Marin Marais's Pieces de Violes
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Transcript of Marin Marais's Pieces de Violes
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Marin Marais's Pieces de ViolesAuthor(s): Clyde H. ThompsonReviewed work(s):Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Oct., 1960), pp. 482-499Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/740751.
Accessed: 22/11/2011 07:45
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MARIN
MARAIS'S
PIECES
DE
VIOLES
By
CLYDE
H.
THOMPSON
MARIN
MARAIS
was the
central
figure
in
the
French
school
of
bass-viol
composers
and
performers
that
flourished
during
the
late 17th and early 18th centuries. He spent
his entire
life in
Paris,
and
the
greater part
of
it in
royal
service. First
appointed
as
Ordinaire
de
la
Musique
de
la
Chambre
du Roi in
1685,
he
retained
that
post
through-
out
the
reign
of
Louis
XIV and
from
1715
to 1725
served
under
the
Regency
and
Louis
XV.
His
contemporaries
recognized
him
as
an
out-
standing
performer
and
a
composer
of
stature
whose
works
for
viols
and
the
operatic
stage
were known
beyond
the
boundaries
of
France.
These
barest of
facts
represent
almost
the
entire
body
of
readily
available information concerning a musician who was a major figure in
French
music
during
his lifetime.
Little
else
about
Marais's
life,
and
even
less about
his
music,
has
appeared
in
print.'
Music
historians
from
Hawkins
and
Burney
to
the
present
have
accorded
him
passing
mention,
at
least,
and
some
have,
albeit
cautiously,
extolled
the
excellence
of
his
works.
In
addition,
the
revival
of
interest
in
the
viols
and,
concur-
rently,
an
occasional
performance
of a
piece
by
Marais
have
focused
attention
on Marais
and
his
contemporaries,
who
represent
the
final
flowering of the literature for these once indispensable instruments. Still,
the
poverty
of
information
persists.
This
seems
particularly
curious
since
the
period
in
which
he
lived
produced
some
of the
most
important
developments
in
the
history
of
string
music.
In view
of the
increasing
interest
in
the
music
of
this
period
and
Marais's
admitted
stature
in
that
epoch,
it seems
pertinent
to
supply
some
additional
detail
concerning
his life
and
times
and
a
discussion
of his contribution
to the
art
of
1
See
Richard
Newton,
Hommage
c~
Marin
Marais,
in
The
Consort,
June
1952,
14 ff.; Newton, More About Marais, in The Consort, July 1953, 12 ff.;
Fran
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Marin
Marais's Pisces de Violes 483
le
grand
siecle.
Moreover,
it would
appear
that
those who are
especially
interested
in the literature for viols
may
find an
exposition
of the
contents of Marais's five books of Pidces de Violes particularly useful.
The most extensive account of
Marin
Marais's life
and works
was
provided
by
Titon du Tillet in his Le Parnasse
frangois
(Paris, 1732).
Dedicated to
the
greater
glory
of the
practically
divine
Louis
XIV,
the
work
depicted
an
imaginary
Parnassus of
poetry
and
music
over
which
Louis ruled with noble forbearance. The
leading
poets
and
musicians
of the late 17th and
early
18th
centuries
were
given places
around the
throne
in accordance with their
importance. Marin
Marais,
in
company
with Jean-Baptiste Lully, Climent Marot, Isaac de Benserade, Philippe
Quinault,
and Michel
Delalande,
among
others,
was
included
in the
royal
entourage.
Each member
of the select
group
was
eulogized
in the
body
of
the
work
by
a
medallion
engraved
in his
likeness and
a
section
devoted
to his life and
accomplishments
(see
Plate
I).
Le
Parnasse
frangois
is an invaluable source for
information
concerning poets
and
musicians
of this
period.
In
the
case of
Marais,
it
appears
to
have
served
as
the most
important single repository
of
contemporary
information.'
Titon
relates that Marais
was
born
in
Paris on
May
31, 1656,
and
died
there on
August
15,
1728.
As
a
boy,
he
was
a
member
of the
choir of
the
Sainte-Chapelle
and in his teens studied
the
basse
de viole
with Hotman
and
Sainte-Colombe,
both
important
figures
in the
early
development
of French
string
music. Marais
entered
the
royal
orchestra
as
a
soloist
in 1685 and about
the same
time
became a
member of
the
orchestra
of the
Acadimie
Royale
de
Musique.
In the latter
position
he
played
under
the direction
of
Lully,
who
later
became his teacher
in
composition.
Marais
spent
the
remainder of his life
performing
and
composing,
and
also
fathering
nineteen
children,
several of
whom became
important
figures
in
French
musical
life.
The
list of
works
that Titon
provides
comprises
five
volumes
of
Pidces
de
Violes
(1686-1725);
a
book of
Pidces en
Trio
(1692),
which
appear
to
be
the
first
of
their
kind
published
in
France;
four
operas:
Alcide
(1693),
Ariadne et
Bacchus
(1696),
Alcione
(1703),
and
2 Titon's essay on Marais is clearly the basis for other well-known articles on
Marais.
The information
given
by
Laborde in his Essai
sur la
musique
(Paris,
1780,
III, 449)
is based
almost
entirely
on Titon's work. Whole sentences were
lifted
intact
from
Titon's
essay.
Similar
practices
are
evident in the
articles
by
William
Barclay
Squire
in Grove's
Dictionary of
Music and
Musicians,
5th
ed.,
V,
559
f.;
Sir
John
Hawkins,
General
History
of
the Science
and Practice
of
Music, London,
1776,
V,
45
f., reprint
London,
1875, II,
779.
