in multiple groupings have been updated to modern scoring. These include
updates to the beaming used by Charpentier, eliminating his overlong beams and
substituting modern, metric beaming. In addition, a more legible and modernized
beaming in the vocal lines, shown in Example 3 and 4, was created.
Example 3. Charpentier's lack of beaming in the vocal lines, shown in mm. 349-350 of
the manuscript of H. 79.
Example 4. In the urtext the beams have been added to conform to the meter in use.
17
All original mensuration signs and final longs have been retained throughout the urtext
edition. In sections of 2, the meter sign has been retained, Charpentier’s practices of
using void notation
2
, or croches blanches has been updated as if the passage was written
within the context of a modern 2, which is shown in Example 5 and 6.
Example 5. Charpentier's use of void notation (croches blanches) in mm. 190-196 of
H.79, the opening of the tenor aria Suscepit Israel.
Example 6. The modern transcription of the void notation of the same passage in H.79.
All of the clefs have been modernized without the inclusion of brackets. Additionally, all
of Charpentier’s basso continuo figures are included. However, following the tradition of
an urtext, the bass figures are not realized.
It was Charpentier’s convention to cancel out the use of an accidental by using the
opposite accidental rather than the modern convention of a natural sign. For instance, an
F-Sharp accidental would be canceled by a notated F-Flat. This convention was updated
by the author in the urtext edition, but was not bracketed. The text underlay as written by
2
Void notation was a common practice by Charpentier and others during the French Baroque,
which included the use of open note heads with beams similar to modern eighth notes.
18
Charpentier is quite specific. However, any discrepancies or obscured text was matched
up with the Magnificat text in the Liber Usualis.
3
Vocal Scoring
H.79's vocal scoring is quite straightforward. Charpentier utilized four clefs which
specifically indicate four distinct voice types: dessus (soprano), haute-contre (alto), taille
(tenor), and basse (bass). He indicates the use of solo voicings as well by writing the
words seul (solo) and tous (all) above the haute-contre, taille and basse lines. This
practice is similar to the modern convention of solo and tutti used in modern scores when
vocal solo lines are not written on a separate staff. Although he does not specifically
label the voices in the score, both Hitchcock and Cessac agree in their respective
catalogues with the assignment of these specific voice parts. Table 2 indicates the
specific voice types that are employed in H.79 as well as the ranges that are required for
the soloists and the choir, and again references the original clefs used by Charpentier to
define the vocal scoring. Although Hitchcock indicates that the work is scored for two
alto, two tenor and two bass soloists, the work is composed in such a way that none of the
solos demand two singers.
4
It would certainly be permissible to use only three soloists
instead of six.
3
The Liber Usualis, (Tournai Belgium: Desclee, 1962), 207.
4
Charpentier and Hitchcock, Oeuvres Complètes. 1, 130.
19
Table 2. Vocal Ranges in H.79
Original Clef Voicing Chorus Range Soloist Range
Dessus (Soprano)
No solos assigned
Haute-Contre (Alto)
Taille (Tenor)
Basse (Bass)
20
Hitchcock notes that his scoring recommendations are based on the names of the
six singers that appear in the score itself, of which five are clearly identifiable and one,
the name of the second tenor soloist, is illegible.
5
The singer names that appear are:
Mr. Boutlar, alto
Mr. Solé, alto
Mr. Desvoyer, tenor
Mr. Hard[ouin], bass
Mr. Dun, bass
Catherine Cessac identifies all the singer surnames, some who were associated with the
Paris Opéra, as those who most likely were employed by the Jesuits to perform at the
church of Saint-Louis.
6
Although the practice of hiring opera singers cannot be proven, it
seems quite possible that this was common. The Jesuit church of Saint-Louis was well
known to employ singers from the Paris Opéra for their church music, something that
Charpentier seemed to take advantage of.
7
One singer in particular, Jean Dun, appears in
over twenty works in Charpentier's manuscripts. He was a well-known bass at the Paris
Opéra from 1684 to 1720 who performed in over thirty-seven operas and created the role
of Créon in Médée for Jean-Baptiste Lully. The other singers known to be associated with
the Académie Royale were Jean Boutlou (haute-contre), Desvoyes (taille), and Charles
Hardouin (bass). The singer Solé (haute-contre) is not associated with the Paris Opéra,
5
Ibid.
6
Cessac, Charpentier, 171.
7
Ibid.
21
and it is suggested by Cessac that he was possibly a freelance singer of the time.
8
Three
of the soloists, Mr. Boutlar (haute-contre), Mr. Hardouin (bass) and Mr. Desvoyer (taille)
receive extended solo work in H.79. All three singers are assigned solo material of at
least sixteen measures. Mr. Hardouin and Mr. Desvoyer both sing solo movements of at
least forty measures, each of which could stand apart as single solo works, even out of the
context of the complete Magnificat. The remaining soloists are indicated by name at the
start of the "gloria patri" text, and are composed as a solo trio, as shown in Example 7.
Example 7. The beginning of the "gloria patri" text with individual singer names written
above each part. Sde Solé (haute-contre) and Sde Mr Dun (bass) are legible. The name
of the tenor (taille) soloist is not recognized or legible.
They are identified by name, but with the Sde prefix, indicating that they are likely not
the primary soloists. This designation emphasizes the fact that Charpentier probably
wrote the work with six vocal soloists in mind, even though just three singers could easily
cover the solo parts. In this interpretation of the solo scoring, the primary soloists are
those who receive nearly complete solo movements and the secondary soloists are those
8
Ibid.
22
who are asked only to sing one on a part in a solo trio. Table 3 organizes the type of
soloist scoring as called for in Charpentier's instructions.
Table 3. Outline of H.79 indicating primary and secondary soloists
Measures Text Soloist(s)
16-31
Magnificat anima
mea
Pre Mr. Boutlar (haute-contre)
60-104 Et misericordia ejus Pre Mr. Hard[ouin] (basse)
191-253 Suscepit Israel Pre Mr. Desvoyer (taille)
254-277 Sicut locutus est Pre haute-contre, Pre taille, Pre basse
278-348 Gloria Patri
Sde Solé (haute-contre), Sde ? (taille), Sde Mr.
Dun (basse)
349-364
Sicut erat in
principio
Sde haute-contre, Sde taille, Sde basse
Instrumental Scoring
Charpentier did not identify specific instrumental scoring at the opening of the
Magnificat. With the absence of a label, we are left to interpret the performing forces
based on the types of clefs that are used on each staff. In H.79, Charpentier used seven
different clefs, only two of which still appear regularly in modern scores. The use of
each clef is helpful in determining the instrumentation and voicing for the work in the
absence of modern labels. With the exception of the French violin clef (G, first line),
Charpentier used each clef exclusively for a particular instrument or voice type. In doing
so, he provides the necessary clues for setting up the engraving of a modern transcription
23
based solely on information from within the manuscript itself. The only instance of
specific labeling of scoring preferences occurs in order to clarify the shared usage of the
French violin clef. In addition, the ambiguity with which Charpentier labeled the flute
parts in his manuscript creates many different possible interpretations. At the opening of
the second section of the work, following the opening prelude, he indicates that flutes
should be used. This indication, shown in Example 8, is written in the score following
the conclusion of the Prelude. This is the first indication of the desired use of the flutes
in the work. The use of the term flute by Charpentier, without qualifying the type, seems
to indicate that recorders would have been used.