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484
The Musical
Quarterly
Semild
(1709);
a Te Deum which Titon
states was
performed
at
the
occasion
of the convalescence
of Monsieur le
Dauphin,
apparently
in
1701; and a group of works, consisting of La Gamme, Sonnate
a
la
Maresienne,
and
La
Sonnerie
de Sainte GeneviLve
du
Mont,
that were
performed
sur
le
Violon,
la
Viole
&
le Clavecin
and
appeared
together
in folio in 1723.
The
last three
works
apparently
have
not
survived.
The
Te
Deum,
described
as
in
manuscript
by
Titon,
appears
to
have
suffered the same
fate.
The instrument
for
which Marais wrote
the
major portion
of
his
works
is
commonly
referred
to as the viola
da
gamba.
Strictly
speaking,
however, it was the small bass of the viol family, which in the 17th
and
early
18th
centuries
included
as
many
as nine different
sizes
of
instruments,
all
called
by
the
generic
name
viola
da
gamba.
Marais's
instrument
-
viola da
gamba,
bass
viol,
basse de
viole, or,
simply,
"gamba"
-
was
somewhat
smaller than
the
modem
'cello
and had
frets
and seven
strings,
tuned to
A1,
D,
G,
c,
e, a,
d'.
According
to
contemporary
accounts,
Marais
was
recognized
as the
greatest
performer
on
the
bass viol of his era.
Hubert
le
Blanc
reported
that
Marais
played
the viol
"like
an
angel,"3
and
Johann
Gottfried
Walther
called
him
"an
incomparable
French
violdigambist."'4
Con-
temporary
judgments
of his
prowess
as
a
composer
are
no
less enthu-
siastic.
Joachim
Christoph
Nemeitz
declared
that
Marais's
works
"were
known
by
the
whole of
Europe."5
Titon
stated:
"One
recognizes
the
fecundity
and
elegance
of the
genius
of
this
musician
by
the
quantity
of
works
he has
composed.
One
finds
everywhere
in
them
good
taste
and a
surprising
variety."'6
Although
Marais's
operas,
trio
sonatas,
and other
compositions
were
widely
performed
during
his
lifetime,
the
most
significant
part
of
his
musical
output
is
represented
by
the
five
books of
Pidces
de Violes
that
he
produced
over
a
period
of
forty
years,
between
1686 and
1725.
These
collections
include
more
than
550
compositions
for
one, two,
and
three bass
viols
and
figured
bass.
All
volumes
were
originally
published
3
Hubert
le
Blanc,
Difense
de la basse
de
viole,
Paris,
1740, p.
59.
4 Johann Gottfried Walther, Musicalisches Lexicon (1732), facsimile ed. by
Richard
Schaal,
Kassel,
1953,
p.
382,
5
Joachim
Christoph
Nemeitz,
Sejour
de
Paris,
Leiden,
1727, p.
352.
6
Le Parnasse
fran~ois, p.
626.
"On
connoit
la
ficondit6
& la
beautC
du
genie
de
ce Musicien
par
la
quantit6
d'ouvrages
qu'il
a
composez.
On y
trouve
par-tout
un bon
goft
&
une
variett
surprenante."
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1x~
Plate I
Medallions
struck in
honor
of
Manin
Marais
and
Michel
Delalande.
From
Le
Parnasse
frangois.
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-
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Marin Marais's
Pidces de Violes
485
by
the
composer.
Etienne
Rogers, according
to
a
list of his
publications
issued
in
1716,
reprinted
at least
the
first three
volumes.7
The
Rogers
reprints were piracies, but they did follow the originals closely and
contained all the
directions
for
bowing, fingering,
and
interpretation
that were
present
in
the Paris editions. Marais's
first volume was reissued
from the
original
plates
in 1698. The fourth
volume
was
reprinted
in
Paris in
1729,
in
accordance
with a
royal
privilege
granted
to
the
composer's
heirs in that
year."
All
collections
were
printed
in
separate part-books
for each of the
viols and
the
figured
bass.
The
only
works that
appeared
in
score
were
ten additional pieces that were appended to the Basse-continues des
pieces
d
une et
t
deux
Violes
(1689).
While the notation
employed
in
the
collections
generally
corresponds
to
modern
practice,
cadential
groups
often
contain more
notes
than
the actual time
value allows. These
are
invariably
florid
passages
in which the
groups
of notes function as
ornamental
figures
that
do
not
alter the
rhythmic
progress.
The clefs
employed
include
three C clefs
(mezzo-soprano,
alto,
and
tenor),
in
addition
to
the G and
F
clefs. Marais's
preludes
are
consistently
barred
throughout, unlike those by earlier composers for the lute, clavecin, and
viol,
which
were left
unbarred in accordance with
their
improvisatory
character.
Marais,
like
Frangois
Couperin, apparently
hesitated to
leave
his
examples
unbarred.
Both
composers,
however,
retained the
free
style
and
impromptu
character
that
was
traditionally
associated
with
this
type
of movement.
Although
the five
collections
contain similar
types
of
pieces,
they
differ in
design
and
in
the
number
of
instrumental
parts required.
The
great majority of works was intended for one bass viol and figured bass.
All
collections
include
pieces
for this
combination. Book I offers
twenty
additional works for
two viols and
figured
bass. The
preface
to
each
volume,
with
the
exception
of
the
first,
states that
many
of
the
pieces
are
appropriate
for
other
instruments,
such as the treble
viol,
violin,
organ,
theorbo,
and
transverse flute.
The
grouping
of
single
compositions
into
larger
entities,
i.
e. suites
or sets
of works
that exhibit
some kind
of
formal
unity,
follows
no
7
See Denis
Vairaisse,
Histoire
des
Severambes,
Peuples qui Hapitent
Une
Partie du
troisidme Continent communiment
appell
La
Terre
Australe,
Amsterdam:
Etienne
Rogers,
1716,
II,
345.