9
In his manuscripts he would typically
indicate when the use of transverse flutes was expected, the indication flute allemandes,
as occurs in 13 works in Charpentier’s manuscripts.
10
Example 8. Scoring indication for “Pre fl.”, and “Sde fl.”. The first instruction regarding
scoring in the entire work, contained within m. 16 of the Magnificat. It indicates that the
flutes should play on the staves with the French violin clef (G, first line).
9
Shirley Catherine Thompson, "The Autograph Manuscripts of Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Clues
to Performance" (PhD diss., University of Hull, 1997), 91-100.
10
Ibid., 95.
24
The scoring of H. 79 by H. Wiley Hitchcock in his comprehensive catalogue
reads as follows:
Two alto soloists
Two tenor soloists
Two bass soloists
Four-part chorus (Treble, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
Two flutes
Four strings (including bass violin)
Bass continuo instrument
Keyboard continuo instrument
11
In the introduction to the catalogue, Hitchcock indicates that it is occasionally the
practice of Charpentier to rely on the assigned clef within the work to help determine the
precise instrument to be played when there is not one labeled.
12
Catherine Cessac
concurs with Hitchcock with regard to his scoring indications for H.79, but also takes into
account three places within the score where Charpentier specifically indicated that bass
violins should be played. Each instance of this instruction indicates that they should
double the choral bass part. She goes further to describe the particular string ensemble
and clef assignments called for in this work. Because of the absence of the alto clef (C3)
in H. 79, Cessac assigns the work to a standard four-part string ensemble composed of
dessus (G1), haute-contre (C1), taille (C2) and bass (F4). This four-part ensemble will be
11
Charpentier and Hitchcock, Oeuvres Complètes. 1, 42.
12
For example, when instrumental parts are written in the tenor (C4) or alto (C3) clef, they
typically refer to viols and not members of the violin family.
25
discussed in further detail later on, however it does serve as the scoring basis for the
instrumental parts in the edition engraved here. Example 9 shows the first instance of
Charpentier’s score indication for bass violins. Here he includes the stipulation that a
fourth string instrument be utilized for this work, and specifically assigns the bass violin
to play with the chorus basses on two occasions within the score.
Example 9. Scoring indication for bass violins to play with the basses of the chorus.
"Basses de violon pour les choeur."
It is important to note that Charpentier was not in the habit of specifically labeling
his scores with regard to scoring or voicing. This inconsistent practice is apparent
throughout his surviving manuscripts and is an important consideration when transcribing
from the original source. On the occasion that labels were used, they were most likely to
point out a very specific voicing or scoring indication, or change in scoring. The
inconsistency in which Charpentier used specific labels likely derived from his practice
of composing music that he would direct himself. Therefore, the necessity for writing in
names of instruments or voice types would have been impractical. In addition, since he
very often wrote music with particular establishments in mind, for instance the House of
26
Guise, the standard orchestration and voicing would have been obvious and unnecessary
to write in the score.
13
The next instance of specific score labeling regarding instrumentation is at the
start of the bass solo “et misericordia”. Here, Charpentier indicates that the two
instruments utilizing the French violin clef should now be the first and second violins.
This indication is made on the margin of the manuscript and is shown in Example 10
below.
Example 10. Scoring indication for “Pr vion” and “Sd vion”. Instructing that the French
violin clef (G, first line) now refers to the first and second violins rather than the first and
second flutes. The score indication is written in the margin just before m. 60.
The next direct scoring indication comes at the beginning of the tenor solo section
“Suscepit Israel”. Here again, Charpentier indicates that the flutes should perform from
the French violin clefs as the pair of obbligato instruments accompanying the tenor
soloist. The score instructions are written in the margin of the manuscript following the
conclusion of the tutti section setting the text “et divites et dimissit inanes”. At no point
does Charpentier indicate that the flutes and the violins should share the same line of
13
Thompson, "The Autograph Manuscripts of Marc-Antoine Charpentier," 37.
27
music. However, because there is no direct indication that the violins should return, we
must make a judgment based on past practice. Specifically looking to where the other
string parts begin to play. The clefs and score order for H.79 is probably the best
indication of instruments without clear, specific labels for each part in the score. By
paying careful attention to where written instructions are used, and where clefs are
changed, we can conclude with a fair degree of certainty Charpentier’s intended scoring.
Table 4 (see p. 29) lists the original clefs and indicates what voice part or
instrumental part they refer to as well as the clef into which they were transposed in this
edition. The original scoring cites Cessac and Hitchcock, who both used a similar
process to determine the scoring of works when there was no indication or label written
by Charpentier.
14
Within the urtext edition, the score labels that correspond to the
conventional use in the French Baroque period are included in brackets, as well as those
that correspond to scoring indications used in recent critical editions of Charpentier’s
compositions.
15
The use of the Bass violin to bolster the basses in the chorus is an interesting
instruction. Following his practice in other works where he specifically calls for the use
of the bass violins, Charpentier uses it here as a companion to the basso continuo.
Although this appears to be its principal function, the written instruction and variance in
14
Both Cessac and Hitchcock concluded their findings by studying all of the existing manuscripts.
Hitchcock's catalogue was published first and served as a reference for Cessac's later
chronological study. Both scholars worked independently and came up with the same scoring for
H.79.
15
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Magnificat, H. 74, (Versailles: Editions du Centre de musique
baroque de Versailles, 1997).
28
the melodic and rhythmic line differs from the true basso continuo line in several places
in order to align itself with the rhythm of the bass chorus line. Charpentier indicated the
use of the bass violin in over forty of his existing manuscripts, and all include the
indication in the score that the instrument should help to fill out the basso continuo
lines.
16
That corresponds with the usage in H.79 and is discussed in further detail below.
16
Cessac, Charpentier, 422-485.
29
Table 4. Original clefs and modern transcriptions in H.79
Original Clef
Modern
Transcription
Original Scoring Modern Scoring
Flûte 1, Flûte 2,
Dessus de violon
Flute 1, Flute 2,
Violin 1
Dessus Soprano
Haute-contre de
violon
Violin 2
Taille de violon Viola
Hautes-contre Alto
Taille Tenor
Basse Bass
30
Basso Continuo
The terms and abbreviations used to label the continuo line include “accomp,”
“basse contin,” “basse continue,” and a smudged, illegible indication that likely reads
“basses de violon et contin.” Charpentier's continuo figures were primarily written in
relation the bottom staff of each score throughout H.79. There is only one deviation from
this practice, and it occurs in the bass violin part in m. 41 where there are figures written
above this line as well. This is the only occurrence of harmonic figures in any part other
than the lowest bass line, and it is unclear as to why they would be placed there. Example
11 and 12 show both the bass violin line and basso continuo line and their respective
figures. In the primary continuo line, the placement of the figures alternates between
directly above the bass line and directly below depending on the amount of physical room
on the page.
Example 11. The basso continuo figures that appear in the bass violin part in m. 41 of the
Magnificat manuscript.
31
Example 12. The actual basso continuo line from m. 41 shows the differences in melody
and rhythm from the bass violin line including the missing sharped third in the first figure
and octave leap on beats three and four.
As previously discussed, Charpentier did not specifically label the individual staves with
any degree of consistency. However, the lowest bass line does receive several written
indications within the score that make it quite clear that the line should be played by a
melodic instrument as well as a keyboard instrument.
The reason for Charpentier's sporadic use of labels in the continuo part can most
likely be explained by the fact that the Jesuit musicians who played the music tended to
be the same players, and would be familiar with the scoring that he commonly used.
Also, if Charpentier directed the performance of H.79, it would make the labeling of
specific continuo instruments unnecessary.
17
Charpentier did not specify the type of keyboard instrument that should play the
continuo figures. The figures can be successfully realized on an organ or other keyboard
instrument. The use of an organ for the harmonic realization seems appropriate based on
the harmonic rhythm indicated by the bass line itself. The Jesuit Church of Saint-Louis,
where Charpentier was employed from the mid-1680s until his appointment at the Saint-
Chappelle in 1698, of course had an organ, and if H.79 was performed there, it is likely
17
Thompson, "The Autograph Manuscripts of Marc-Antoine Charpentier," 179-180.
32
that it was used for the continuo. The possibility also exists that Michel-Richard Lalande,
the organist at Saint-Louis, was involved as well.
18
The typical French practice of the
time would be for the basso continuo to be played with a harpsichord or organ alone as
well as one or more bowed instruments adding to the melodic bass line, even if not
specifically called for.
19
The practice at the Paris Opéra was even more specific,
sometimes changing the basso continuo texture based on the context of the type of
singing.
20
Meter
The time signatures used by Charpentier in H.79 include , 2, , and . These
meters are not foreign to modern musicians, and are mostly interpreted just as they would
be today with the notable exception of the use of void notation in one of the 2 passages.
The meters used by Charpentier translate quite cleanly into a modern understanding of
time signatures. The use of is equivalent to our modern 4time, just as is equivalent
to our modern "2. In other words, the relationship between the two meters is roughly
equal to a 2:1 ratio. Similarly, the 2 used in Charpentier’s manuscript translates to the
18
Shirley Thompson, New Perspectives on Marc-Antoine Charpentier (Vermont: Ashgate, 2010),
129.
19
Mary Cyr and Reinhard G. Pauly, Performing Baroque Music (Portland: Amadeus Press,
1992), 73-74.
20
When dealing with the operatic repertoire of Lully and Rameau, some printed sources indicated
that the harpsichord would accompany solo voices alone without the addition melodic string
instruments. Lully's continuo group for the Paris Opéra typically numbered about ten players
including two harpsichords, four plucked strings, two viols and one or two bass violins. After
1704 the number of players in this group was cut in half.
33
modern equivalent of 2 with the half note receiving the beat and translates to a
modern 4 time signature where the quarter note receives the beat. In this interpretation,
the 2 and meters also relate to one another with a roughly 2:1 ratio.
Charpentier used 2 meter in two different movements of H.79. Although it can
be determined from the written rhythms that the half note is the tactus in both movements,
the use of quarter notes and eighth notes differs between the two. The first movement
in 2, the setting of "et misericorida," for bass soloist, is written out with the more
modern convention of black quarter notes and eighth notes, allowing for a first and
second division of the tactus. In the second 2 movement, the setting of "suscepit Israel,"
Charpentier employed the use of void notation. In this usage of 2 the half note still
receives the beat, but the rhythm is never shortened past the first division, or a modern
quarter note.
21
Example 13 shows how Charpentier divided the tactus in the first 2
movement. In the tenor solo movement, "Suscepit Israel," his use of croches blanches,
or void notation, produces a slower and more languid setting of the same word. Both 2
movements are solos, which also happen to be the longest extended solos within the
entire Magnificat. In this usage of 2 the half note still receives the beat, but the rhythm
is never shortened past the first division, or a modern quarter note. As a result of this
treatment, there is much less contrast of agogic accent in the setting of the text. In
particular, the setting of the word "misericordiae." As a comparison, Example 14 shows
21
It is unclear exactly why Charpentier would choose to compose with the same meter in two
different ways, however one reason for his more modern use in the "et misericordia" movement
may be the more deliberately agogic setting of the word "misericordia" (mercy).
34
a setting of the word "misericordiae" utilizing the void notation and Example 15 shows
its modern transcription.
Example 13. Mm. 60-61 showing the setting of the word "misericordia" in 2 with the
tactus divided to the eighth note. Note the agogic contrast in the word when eighth notes
are used. This section is transcribed exactly as it is seen here.
Example 14. Mm. 219-222 showing the setting of the word "misericordiae," in 2 with
the original void notation.
Example 15. Mm. 219-222 showing the modern transcription notation of the word
"misericordiae".
35
Other Score Details
Instead of simply using the title Magnificat, Charpentier distinguished this setting
by giving it the title Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec inst[ruments], which translates to
"the third Magnificat for four voices and instruments." This title most likely references
two earlier settings of the Magnificat by Charpentier, H. 77 Magnificat and H. 78
Magnificat composed in the early 1690s and which were both scored for four voices and
instruments.
22
Charpentier used troisieme in the title of many works in his manuscripts,
all primarily to distinguish them as the third such settings of a similar work with similar
scoring. Example 16 shows the first page of the manuscript of H.79 with the title written
in Charpentier's hand. One other written instruction that should be noted is the direction
found immediately following m. 190 at the conclusion of the "fecit potentiam" movement.
The instruction reads, "Pauses a la suite après un grand silence" (Following a break after
a long silence). This instruction helps to set off the next movement for the tenor soloist
"Suscepit Israel," with the insertion of a long silence before proceeding.
22
Cessac, Charpentier, 424-477.
36
Example 16. The title page from H.79 with Charpentier's written title Troisieme
Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments
Slurs and ties are used sparingly throughout Charpentier's manuscript of H. 79.
He does employ the convention of carrying a dotted note over a barline, rather than
utilizing a tie. However, he does utilize ties when the use of a dot does not fit the rhythm.
Ties are used both within a bar and to extend rhythms between bars. Slurs appear most
frequently in the vocal lines when a melismatic passage on a single syllable crosses over
a barline as in Example 17. A unique slur appears in melismatic passages on a single
37
syllable when the note duration alternates, as in Example 18. This slur is wavy and is
represented in the urtext edition by a modernized slur.
Example 17. In m. 133, the first syllable of the word "sedes" is set in a long string of
eighth notes. Note the slur that connects the groups together over the barline.
Example 18. In m. 62, the wavy slur above the first syllable of "ejus" is typically used
when a sustained syllable receives a unique rhythm, rather than a string of notes of equal
value.
Another important editorial consideration is Charpentier's text underlay, which for
the most part, is very clear and easy to interpret. One peculiarity of the underlay is
Charpentier's use of shorthand for the consonants "m" and "n". Instead of finishing
words with a final consonant he will draw a line over the penultimate vowel to imply the
final "m" or "n," as seen in Example 19. It would seem that this convention is used to
help save space on the page, as well as to speed in writing out the text. The underlay
38
itself exits in each voice part and is copied clearly regardless of polyphonic or
homophonic textures.
Example 19. In m. 47, the text "et sanctum sanctum nomen ejus" is written with
Charpentier's unique shorthand, which eliminates the final consonants "m" and "n".
Notice the even more truncated setting of the repetition of the word "sanctum".
A final editorial consideration is perceived errors within the manuscript. There
are relatively few questionable points throughout H. 79, however there were some
instances where editorial discretion intervened in order to reconcile harmonic language,
missing accidentals or in one case, a missing note. Table 5 lists the errors in the score
and the correction that was applied.