The
publisher
included
a list of
his
musical
pub-
lications as an
appendix
to
this volume.
8
Michel
Brenet,
La
Librairie musicale en France de 1653
&
790,
in
Sammel-
biinde
der Internationalen
Musikgesellschaft,
VIII
(1905-07),
432.
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486 The Musical
Quarterly
consistent
plan.
French
composers
of
the late
17th
and
early
18th
centuries did not share the interest in the
development
of the suite
as
a unified form that was manifested by their German contemporaries.
Sebastien
de
Brossard's Dictionnaire de
musique
(1703)
does
not
list
the
term
suite
as such.
As
late
as
1768,
the
Dictionnaire de
musique
by
Jean
Jacques
Rousseau
entered under suite
only
a
reference
to the
article
sonate,
where, however,
the term suite is
sufficiently
clarified.
Marais
did
refer to a
set
of
his
pieces
as
a
suitte
in the
preface
to the
Basse-continues
of
1689,
but his
first
use
of the
term
as a
title
for
a set
of movements
does
not
appear
before
the
Fourth Book
(1717).
Marais consistently uses a common tonality for all the pieces in a
specific
set,
with but
two
exceptions,
in all of his collections.
In this
practice
he
followed the lead
of the
lute
composers
and their
successors,
the clavecin
composers.
The two collections
of solo-viol
music
that
appeared
before the
publication
of Marais's
first
volume,
the
first
by
a
certain Du
Buisson
(1660)
and
the other
by
the
better-known
Le
Sieur
de
Machy
(1685),
adhered
to the familiar
sequence, prelude,
allemande,
sarabande,
and
gigue,
with but one
exception.
De
Machy
substituted
a
chaconne for the gigue in his last suite.9 The plan of Marais's suites lies
somewhere
between
the
fairly
circumscribed
content
and
sequence
em-
ployed
by
the lute and
earlier
viol
composers,
and
the
flexible,
inconstant
arrangement
evident
in
the
works of
the
clavecin
masters.
Many
of
Marais's
sets
are
limited
to
the established
dance
movements,
with
the
addition
of
the
double, minuet,
and
gavotte.
Others
contain as
many
as
forty-one separate
pieces.
The
larger
sets
normally
include the
usual
dance movements
and,
in
addition,
chaconne, fantaisie,
rondeau,
and
a
great variety of special pieces that the composer termed les pidces de
caracteres.
The term suite
hardly
seems
appropriate
for such
diverse
sets
of works.
Most of
them,
however,
do include the
standard
dance
forms
that
were
typical
of the
suite,
and
the
unifying
bond
provided
by
a
common
tonality.
These
traits,
coupled
with the fact
that the
composer
himself
employed
the
word
suitte
in reference to
them,
seem to
supply
ample
justification
for
the
use
of the
term.
Marais's
first
collection
of
pieces
for viols
(see
Plate
II)
was
dedi-
cated to Lully and appeared in 1686 under the title PIECES a une
et
a deux
VIOLES
Compose'es par
M. Marais
ordinaire
de la
musique
de
la Chambre
du
Roy.
Its
formal
design
incorporates
features
found
in the
publications
of
his
predecessors.
All
the traditional
dance
forms
SLe
Sieur
de
Machy,
Pieces de
Violle,
Paris,
1685.
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Pisces de
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487
are
present.
There
is, however,
no
visible
attempt
to establish a definite
order.
Prelude,
allemande,
courante,
sarabande,
and
gigue appear
in
all the suites and usually in the same order. The movements are, how-
ever,
frequently
separated by
other
pieces,
doubles,
or
by duplications
of
the same
type.
Most suites introduce a
prelude
as the
initial
member
and maintain
the
same
tonality throughout.
The first
suite,
in D
minor,
demonstrates the
apparent
looseness of
the scheme:
1. Prelude
2.
Prelude
3.
Prelude
4. Prelude
5. Fantaisie
6.
Allemande
7. Double
8. Allemande
9.
Double
10. Courante
11. Double
12.
Sarabande
13. Courante
14. Double
15. Sarabande
16.
Gigue
17. Double
18. Gigue
19.
Gigue
20.
Double
21.
Fantaisie
22.
Rondeau
23.
Menuet
24.
Rondeau
25.
Menuet
26.
Gavotte
en
Rondeau
27.
Gavotte
Eleven
different
types
of
works,
omitting
doubles,
are
present
in
a
set
containing
twenty-seven
compositions.
The
suite
includes
four
pre-
ludes,
two
allemandes,
two
courantes,
two
sarabandes,
three
gigues,
in
addition
to
the doubles
and miscellaneous
movements.
It seems
clear
that the
composer
did not intend
the
set to be
performed
as
a continuous
group
of
pieces.
Rather,
he
offered a
collection
of
compositions
from
which a performer could select a smaller group of contrasting works,
or
which
he could
use as
a
repository
of assorted
pieces
in
any
manner
that
seemed
appropriate.
The
arrangement
offers
many
possibilities
for
a
variety
of
sequence
- a virtue
that
may
have had considerable
value
for
Marais
and other
performers.
The
second
suite,
in
D
major,
reveals
a
somewhat
different
plan.
The
customary
prelude
is followed
by
a
fantaisie
and a second
prelude.
Two allemandes
and
a
double,
two courantes
and
a
double,
two
sara-
bandes
and
two
gigues
ensue,
in that order. The remainder
of the suite
includes
a
paysanne,
rondeau,
gavotte,
three
minuets,
and a
lengthy
chaconne.
The
disparity
in the
order of
pieces
in the two suites
has
no
apparent
purpose.