Table 5. Error corrections in H.79
Measure Part Error / Correction
m. 36, b. 4 Haute-contre de violon
Missing note /
Added C-Sharp to match other parts
m. 285, b. 2 Dessus de violon
Missing accidental /
Added B-Flat to match other parts
m. 305, b. 3 Basses de violon
Missing accidental /
Added B-Flat to match other parts
m. 375, b. 1 Haute-contre de violon
Incomplete measure /
Added dot to quarter note
39
CHAPTER THREE
PERFORMANCE CONCERNS
String Ensemble
Marc-Antoine Charpentier was French by birth, but continually exhibited Italian
traits in his compositions. He frequently combines Italianate and French styles in equal
measure by composing more flexible and florid recitative and by using dance rhythms as
the basis for many of his airs, particularly in his Latin Oratorios.
1
His teacher, Giacomo
Carissimi had a great influence on his Italianate musical traits. He admired the Italian
composer's music and compositional style, particularly Carissimi's contributions to the
oratorio genre.
2
Charpentier continued to develop choral textures in his oratorios with
even more variance than Carissimi. In H.79 he used a more traditional Italianate four-
part string texture. Following this Italian tradition was not uncommon for Charpentier,
and the four-part string ensemble was used in many of his works composed with multiple
strings.
3
Of his ten extant Magnificats, three utilize this orchestration, while none use the
more traditional French scoring for five strings. In other scores, when a fifth string
instrument is included, it is identified by the addition in the manuscript of the C alto clef,
or viola clef used in modern musical scores.
4
Although influenced in style by Carissimi,
the string ensemble choice seems to be one that evolved later for Charpentier and it
1
Cessac, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 269.
2
Ibid,, 268.
3
Ibid., 424-485.
4
Ibid., 422.
40
represents a blending of the Italian and French compositional styles that were used by
Charpentier.
5
Giacomo Carissimi did not compose any works for a string ensemble,
electing instead to score his oratorios and masses using basso continuo with the
occasional upper string obbligato part. Of Carissimi's eleven extant oratorios, eight
include parts for two violins, and three are written with only basso continuo.
6
The standard French string ensemble of the seventeenth-century was modeled on
the Twenty Four Violons du Roi, which was a five-part string ensemble where the outer
parts, the dessus and the basses were each assigned six players.
7
The three inner parts,
called the parties de remplissage (filler parts), were each assigned four players to
assemble the total of 24 string players.
8
The inner three parts were typically tuned in the
same way as a modern viola (in fifths, c-g-d'-a'), but they were constructed in three
distinct sizes. The small haute-contre, the slightly larger taille de violon and the larger
quinte de violon made up the inner parts of the French five-part texture.
9
The five-part
texture, sometimes referred to as à la française was also employed by the larger
orchestras of the time. This included the orchestra at the Académie Royale de Musique
5
Mary Cyr, Style and performance for bowed string instruments in French baroque music
(Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate, 2012), 48.
6
Andrew V. Jones, "Carissimi, Giacomo," Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, Oxford
University Press, accessed February 11, 2013,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/04932.
7
Cyr, Style and performance, 31.
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid., 32.
41
that was used by Jean-Baptiste Lully in his famous opera productions.
10
Although
Charpentier did not utilize the five-part French texture in H.79, there are clues to
determining what type of instruments should play the two inner parts, or parties de
remplissage.
Examples of Charpentier's music with a four-part à l'italienne texture that
includes French violin clef (G1), soprano (C1), mezzo-soprano (C2) and Bass (F4) clefs
indicate that the inner parts were intended for instruments tuned as violas (haute-contre
de violon and taille de violon) and not viols.
11
This is despite the fact that the character
of the music and number of strings reflects the Italianate style.
12
The number of players that should cover each voice in H.79 is difficult to specify.
Charpentier rarely indicated the number of instrumentalists to be used in a particular
work and also does not indicate players by name in the manuscript, as he does with
singers. The decision regarding the number of the orchestral players should come
directly from clues within the score itself including written divisi and sections where the
strings are playing independent lines, or simply doubling the singer's parts. In H.79 there
are a few indications that the performance included more than one string player per part.
Although Charpentier did not include divided scoring to indicate divisi, there are
measures where divisi is indicated by a divided part on one instrumental line. Example
10
Ibid., 38.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid., 48. Cyr also suggests that the range of the clefs in the inner parts may indicate the
likelihood of instruments tuned as violas.
42
20 shows an example of divisi within the Tailles de violon line, which may indicate that
the line was intended for more than one player. The final decision with regard to number
of players should align with the size of the vocal ensemble that is employed for the
performance. Charpentier's works that were performed by the choir at Sainte-Chappelle,
where he was employed after his work with the Jesuits, typically numbered between forty
and sixty.
13
A choir of that size certainly is not a requirement, and H.79 could be
performed with vocal forces half that size.
14
Example 20. M. 59 shows a divisi of the tailles de violon line indicating the need for
more than one player per part. The line is divided, and the written indications are pre
(premier or first part) and sde (seconde or second part), which are used throughout the
work.
Ornamentation
There is only one ornament figure that appears in H.79. The figure is used
throughout the score, and is not limited to the upper voice parts of the instrumental or
13
Rayl and Charpentier, Introduction, xi.
14
The work is well within the accessibility of college chamber choirs or even well trained high
school choirs, although the ranges of the basse parts may be prohibitive for some developing
singers.
43
vocal lines. The general French term for is tremblement, and it indicates an
alternation of the written pitch below it and the note above, almost always beginning on
the upper note.
15
As is typically customary of the French style, the execution of the trill
depends upon the "good taste" of the performer. When interpreting the trills throughout
H.79, it is helpful to take into consideration the meter, character and musical context.
Example 21 shows the trill indication in H.79, and Example 22 gives a suggested
realization for the trill. The realization follows the principles of Jacques Hotteterre,
Michel Corrette and F.W. Marpurg who all suggest that a trill of this type, which is
placed over a long note, should begin slowly and gradually accelerate.
16
This practice
should inform the way that all of the trill ornaments are treated throughout the score, with
a continued sensitivity to good taste.
Example 21. Shows the trill indication above the taille line in mm. 201-202 of the
Magnificat. The trill is placed above a long note, which should be interpreted with an
accelerated gesture.
15
Cyr and Pauly, Performing Baroque Music, 133.
16
Rayl and Charpentier, Introduction, xiii.
44
Example 22. This is a suggested interpretation of how to perform the trill on a long note,
accelerating note speed incrementally.
Notes Inégales And Overdotting
Two of the principal means of rhythmic alteration in the French Baroque were
notes inégales and overdotting. These two principles are related, and developed
concurrently, but are not necessarily the same in how they are defined and applied. Notes
inégales is defined as “the historical name for the relatively consistent French custom of
performing diminution-like passages as uneven pairs of notes, despite their notation in
equal values.”
17
The key point of this definition is its reference to notation. It was
common practice in France to perform this type of alteration despite what was indicated
on the page. Notes inégales was employed in French music throughout the Baroque and
its practice was supported in treatises from Rousseau, Quantz and many others.
18
The
practice of overdotting
19
was also employed in France during this time, however the
17
Stephen E. Hefling, Rhythmic Alteration in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-century Music: Notes
inégales and Overdotting, (New York: Schirmer, 1993), ix.
18
Ibid., 5-11.
19
The term, invented by Erwin Bodky, has been mainly connected with the French overture style.
In practice it is used to describe the performing of dotted rhythms longer than indicated by the
notation.
45
formal name was not coined until the 1950s. The overdotting can vary by degrees
ranging from very slight to very intense.
20
The written evidence of the existence of notes inégales is primarily discussed in
documentation from about 1690 until the Revolution. The extant treatises discuss four
main issues regarding inequality and how it was performed and interpreted. The first is
how the meter itself relates to the level of inequality. The metric relationship can be
summed up in general terms that stipulate that inequality is generally restricted to the half
beat in triple time and the fourth of a beat in duple time.
21
Put another way, in 4 the
eighth note would be unequal, and the sixteenth note would be unequal in 4. The second
general principle is a favoring of stepwise motion. It was generally accepted that any
disjunct intervals that occurred within a normally altered passage would be played as
written, or equal. This established the majority of all notes inégales to be played in runs
of conjunct eighth or sixteenth notes. The third principle was the specific rhythm that
was actually played when passages were played with inégales. These rhythms, with very
few exceptions, were played as continuous patterns of long-short. The final essential
element of interpreting notes inégales is the degree of inequality applied to the altered
rhythms. This was specifically referring to the length of the added dot and the
subsequent value of the shortened second note. Generally, the practice would be to
interpret the degree of inequality based on the character of the piece being performed.
The degree could range from mild inequality (2:1, or essentially altering a passage in 4
20
Hefling, Rhythmic Alteration, ix-x.
21
Ibid., 20.
46
to W8 ), or strong inequality (3:1, or adding a dot to the first note to lengthen its value).
These principles make up the essential guidelines when employing the practice of notes
inégales.
Overdotting was again not notated, but an implied practice with the same level of
detailed instruction in its application. This type of rhythmic alteration would have been
essential to large and small ensembles with lead voices playing notes inégales, but would
not have been notated. Although overdotting most likely developed as a practice hand in
hand with notes inégales, it eventually became an independent custom. It is believed that
the technique of overdotting grew out of the practice of notes inégales, probably as a
method of keeping ensembles in sync with each other.
22
It would have been the
responsibility of the members of the ensemble to line up their overdotting with the degree
of inequality being used by the lead player, most likely the first violinist. If a principal
voice is written in such a way as to imply inégale, the accompanying voices need to
adjust their rhythm in order to prevent a scattered rhythmic effect – they must over dot.
23
There are many sections within H.79 where the use of notes inégales seems
musically sensible. For instance, the opening prelude includes many strands of conjunct
sixteenth notes that would lend perfectly to the practice. Playing these melismas with
inégales gives forward motion to the lines and adds a more elegant and stylish effect
without being too overbearing or obscuring the melodic intent. This concept should carry
through to the entrance of the first singer in m. 16, where the haute-contre also sings
22
Ibid., 149.
23
Ibid.
47
many strings of sixteenth-note passages in a conjunct manner. In addition, Table 6 lists
the measures throughout the score of H.79 where inequality would seem to be implied,
and also suggest the degree to which it should be played with respect to the ratios
suggested by Hefling.
Table 6. Suggested use of notes inégales in Magnificat H.79
Both methods of rhythmic alteration, notes inégales and overdotting, should
always be used with the intent of creating a more graceful performance. In each instance
one should consider the tempo, character, articulation and dynamic level of the work
being performed. Although the framework outlined for each type of rhythmic alteration
is quite clear, its application should always take into consideration the context of the
48
music for which it is intended.
24
Bénigne De Bacilly (1668) describes this idea in a quote
from his work A Commentary Upon the Proper Art of Singing:
I have said that diminutions must be interpreted in an alternating dotted
rhythm. By this I mean that given two notes of equal length, one of them
is interpreted as being dotted while the other is not. However, the student
will also notice that this interpretation is never indicated in the printed
notation and for good reason. If this interpretation were written out in
dotted rhythms, the probable result would be that the singer would
perform them in the jerky or jumping style typical of the old ‘Gigue.’
This style of vocal interpretation is no longer acceptable; therefore, it is
necessary to interpret this dotted rhythm as delicately and subtly as
possible so that it doesn’t seem overdone.
25
The use of an urtext edition lends itself particularly well to the practice of notes
inégales. Performing from an urtext helps to reconcile an issue that exists in some
modern performing editions that pre-notate the rhythmic alterations within the score. For
example, in a readily available performing edition of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe
de minuit pour Noël, each rhythm where inégales would be played is transcribed literally
to a new rhythm.
26
All of the instances of eighth note division rhythmic alteration are
treated as dotted eighth / sixteenth figures. Unfortunately, while this may benefit the
amateur performer who has little or no knowledge of the performance practice of the
French Baroque, it can complicate the interpretation by the professional performer. By
leaving these decisions to the performers, we elevate the interpretation of the score to a
more true performance practice. It would seem that the more authentic choice when
24
Cyr and Pauly, Performing Baroque Music, 116-119.
25
Bénigne De Bacilly and Austin B. Caswell, A Commentary upon the Art of Proper
Singing, (New York: Institute of Mediæval Music, 1968), 118.
26
Marc-Antoine Charpentier and H. Wiley Hitchcock, Messe De Minuit Pour Noël, H.9,
(St. Louis: Concordia, 1962).
49
engraving a new edition is to allow for the performers themselves interpret the inégales at
sight.
Modern Performance Conclusions
With the creation of a new urtext edition we are able to look critically at H.79 in
terms of the modern performer. Considering that the Magnificat text is one that is still
being set by modern composers, H.79 will be a practical addition to the vast repertoire of
those settings currently being performed. It offers a fresh interpretation of a text that is
utilized by so many church musicians of today, and it is written with characteristics that
that are a significant cornerstone of the French Baroque style. While H.79 was not
conceived as a concert work, the composition would be equally well served in
performances by church musicians, school choral ensembles, professional performing
arts ensembles or community groups. At just over four hundred measures H.79 is a
concise setting of the Magnificat that can be performed by as few as seven singers and
eight instrumentalists. As more new editions of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's music
become available we are likely to see a continued surge of interest in the music of the
French Baroque period, and a continued rise in the understanding of the stylistic traits
that make it unique.
[Flûtes / Flute 1]
[Flûtes / Flute 2]
[Dessus de violon / Violin 1]
[Hautes-contre de violon / Violin 2]
[Tailles de violon / Viola]
[Basses de violon / Cello]
[Dessus / Soprano]
[Hautes-contre / Alto]
[Tailles / Tenor]
[Basses / Bass]
[Basse continue]
6
[H. 79]
Troisième Magnificat à 4 voix avec instruments
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
(1643-1704)
Edited by John K. Russell
Prelude
Tous quay
Tous quay
Tous quay
Tous quay
3
5 5#6 6 # !7
#3
!6
4
5
43
6
9
98 76 7 6
12
3 7 !6 5 6 7 3
Mag ni - fi - cat - a ni - ma - me a - do mi - num -
6
4
56
19
Et ex ul - ta - vit --- Spi ri - tus - me us - in de o - in de o - sal u- ta - ri - me -
! 6#4 6 6 # 7
!5
9
#5
6
4
#6 4 3
Pre fl. [Flute 1]
Sde fl. [Flute 2]
Pre Mr Boutlar [alto soloist]
seul
[Basse continue]
accomp seul
23
o qui a - re spe - xit - hu mi - li - ta - te - an cil - le - su -
5 6 ##4
2
7
5
5
#3
56 F
2
7H
27
ae - ec ce - e nim - ec ce - e nim - ex hoc be a - ta - ex hoc be a - tam --- me di cent -
H 6
4
6
3
6
F
6 56 F
31
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e-
om nes - ge ne - ra - ti - o - nes. - Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - no men - sanc tum - no men -e-
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e -
66 3 77
#
#D 7
D
6
4
5
43
tous
tous
tous
choeur
tous
tous
tous
tous
35
jus Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - no men - sanc tum - no men -e -
jus. - Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e -
jus. Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e - -
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e - -
77 #
7
#G 7
3
6
4
5
4 3
Basses de violon pr les couers
tous
tous
38
jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - - sanc tum - no men - e jus -
jus et sanc tum - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus. -
jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - - sanc tum - no men - e - jus.