Each
set
provides
several choices
for a
pleasing
suc-
cession
of
contrasting
works.
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488 The Musical
Quarterly
The seventeen
remaining
compositions
for
one bass viol are
divided
into two
shorter
groups.
The first of
these,
set in G
minor,
comprises
a
prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue, gavotte, and minuet.
An additional
prelude,
in D
minor,
separates
the G
minor
group
from
the last set. The
latter,
in
A
major,
includes nine
pieces:
prelude,
boutade,
allemande
and
double,
courante,
two
sarabandes,
gigue,
and
minuet.
Twenty compositions
for
two
bass
viols
and
figured
bass
comprise
the
second
part
of Book
I.
The
first
suite,
containing
seven
pieces
in
D
minor,
offers
the familiar
dance
group:
prelude,
allemande,
courante,
sarabande, and gigue, with the addition of a gavotte and minuet. The
second
set,
in
G
major,
includes
the
five basic
movements,
and
a
gavotte
en
rondeau,
two
minuets,
a
fantaisie,
and a
chaconne.
The
final
work in
the
volume,
the
Tombeau de
Mr.
Meliton,
is
a
powerful,
genuinely
fugal composition
in D
minor.
At
first
glance,
it seems
evident
from
the contents
of Book
I
that
Marais
was
not
concerned
with
the
exploitation
of
a
prescribed
sequence
of movements.
In the
first two
suites for
one viol
the
order
of
move-
ments
appears
almost
haphazard.
Closer
examination,
however,
reveals
that,
although
the
traditional
dances
are
separated
by
other
types,
doubles,
and
duplications,
the
basic
principles
of the established
sequence
are
maintained.
The third
and fourth
suites
demonstrate
distinctly
this
adherence
to
general
practice.
The third
is
augmented
only
by
a
gavotte
and
minuet;
the fourth
by
a
boutade,
a
double
for the allemande,
an
extra
sarabande,
and
a minuet.
A similar
plan
is
used for the
two
suites
for
two
viols.
The
basic
set
of dances
is increased
by
the addition
of
extra
dance
pieces
or
character
pieces
of
a
special
nature.
A
tabulation
of
the
kinds
of movements
presented
in the
First Book,
with
an
indi-
cation
of
the number
of times
each
type
appears,
discloses
the
following
relationships:
Pieces
for
one
viol
Preludes
9
Allemandes
6
Doubles
4
Courantes 6
Doubles
3
Sarabandes
7
Gigues
7
Doubles
2
Menuets
7
Pieces
for
two
viols
Preludes
2
Allemandes
2
Courantes
2
Sarabandes 2
Gigues
2
Gavottes
3
Menuets
5
Gavotte
en
rondeau
2
Fantaisie
en
Echo
1
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Marin
Marais's Pisces de
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489
Rondeaux
4
Gavottes
3
Fantaisies 3
Gavotte en rondeau 1
Boutade 1
Paysanne
1
Chaconne 1
Chaconne
1
As the
tabulation
demonstrates,
the
content of
the suites
for two
viols
is,
in
fact,
almost
traditional.
The
sets
for one viol
provide
a
greater
variety
of
movements
and
a
more uneven
disposition
of the
types.
Solo
players,
and
especially
the
professionals,
were,
no
doubt,
in
greater need of a variety of repertory than ensemble players. The suites
for
two viols
were
conceivably
designed
for
amateurs,
or
teacher and
pupil.
As noted
above,
the
Basse-continues
for the First Book
did
not
appear
until
three
years
after
the
publication
of
the solo
parts.
In
addition to
the
figured
basses,
the
volume
contains ten new
compositions
in score.
The
first
eight
of
these
comprise
the
movements of
a suite:
prelude,
allemande,
courante,
sarabande,
gigue,
minuet,
rondeau,
and
fantaisie.
The ninth
work,
a
ground
bass
with
twenty
variations entitled
Sujet
et
Diversitez,
is
for two
viols
unaccompanied.
Marais comments
on
this
composition
as follows:
The
ground
bass,
upon
which one will find
twenty couplets composed
above,
was
given
to me
by
a
foreigner
for
making
all
these variations on
it,
which I have
taken
pleasure
in
working
out,
for
this
subject
seemed
very
good
to me.
It
changes
at
the end to B-flat
[G
minor];
the same
subject
is
always played
while
the
second viol varies all
the
couplets.
10
The work
is similar to
the
English
divisions on a
ground
which
are
thoroughly
explained by
Christopher Simpson
in The Division
Violist
(1659).1"
The last
work,
a
rondeau,
is
chordal
throughout.
Marais
adds
a
brief
comment
on this
piece,
too,
and offers a
justification
for
the
extreme demands it
makes on the
performer:
"It is
only
difficult
be-
cause of
the
abundance of
harmony.
But this
piece
and all the
other
10 Marais, Basse-continuis des pidces & une et & deux Violes (1689), Preface.
"Le
sujet
de
Basse,
ou l'on
trouvera
vingt couplets
faits
dessus,
m'a
est6
donni
par
un
Etranger, pour
y
faire toutes ces
variations, que
j'ay pris plaisir
a travailler:
car
ce
sujet
ma
paru
fort bon: Il
change
sur la fin en b
mol.
Ce mesme
sujet
se
joiie
tofijours
pendant
que
la Seconde Viole
varie
les
couplets."
"Facsimile
reprint
London,
1955.
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490
The Musical
Quarterly
previous
ones were made
expressly
for those
who have a
very great
ability
on the
viol."'"
Marais's second collection of Pifces de Violes (1701) was dedicated
to
his
patron
and
life-long
friend,
the
Duc
d'Orlians.