jus et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus. --
66 5
D
6
4
5
43
666
41
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum -
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum -
Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum -
7
#
5
43
77 #
7
#G
44
sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus. - Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et
no men - sanc tum - no men - e - jus. Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po tens - est et sanc tum -
sanc tum - no men -e jus. -- Qui a - fe cit - mi hi - mag na - qui po - tens - est et sanc tum -
sanc tum - no men -e jus. --
7
D
6
4
5
43
77 # #G
47
sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e -
sanc tum - no men -e jus -- et sanc tum - sanc tum - - sanc tum - no men -e -
sanc tum - no men -e jus -- et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e-
## 6 6 ## 5
D
H
4
5
43
50
jus.
jus. et sanc tum - sanc tum -
jus. et sanc tum -
et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -
# 66 7
#
5
D
6
4
5
4
3
6
53
et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus - et
no men - e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -
no men - e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus - et sanc tum - no men - e jus - et
e jus - et sanc tum - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men - e jus - sanc tum - et sanc tum - sanc tum -
66 56 6
56
sanc tum - no men -e jus - et sanc tum - no men - sanc tum - no men - e jus. -
sanc tum - no men - e jus - et sanc tum - et sanc tum - no men -e jus. -
sanc tum - no men -e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e jus. -
no men -e jus - et sanc tum - sanc tum - no men -e jus. -
9
7
8
6
5
3
6
4
5
4
3
9
7
6
4
5
3
6
4
5
43
Pre
Sde
60
Et mi se - ri - cor - di - a - e jus -
67 6
64
a pro gen - i - e - in pro gen - i --
76 6 7 6
68
es ti men - ti - bus - ti men - ti - bus - e -----
66
5
4
2
6
4
6 6
4
Pr violon [Violin 1]
Sd violon [Violin 2]
Pre basse Mr Hard[ouin] [Bass soloist]
[Basse continue]
72
um ti men - ti - bus - ti men - ti - bus - e --
# 6
4
5 6 7
D
6
4
76
um ---
5
43
6
4
7
#
80
Et mi se - ri - cor - di - a -
6
5
5
43
5 6 6
84
e - jus
7 6 76 6 7 6
88
Et mi se - ri - cor - di - a - e --
5 6 6 !
7
6
92
jus a pro gen - i --
76 76
96
e in pro gen - i - es - ti men - ti - bus - ti men - ti - bus - e --
100
um - ti men - ti - bus - ti men - ti - bus - e ----
6
4
56 7
3
6
4
5
43
105
um
5 6 9 3
Sd
Pr
tous
tous
tous
tous
109
Fe cit - po ten - ti - am - in brac chi - o - in brac chi - o - su -
Fe cit - po ten - ti - am - in brac chi - o - in brac chi - o - su -
Fe cit - po ten - ti - am - in brac chi - o - in brac chi - o - su -
Fe cit - po ten - ti - am - in brac chi - o - in brac chi - o - su -
9 8 5
43
tous
tous
tous
tous
113
o dis -
o dis per - sit -
o dis -
o dis per - sit -
5 6 # 9
7
8
6
7
5
#
117
per sit - su per - bos ----- dis per - sit - dis per - sit - su-
dis per - sit - su per - bos --- dis per - sit - dis per--
per sit - su per - bos ----- dis per - sit - dis -
dis per - sit - su per - bos --- dis per - sit - dis per - sit - su-
76 6 6
121
per bos - su per - bos - men te - cor - dis - su i. -
sit - su per bos - men te - cor - dis - su i. --
per sit - su per - bos -- men te - cor - dis - su i. -
per bos -- men te - cor - dis - su i. --
# #6 #3 #
125
de po - su --
de po - su --
de po - su --
# 6# # #
Pr
Sd
129
it de po - su - it - po ten - tes ------ de -
de po - su - it - po ten - -------
it de po - su - it - po ten - tes -- de -
it po ten - tes ------ po ten - --
6 6
133
se -- de de se-- - de,
tes - de se de, ------
se -------- de,
tes - de se-- - - - de,
6 7#6
137
et ex al - ta-- -
et ex al - ta - vit --- ex al --
et ex al - ta-- -
et ex al --
77
#
#6
141
vit ex al - ta - vit - hu mi - les - et ex al - ta - --
ta vit - ex al - ta - vit - hu mi - les - et ex al - ta - vit -
vit ex al - ta - vit - hu mi - les - et ex al --
ta vit - ex al - ta - vit - hu mi - les - et ex al --
5
3
6
#4
66 #4 # 6#
145
vit - ex al - ta -- - - - - vit hu mi -- -
et ex al - ta - vit - ex al - ta - vit - hu mi --- -
ta vit - ex al - ta - vit - ex al - ta - vit - hu mi -- -
ta vit - ex al - ta - vit -- hu mi ----- -
#6
#
5 6 7
#3
6
4
149
les.
les.
les.
les.
# 6
!
5
43
Sd
Pr
153
E - su ri - en - tes - e su - ri -- -
E su -- ri - en - tes - e su - ri - en - -
E su - ri - en - tes - e su - ri -- -
E su - ri - en - tes - e su - ri --
5 67
#
6 4
2
7
157
en ---- tes
----- tes im ple - vit - bo -
en tes. ----- im ple - vit -
en tes --
9 8 6
4
5
#3
6
4
5
#3
161
im ple - vit - bo nis - im ple - vit - bo --
nis im ple - vit -- im ple - vit - bo ---
bo nis - im ple - vit - im ple - vit - bo ----
im ple - vit - bo nis - im ple - vit - bo ---
6 # 5
43
165
nis et di vi - tes - di vi - tes - di mi - sit - in -
nis et di vi - tes - di mi - sit - in -
nis et di vi - tes - di vi - tes - di mi - sit - in -
nis et di vi - tes - di vi - tes - di mi - sit - in -
# !5
169
a nes - di mi - sit - in a - ------
a nes - di mi - -- sit in a-- - -
a nes - di mi - sit - in a - ---
a nes - di mi - sit - in a - ------
!5 7
#3
6
4
5
43
173
nes et di vi - tes - et di vi --
nes et di vi - tes - et di vi --
nes et di vi - tes - et di vi --
nes et di vi - tes - et di vi --
# #
177
tes et di vi - tes - di mi - sit -- in a - nes -
tes et di vi - tes - di mi - sit - in a - nes ---
tes et di vi - tes - di mi - - sit in a - nes -
tes et di vi - tes - di mi - sit - in a - nes ---
6 9
7
#3
3
6
4
7
5
43
181
et di vi - tes - et di vi - tes - et di vi --
et di vi - tes - et di vi - tes - et di vi --
et di vi - tes - et di vi - tes - et di vi --
et di vi - tes - et di vi - tes - et di vi --
96
4
6
185
tes di mi - sit - di mi - sit -- in a-- - -
tes di mi - sit - di mi - sit - in a-- - -
tes di mi - sit - di mi - sit - in a--
tes di mi - sit - in a - --
67 5
43
189
nes.
nes.
nes.
nes.