Its
design
differs
sharply
from
the
plan
of
the
First Book. The
first
collection
had been
composed expressly
for
the bass
viol,
and
contained a
large proportion
of
works
that demanded
genuine
virtuosity,
as Marais
himself
had
stated.
Shortly
before
the
publication
of
the
first
collection,
Marais
had
been
appointed
to the
post
of soloist
in
the
royal
band.
The
compositions
of that
period
no doubt
reflected
his interest
in the
technical
resources
of his instrument and his youthful enthusiasm for the exploitation of
virtuosity.
The
change
of
attitude
in Book II
is
expressed
in
the
choice
of
short,
tuneful
pieces
and
in the admission
that
the
compositions
were
not
intended
exclusively
for
the bass
viol,
but
were
"appropriate
for
playing
on
all
sorts of
instruments,
such
as the
organ,
harpsichord,
theorbo,
lute,
violin,
and German
flute."
Moreover,
Marais
offered
special
instructions
for those
who
might
wish
to
play
the
tunes
from
the
pieces
without
bothering
to learn
the works
themselves.
Special
attention
was given to the figured basses, in order to make them more melodic
and
readily
adaptable
for the
several
instruments
that
might
perform
them.13
The
Second
Book
comprises
seven
long
suites, totaling
141
separate
compositions.
The
individual
suites
contain
as
many
as
forty-one
and
as
few
as
thirteen
pieces.
As in
the First
Book,
the
works
are
numbered
consecutively.
Only
the
change
of
tonality
and
the
appearance
of
a
new
prelude
signal
the
beginning
of
a new set.
In addition
to
the
tonalities
present in the first collection - D minor, D major, G major, and G
minor
-
Marais
uses
B
minor,
A
major,
E
minor,
and E
major.
The
disposition
of the
works
into
the
seven
suites is
as
follows:
1-41
D minor
Suite
I
42-64
D
major
Suite
II
65-82
G
major
Suite
III
83-95
B minor
Suite
IV
96-110
E minor
Suite
V
111-124 E major Suite VI
125-141
A
major
Suite
VII
12
Marais,
Basse-continues,
Preface.
"Elle n'a
de
difficult6
que
par
la
quantit6
des
accords.
Mais
cette
piece,
et
touttes
les autres
cy
devant,
ont
est6 faittes
expres
pour
ceux
qui
auront
une
tres
grande
habitude
sur
la
Viole."
13
Marais,
Book
II,
Preface.
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Pisces de
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Each of the
suites
contains at least
one or
more of each of the
standard
movements-
prelude,
courante, sarabande,
and
gigue.
As
in the first collection, they appear in that order although they may be
separated by
other
compositions.
Additional
types
that
appear
most
frequently
are
minuet,
gavotte,
rondeau,
and
fantaisie.
The nine
types
account for
112
of
the
141
compositions.
The
remaining pieces
include
a
chaconne,
bourasque,
boutade,
folette,
passacaille,
and les
pidces
de
caracture,
so-called
"character
pieces"
with
descriptive
titles. Of
par-
ticular interest are
the four
most extensive works in the collection.
These
include
Folies,
thirty-two
variations on a
La Folia
theme,
which
compare
favorably
with
Corelli's
more
famous
set;
two
tombeaux,
one
dedicated
to
Lully
and
the other
to
Sainte-Colombe;
and a
fascinating polyphonic
piece
entitled
Fuge [sic]
gaye.
Surrounded
by
relatively
simple pieces,
these
compositions clearly
represent
the
major
efforts
of the volume.
They
were
obviously
intended
specifically
for the
bass
viol and for
performers
of
formidable
capacities.
The
following
tabulation contains
all
the
types
of works that
appear
more
than once
in Book
II,
and
the
number
of
times each
type
is
represented:
Preludes 14
Allemandes 15
Doubles
4
Courantes
10
Sarabandes 16
Gigues
16
Doubles
1
Minuets 19
Rondeaux
9
Gavottes
7
Fantaisies
6
Chaconnes
3
Tombeaux
2
Boutades
2
The
remaining single
works bear the titles:
Bourasque,
La
folette,
Ca-
price,
Ballet en
rondeau, Folies,
Cloches
ou
Carillon,
Paysanne,
La
Polonaise, Les voix humaines, Passacaille, Fuge gaye, Pavanne, La Gra-
cieux,
Branle de
village,
Echo,
Air en
Vaudeville,
with
Double,
and
La
vilageoise.
The third collection
of Pices de
Violes
(1711)
continues the
trend,
established
in
Book
II,
towards
short,
tuneful
pieces
that make
relatively
modest
demands on the
performer.
Only
six works out
of
a
total of 134
occupy
more
than
one
page
in the solo
part.
Marais
comments
on this
disposition
of
simple
and
complex
pieces
in the dedication
of
the col-
lection.
Addressing
the
general public,
to
whom the third collection
is
dedicated,
Marais
states that since the
publication
of
his second volume
of Pidces
de Violes
he
has
received
many requests
for another similar
collection.
Expressing
the
hope
that
this
third volume will convince
the
public
that he
has
neglected
nothing
in his endeavor to merit the
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The Musical
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approval
accorded the second
collection,
he adds
that the several
longer
and more
fully
harmonized
compositions
are
included
to
satisfy
more
advanced performers.
The third
volume
contains nine suites
for
one
viol
and
figured
bass.
Each
suite
includes
from twelve
to nineteen
pieces
which are
numbered
consecutively.
They
are
grouped
in sets
in
the
following
manner:
1-13
A minor
Suite
I
14-25
A
major
Suite
II
26-39
F
major
Suite
III
40-58 D major Suite IV
59-75
B-flat
major
Suite
V
76-91
G minor
Suite
VI
92-107
G
major
Suite
VII
108-122
C
major
Suite
VIII
123-134
C minor
Suite
IX
The
five basic
dance
movements are
present
in
all the
suites.
Each
species appears
once
in a
set,
except
in the
fifth
suite
which has
two
allemandes. The sequence of the movements is, in general, the same as
in the two
earlier
publications.
The first
suite,
however,
presents
a
fantaisie
in lieu of the
customary
prelude.
A
prelude
appears
as
the
eleventh
member
of
that set.
This
represents
the sole
instance
in Marais's
first three
collections
of
a
movement other
than
a
prelude
serving
as
the
first
member
of a suite.
At least one
double,
for
an
allemande,
courante,
or
gigue,
is
included
in each
set,
although
this
type
is
less
frequent
than
in
the
previous
volumes.
Special
titles
are common
for
the individual dances, such as Allemande la Gotique, Gigue L'incon-
stante,
Gavotte
la
Sincope,
and
Menuet
Fantasque.
Of
particular
interest
are several
pieces
composed
as imitations
of other
instruments.
These
include:
La
Trompette,
Menuet
la
Guitarre,
Menuet
de Cor de
Chasse,
and
Gavotte
du
goust
du theorbo
que
l'on
peut
pincer
si l'on
veut,
"Gavotte
in the
fashion
of
the
theorbo,
which
may
be
plucked
if
one
wishes
to
do so."
Marais's
fourth
collection,
Pidces
a
une
et
d
trois Violes
(1717),
is
the most diversified and, in this respect, the most interesting of the five.
The
composer
calls
it "an
attempt
to
satisfy
the different
tastes
of
the
public
in
respect
to
the
viol
. . . so that each
one
can find
here
what
suits
him
best."'4
The
volume is
divided into
three
parts,
each
devoted
14
Marais,
Book
IV,
Preface.
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to a
separate
aspect
of
viol-playing.
The first
part comprises
compositions
for
persons
"who
prefer pieces
that are
easy,
melodious,
and contain
little harmony to difficult ones."'5 Six Suittes, so called by the composer,
make
up
this
section.
Each includes from
seven to
thirteen
works
of
moderate
difficulty
for one
viol and
figured
bass. All six
commence
with a
prelude
and
five offer
an allemande
as the second
member.
The
remainder
of each
set
is
filled
out with
typical
dance
movements
and
character
pieces
that
include
La
Mignone,
La
petite
Brillante,
Le
Basque,
La
Provengale,
and
others. None
of
the
suites
includes
a
courante,
a
type
that
appeared
frequently
in
the
suites of
the
preceding
volumes. The omission seems accountable by the characteristic poly-
phonic
construction
of
most
courantes
in the
preceding
collections.
Marais,
apparently,
avoided the
type
in order to
minimize
the
amount
of
harmonic
playing
in
these
easy
suites.
The trend
towards
simplifi-
cation
is further
manifest
in
the
comparative
rarity
of
doubles.
The
double, usually
the
florid
variation of
a
preceding
allemande,
sarabande,
or
gigue, appears
only
twice
in the
six
sets. The
most extended
com-
position
in
this section of
Book
IV is
the
chaconne
from
the third
suite,
but
this, too,
is less
complex
than similar
movements
in
the earlier
publications.
Character
pieces
comprise
a
large portion
of the
total
number
of
works.
Many
of
the
standard
dance
movements
are
supplied
with
descriptive
titles,
of
which Allemande
la
familibre,
Rondeau
le
Gracieux,
Allemande
l'Enfantine,
and
Sarabande
a
l'Espagnol
are
typical.
The
contents
of
Suites
II and V demonstrate
the
diversity
of
types
in two
separate
suites:
Suite
II
Prelude
Allemande la Guimbault
Allemande
la
familibre
Boutade
Gavotte
la
Favorite
La
petite
Brillante
Rondeau
le Gracieux
Suite
V
Prelude
Caprice
Allemande
l'Enfantine
Sarabande
la
Gracieuse
Gigue;
Double
Le
Basque;
Double
Branle de
Village
Menuet
Menuet
The
six
suites
are
set in
D
minor,
D
major,
F
major,
A
minor,
A
major,
and E minor.
Although
the
composer
avowedly designed them
for
amateur
performance,
his
description
of them
as
easy
can
hardly
be
taken
literally.
Generous
use
of
ornaments,
occasional
passages
of
polyphonic
construction,
and
specified
bowings
of
some
intricacy require
s15
bid.
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The
Musical
Quarterly
a
performer
of no
mean
accomplishments.
Marais's
simplifications
lie,
rather,
in
the
sparing
use
of
the
harmonic
style
and
the
brevity
of
most
of the individual pieces.
The second
part
of Book IV consists of
one
long
set
of
pieces
for
one viol
and
figured
bass,
entitled Suitte d'un
goat Etranger.
Marais
describes
the Suitte as
composed
expressly
for advanced
players
who
do
not like
easy pieces
and who have
respect only
for
works of extraor-
dinary difficulty.16
This
concept
is
evident
in the nature
of the
com-
positions
and
in
the
virtuosity they
demand
from
the
performer.
In content and sequence of movements the Suitte d'un goat Etranger
bears
little resemblance
to Marais's
previous
suites.
It
includes
thirty-six
works of
various
kinds,
and the succession
of
movements
reveals
no
apparent
plan
in
either
the
choice
of movements or
their
disposition.
The
set
contains
neither
a
prelude
nor
a
courante,
and
only
ten of
the
thirty-six pieces
are from the
standard
group
of
dance
movements.