Passes a la
suite apres
un grand
silence
191
66 6
R
66
4
195
Sus ce - pit - Is ra - el -
6
5
4
3
66 6
F
6
199
pu e - rum - su um, - Sus ce - pit --
6
4
7
5
43
Pre flûte [Flute 1]
Sde flûte [Flute 2]
Pre Taille Mr Desvoyes [Tenor Soloist]
Basse continue
203
6 7 H
207
Sus ce - pit - Is ra - el - pu e - rum -
66 6
R
H6
4
211
su um -- sus ce - pit --
# 7
5
4
3
66
215
6
F
H6
4
# 6
5
4
3
219
re cor - da - tus - mi se - ri - cor - di - ae - su ae. -
F H
223
mi se - ri - cor - di - ae - su ae. ---
F H 5
43
#
227
re cor - da - tus - mi se - ri - cor - di - ae -
7
5
5
43
6 NB
231
su ae. - re cor - da - tus -
4
2
5 6
235
re cor - da - tus - mi se - ri - cor - di - ae - su ae. -
98 F F
239
re cor - da - --
243
- tus mi se - ri - cor - di - e - mi se - re - cor - di - ae -
6 9 8 98 6
247
su ae. ---
7
5
43 6
4
6 6
4
H
251
6
5
43
[Hautes-contre / Alto]
[Tailles / Tenor]
[Basses / Bass]
[Basse continue]
Si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad pa tres - no stros - ad pa tres - no-
Si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad pa tres - no-
4
2
6 #6 5 6 43
stros A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu - la - in sae cu - la - in sae cu -
257
stros A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu - la in sae cu --
Si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad pa tres - no stros - ad pa tres - no -
56 5 6 #
5
65 #6 #6 6
5
#
Pre [seul]
Pre [seul]
Pre [seul]
la in sae cu - la - in sae cu - la - in sae cu -
260
la in sae cu - la - in sae cu - la - in sae cu - la - in sae cu -
stros A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu - la - in sae cu - la - in
## 9 43 # 5
la in sae - cu -- la -
263
la in sae cu - la - Si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad
sae -- cu la - si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad pa -
5
43
5 6 5 6 !5
Si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad pa tres - no stros -- ad pa tres - no -
266
pa tres - no stros -- si cut - lo cu - tus - est ad pa tres - ad pa tres - no -
tres - no - stros A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu -
67 6 7 43
stros A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu - la - in sae cu -
269
stros A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu - la - in sae cu -
la A bra - ham - A bra - ham - et se mi - ni - e jus - in sae cu - la - in
56
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272
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275
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ri - a- glo ri --- a- glo -
6
290
- ri a - pa tri - et fi li -o- et spi -
- ri a - pa tri - et fi li -o- et spi -
ri -- a- pa tri - et fi li -o- et spi -
ri -- a- pa tri - et fi li -o- et spi -
76 6 #6
294
ri tu -i- et spi ri - tu - i - sanc - - -
ri tu -i- et spi ri - tu -i- sanc - -
ri tu -i- et spi ri - tu -i- sanc - -
ri tu -i- et spi ri - tu -i- sanc - -
9
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ri tu - i- et spi ri - tu - i- sanc -
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6
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362
si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et sem per -
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96
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365
nunc et sem per - et nunc et sem per - et nunc et
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et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum -
#6 6 5 43 7
5
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tous
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368
sem per - nunc et nunc et sem per - et nunc et sem per - nunc et sem per - nunc et sem -
nunc et sem per - et sem per - nunc et nunc et nunc et sem -
sem per - et in sae cu - la sae cu - lo - rum et nunc et sem per - nunc et nunc et sem -
si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et nunc et sem per - nunc et sem -
6 6 5 43 5
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per si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu -
per - et nunc et sem per - si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et sem per -
per et nunc et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - et nunc et sem per -
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# 6 5 43 6 5 !3 !7 6 5 !5
374
lo rum - a men - a men - a men - a men - a men - a-
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et nunc et nunc et sem per - si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et sem -
men in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men - a men -a- -
56 9
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377
men et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men -a-
men a men - a men -a men -a men - a men -a -
per et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men -a men -a-
men a men -a men - a men - a men - a men -a -
# # 6 #4
2
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6
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380
men
men
men
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5 43 5 !6 7 6 7 6 # 6
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383
si cut - e rat - in prin -
a men-a men -a men -a- men a men - a-
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a men -a men - a men - a men -a-
9!
7
6 # 9 9
7
8
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Pr
Sde
[unis.]
tous
tous
tous
tous
386
ci pi - o - et nunc et sem per - nunc et sem - per et nunc et
men et nunc et nunc et nunc et sem per - si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et sem per -
men et nunc et sem per - nunc et nunc et sem per - nunc et sem per - nunc et
men et nunc et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum -
6
4
66 5
43
6
4
389
sem per - nunc et nunc et sem per - et nunc et sem per - et nunc et nunc et sem per - et
nunc et sem per - et nunc et sem per - et nunc et nunc et sem -
sem per - si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et nunc et nunc et sem -
et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - si cut - e rat - in prin ci - pi - o - et nunc et
6 65 5
43
6 6
4
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392
nunc et nunc et sem per - et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu --
per et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men - a-
per et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men - a-
nunc et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - in sae cu - la - sae cu --
6
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66
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56 7 6
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395
lo rum - a men - a men - a men - a men -a men -a - -
men - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men - a men -a - -
men a men - a men - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men a-
lo rum - et nunc et sem per - et in sae cu - la - sae cu - lo - rum - a men -a - -
9 9
7
8
6
6
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398
men a men - a men. ----
men a men - a- - - men.
men a- - men a men. --
men a- - men.
5
3
6
#4
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bacilly, Bénigne De. A Commentary upon the Art of Proper Singing. Brooklyn, NY:
Institute of Mediæval Music, 1968.
Bechtler, Christopher A. "Performance Editions of Magnificat, H.77, and Hymne Du
Saint Sacrement, H. 64, By Marc-Antoine Charpentier." Diss., University of
South Carolina, 2009.
Caldwell, Alice Ann B. "Two Salve Regina Motets and a Prelude by Marc-Antoine
Charpentier (c.1634-1704)." Diss., University of Georgia, 1997.
Cessac, Catherine, and Reinhard G. Pauly. Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Portland, OR:
Amadeus Press, 1995.
Cessac, Catherine. Marc-Antoine Charpentier. 2
nd
Edition. Paris: Fayard, 2004.
_____. "Catalogue of Modern Editions." Marc-Antoine Charpentier Research and
Documentation: Modern Editions. January 1, 2012. Accessed January 14, 2013.
http://www.charpentier.culture.fr/fr/html/doc/fs_rech_1.php.