Some
of the
titles,
such
as
March
Tartare and
Pidce Luth&e,
indicate
that
they
are distinct
types
that
have
been transformed
into
character
pieces
by
Marais. Others, of which L'Ameriquaine, a playful rondo, and La
Reveuse,
a
lengthy
set
of
variations,
are
representative,
are
clearly
intended as
programmatic
works.
The Suitte
d'un
goat
Etranger employs
several
keys
and both
modes,
in contrast
to
the
single,
unifying
tonality
characteristic
of all
Marais's
other
suites.
The
arrangement
of the
pieces
in the
contrasting
tonalities
is as follows:
March Tartare
E-flat
major
Allemande
Sarabande
La
Tartarine;
Double
Gavotte
Feste
Champetre
E
minor
Muzette
E
major
Tamborin
E
minor
Gigue
Rondeau
Le
Tourbillon
La
Uniforme
L'Ameriquaine
E
major
Allemande
E
minor
16
Ibid.
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Allemande
L'Asmatique
G
major
La Tourneuse
Muzette
C
major
Caprice
ou Sonate
A minor
Le
Labyrinthe
A
major
Chaconne
La Sauterelle
D
major
La
Fougade
Allemande a Bizarre
D minor
La Minauderie
Allemande
la
Singulibre
F
major
L'Arabesque
Allemande a Superbe F minor
La Reveuse
March
F-sharp
minor
Gigue
Piece
Luthie
Gigue
la
Caustique
La
Badinage
The
Suitte d'un
goat
Etranger
includes
many
of
Marais's
most
in-
teresting
and
challenging
compositions.
Each
piece
in the set
possesses
a
distinct character
and,
in several
instances,
requires
a
special
kind of
technique.
Notable in
this
respect
are Le
Labyrinthe,
for
its
modulatory
character;
Caprice
ou
Sonate,
for
its extended
two-part
formal
structure;
and
Allemande
la
Bizarre,
for its unusual instrumental
demands.
Most
of the works are so
clearly designed
for the
capacities
of
the bass viol
that their
adaptability
for
other
instruments seems
questionable.
Both
in
musical
quality
and instrumental
complexity
these
compositions
may
well
represent
the
ne
plus
ultra in
the literature for the bass
viol.
The final section
of
Book IV consists of two
suites for three
viols
and
figured
bass. The two
independent upper
voices are
intended
for
two solo
viols.
The third viol
ordinarily
doubles
the
bass line of
the
figured
bass;
it is
occasionally
provided
with a
separate part,
but
this
is almost
invariably
a
diminution
of
the bass line.
Superficially,
the
works
appear
to resemble those for
two
viols and
figured
bass
in
the
First
Book. The
earlier
pieces,
however,
offer
in most
cases
only
two
distinct
parts.
The
figured
bass
was added after
the solo
parts
had
been
composed
and was
derived
from
the solo
parts,
as Marais states in
the
preface
to the
Basse-continuis
of
1689.
However,
if Marais
expected
a
third
viol to
support
the
bass line in these
compositions,
as
was
customary
in
the
period,
the
earlier
works
would
employ
the
same
instrumental
forces
as the
pieces
for three
viols from
the
Fourth
Book.
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The
basic
difference
between
the
two
sets
of
works
is
that
those
in
the
Fourth
Book
were
conceived
as
genuine
three-part
compositions,
while
those in the First Book are essentially in two parts.
The
two
suites
for three
viols
contain
the
standard
dance
movements,
with
the
addition
of
rondeau,
gavotte,
minuet,
and shorter
character
pieces:
Suite
I
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Gigue
Gavotte
Petite
Paysanne
Rondeau
Suite
II
Caprice
Allemande
Courante
Paysanne
Gracieuse
Sarabande
Gigue
Gavotte
Rondeau
Muzette
Muzette;
Double
Menuet
en
Muzette
The
initial
movement
of
each
suite
is the
longest
and
most
complex
of the set. Both the prelude from the first suite and the caprice from the
second
are
extended
movements, consisting
of a
slow
opening
section
followed
by
a faster
one,
both
worked
out
in
fugal
style.
The
other
pieces,
with
the
exception
of
the
rondeaux,
are
simple
and
relatively
straight-
forward.
The
rondeaux
are
fairly
long
works
containing
four
refrains
separated
by
contrasting
material.
The
Fourth
Book
is
a
publication
of
great
variety
and includes
music
of
undeniable
beauty.
Its
contents
seem
well
tailored
to the
needs
of
the
18th-century viol-playing public, and Marais appears to have effectively
achieved
his
avowed
aim
-
"to
satisfy
the different
tastes
of
the
public
in
respect
to
the
viol."
Marais's
last
collection
of
Pisces
de Viole
(1725)
17
represents
a
return
to
the
plan
used
in the
Second
and
Third
Books.
All
the
pieces
are
for
17
In
the
record
reviews
of
The
Musical
Quarterly
(Vol.
XL,
No.
1, January
1954, p.
136),
David
Boyden
statedlthat
Marais's
Fifth
Book
of Pieces
de
Violes
was
published
in 1717
rather
than .1725.
This
understandable
error
apparently
resulted
from the addition of the former date, in a typically 19th-century hand, on the title
page
of
the
copy
of
Book
V
in the
possession
of
the Bibliothbque
Nationale.
Since
the
publication
date
of 1725
is corroborated
not
only
by
Titon
but also
by the
date
1725
on
the
Royal
Privilege
included
in the
Paris
edition
of
the Fifth
Book,
there
seems
little
doubt
that
the
appended
date
1717
appearing
on
this
particular
title
page
represents
an error
in
judgment
on
the
part
of some
enthusiastic
but
inaccurate
bibliophile.
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one bass viol
and
figured
bass and most
of
them
are of moderate
diffi-
culty.