_____. "Works." Marc-Antoine Charpentier Research and Documentation: Works. July 1,
2012. Accessed January 14, 2013.
http://www.charpentier.culture.fr/fr/html/doc/fs_rech_1.php.
Charpentier, Marc Antoine, and John S. Powell. Music for Molière's Comedies. Madison,
WI: A-R, 1990.
_____. Vocal Chamber Music. Madison, WI: A-R, 1986.
Charpentier, Marc-Antoine, and H. W. Hitchcock. The Works of Marc-Antoine
Charpentier: Catalogue Raisonne. Paris: Picard, 1982.
_____. Les Oeuvres/The Works of Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Catalogue Raisonné. Paris:
Picard, 1982.
_____. Oeuvres Complètes. 1, Meslanges Autographes. Paris: Minkoff, 1990.
_____. Oeuvres Complètes. 1, Meslanges Autographes. Paris: Minkoff, 1999.
Charpentier, Marc-Antoine. Magnificat (H. 74). Versailles: Ed. Du Centre De Musique
Baroque De Versailles, 1997.
_____. Nisi Dominus (H. 150). Versailles: Centre De Musique
Baroque De Versailles, 2000.
_____. Messe De Minuit Pour Noel, Satb & Orchestra. Vocal Score Ed by H.W.
Hitchcock. Latin. S.l.: S.n., 1962.
Cyr, Mary. Style and Performance for Bowed String Instruments in French Baroque
Music. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate, 2012.
Cyr, Mary, and Reinhard G. Pauly. Performing Baroque Music. Portland, OR: Amadeus
Press, 1992.
Donington, Robert. A Performer's Guide to Baroque Music. London: Faber and Faber,
1963.
Duron, Jean. "L'orchestre De Marc-Antoine Charpentier." Revue De Musicologie 72,
no. 1 (1986): 23-65.
Hefling, Stephen E. Rhythmic Alteration in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-century Music:
Notes Inégales and Overdotting. New York: Schirmer Books, 1993.
Hitchcock, H. Wiley. "The Latin Oratorios Of Marc-Antoine Charpentier." The Musical
Quarterly XLI, no. 1 (1955): 41-65.
_____. "Charpentier, Marc-Antoine," Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press, accessed January 18, 2013,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/05471.
_____. Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
_____, ed. Charpentier, Marc-Antoine: Œuvres completes en
facsimilés. Paris: Editions Minkoff, 1990–2004.
_____. Les œuvres De Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Catalogue Raisonné =
The Works of Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Paris: Picard, 1982.
Jeffers, Ron. Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire. Corvallis:
Earthsongs, 1988.
Jones, Andrew V. "Carissimi, Giacomo." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
Oxford University Press. Accessed February 11, 2013.
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.libproxy.usc.edu/subscriber/article/grove/
music/04932.
"Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Musicien Du Baroque." Marc-Antoine Charpentier,
Musicien Du Baroque. Accessed March 03, 2013.
http://www.charpentier.culture.fr/.
The Liber Usualis. Tournai Belgium: Desclee, 1962.
Ranum, Patricia M. Portraits around Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Baltimore: Dux Femina
Facti, 2004.
_____. "A Sweet Servitude: A Musician's Life at the Court of Mille De Guise." Early
Music XV, no. 3 (1987): 347-60.
"Ranums' Panat Times." Ranums' Panat Times. Accessed January 16, 2013.
http://ranumspanat.com/index.htm.
Rayl, David, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. "Nine Settings of the Litanies De La
Vierge." Diss., University of Iowa, 1988.
_____. Introduction. In Nine Settings of the Litanies De La Vierge. Madison, WI: A-R
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Sawkins, Lionel. "Doucement and Légèrement: Tempo in French Baroque Music."Early
Music, French Baroque II, 21, no. 3 (August 1993): 365-72+374.
Shrock, Dennis. Choral Repertoire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Thompson, Shirley Catherine. The Autograph Manuscripts of Marc-Antoine Charpentier:
Clues to Performance. University of Hull: Diss., 1997.
_____. "Marc-Antoine Charpentier and the Viol." Early Music 32, no. 4 (2004):
497-510.
_____. New Perspectives on Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Farnham, Surrey, England:
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Zappulla, Robert. Figured Bass Accompaniment in France. Turnhout: Brepols, 2000.
APPENDIX: TRANSLATION
1
Magnificat anima mea Dominum. My soul magnifies the Lord.
Et exultavit spiritus meus
in Deo salutari meo.
And my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my savior.
Quia respexit humilitatem
ancillae suae:
ecce enim ex hoc
beatam me dicent omnes generations.
For he has regarded the low estate of his
handmaiden:
for behold, henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed.
Quia fecit mihi magna
qui potens est:
et sanctum nomen ejus.
For he who is mighty
has done great things to me;
and holy is his name.
Et misericordia ejus a progenie
In progenies timentibus eum.
And his mercy is on them
who fear him from generation to generation.
Fecit potentiam in bracchio suo:
Dispersit superbos
mente cordis sui.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud,
even the arrogant of heart.
Deposuit potentes de sede,
et exaltavit humiles.
He has deposed the mighty from their seats,
and exalted the humble and meek.
Esurientes implevit bonis:
Et divites dimisit inanes.
The hungry he has filled with good things:
and sent the rich away empty.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum,
recordatus misericordiae suae.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy.
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.
As it was spoken to our forefathers,
to Abraham and to his seed forever.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum, Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
1
Ron Jeffers, Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire (Corvallis:
Earthsongs, 1988), 154-157.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
This document is a critical urtext with commentary of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments, H.79. It includes a review of recent research about Charpentier and his music, a concise bibliographical sketch of his life and work and an investigation into the process of bringing this particular work into a clear, modern edition. It was not until the middle of the twentieth century that musicologists began in earnest the process of studying and performing much of the music of Charpentier. A debt of gratitude is owed to Hugh Wiley Hitchcock for his groundbreaking research into the composer's life and for editing Charpentier's manuscripts and creating a catalogue of his works. This initial foray into the music of Charpentier spawned further interest by other scholars and musicians, eventually leading to the great research that continues today. ❧ The edition created here is primarily an urtext, and for the most part remains unedited from Charpentier's original source. Several components have been modernized by virtue of practicality and modern convention. Modern clefs are utilized throughout and an incipit is included on the opening page, which indicates the original clefs used in the manuscript. The clefs used are a vital part of decoding the score, as the type of clef used by Charpentier remains one of the few indicators in his manuscripts as to instrumentation. The bass figures are not realized, but are included in the same manner that Charpentier indicated. ❧ Some performance practice ideas are considered, including the choice of modern string instruments that best imitate the multi-sized French violins that would most likely have been played in Charpentier's time. Some thoughts regarding ornamentation and note inequality (notes inégales) are included as well as an English translation of the Latin Magnificat text. ❧ The primary reason for the creation of this edition is the opportunity to look closer at the choral music of a master composer of the French Baroque. The existence of this urtext edition should continue to encourage the creation of modern editions of Charpentier's many unpublished compositions. This new edition should serve as an aid to realizing a modern performance of H.79. Conductors who prepare H.79 and other compositions by Marc-Antoine Charpentier will find the discussion of historical context, editorial practices, and performing styles a resource, and hopefully will facilitate further study.
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Troisieme Magnificat a 4 voix avec instruments, H. 79 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier: a modern urtext edition with commentary
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