Each
suite, nevertheless,
contains one
or
more works for
ac-
complished performers. The 115 compositions are grouped in seven
lengthy
suites. Individual suites
include
thirteen or more
pieces.
Each
set,
except
the
fifth,
commences with a
prelude.
The fifth
suite
replaces
the
customary
prelude
with a
caprice.
None of the seven
sets includes a
courante,
although
all the
other dance
types
are
present.
The
greater
part
of the
collection is
made
up
of character
pieces,
which,
according
to
the
composer,
were
in
great
vogue
at that
time.18
Again,
many
of the
dance
movements bear
descriptive
titles,
such
as
Prelude le
Soligni
(family
dedication), Allemande la Fiere (the Proud), and La Demoi Gigue
(unexplained).
Only
the
gavottes
and
minuets
consistently
lack
these
pseudo-programmatic
implications.
In the first
suite,
set in
A
minor,
the
dance movements
and character
pieces
are
about
equally
represented:
Prelude
la
Soligni
Allemande
La
Facile
Sarabande
La
Marine
Gavotte
Gigue
Menuet
Simple
Menuet
Double
La
Sincope
Petit
Caprice
Rondeau
Bagatelle
Fantaisie
Grande
Gavotte
Gigue a Mutine
Rondeau
Prelude
en
Harpbgement
The second
set,
in
A
major,
reveals about
the same
distribution
of
character
pieces
and dance
movements.
In the
third
group
the
descriptive
works
outnumber the dance
types.
Only
six of
fifteen
compositions
lack
some
kind of extra-musical
title:
Prelude
Allemande
la
bois
Guillaume
Sarabande
La Demoi
Gigue
Menuet
Menuet;
Double
Gavotte
Rondeau Paysan
Rondeau le Douceroux
Idle
Grotesque
Double
Les
Forgerons
Le touche du
Clavecin
Prelude en
Harpgement
Dance
movements
dominate the
fourth suite. It
contains,
however,
a
formidable
set of
variations entitled
Variations
sur
une basse
contrainte,
a
particularly
interesting
Fantaisie
et
Double,
and an
especially
charming
gigue,
La Fromental.
The
penultimate
work,
a
caprice
in D
minor,
repre-
sents
the
only
instance
in the
Fifth
Book
in which
Marais violates
the
tonal
unity
of a
suite.
18
Marais,
Book
V,
Preface.
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The Musical
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The
fifth and sixth suites
present
about
equal
numbers of
descrip-
tive
pieces
and dance
movements. The
fifth set includes the
composer's
elegy for one of his deceased sons, a gently moving work entitled
Tombeau
pour
Marais le Cadet. The
Rondeau le
Badin
and
Georgienne
dite la
Maupertuy
are
the
most
demanding
works in the
set. The
sixth
suite,
in
G
major,
offers
several
works of
extraordinary
interest:
Sallie
du
Jardin,
Le
jeu
du
Volant,
Le
petit
badinage,
and
Dialogue.
The
final
group
of
compositions
in Book
V is
among
the most
attrac-
tive
of Marais's
suites.
The set
numbers
twenty-five
pieces,
of
which
only
four are
without
descriptive
titles.
As in
the other sets
in
the
Fifth
Book,
most of the compositions make only modest technical demands, but each
piece
projects
an
individual
character
quite
without
parallel
in
Marais's
five collections.
Especially appealing
are La
Simplicite
Paysanne,
Alle-
mande
la
Bailly
Duchesse,
and
Resveries
Mesplainiennes.
La
Caprice
Bellemont,
named
for
a
violist-colleague,
Les
Relavailles,
and
La
Poite-
vine
represent
the
virtuoso
pieces
in the
set.
The best
known
and
possibly
the
most
unusual
work
in
all of
Marais's
five
publications
for
bass
viol
is
Le
Tombeau
de
l'Operation
de
la
Taille.
This
remarkable
piece
attempts
to depict the horrors of a gall-bladder operation, without benefit of
anesthesia,
experienced
by
Marais
around
1720.
A
running
commentary
in the text
indicates
the
details
of the
ordeal.
The
work
has
been
cited
as
one
of the
earliest
examples
of French
instrumental
program
music.'9
Les Relavailles
follows
L'Operation
and
presumably
depicts
the
joys
of
convalescence.
Marin
Marais's
five
collections
of
Pisces
de Violes
represent
an
ac-
complishment
of
great
scope
and
originality.
Historically,
they
constitute
the full flowering of an established French musical tradition, the culmina-
tion
of
an
art that
had
its
origins
in'
the 16th
century.
In
sheer
numbers
the
books
surpass
the
production
of
any
other
composer
for
the
bass
viol.
In
musical
variety
and
range
of
instrumental
expression,
they
stand
alone
in
the
contributions
to
the literature
for
that
instrument,
and
Curt
Sachs
has
stated
with
full
justification
that Marais's
books
of
pieces
for
viols
"form
one
of the
most
important
documents
in
the
history
of
French
in-
strumental
music."20
Hubert
le Blanc accorded
Marais
a niche
with
the
great artists of the period: "Corelli and M. Michel are the Bossuets, the
19
Curt
Sachs,
Our
Musical
Heritage,
New
York,
1955,
p. 212
ff.;
Sachs,
The
Commonwealth
of
Art,
New
York,
1946, p.
122.
L'Operation
is reprinted
in
Encyclo-
pidie
de
la
musique
et dictionnaire
du
Conservatoire,
ed. by
Albert Lavignac
and
Lionel
de la
Laurencie,
Paris,
1913-30,
Part II,
Vol. III, p.
1776.
20o
Curt
Sachs,
Notes
for
L'Anthologie
Sonore,
Vol.
VIII,
p.
12.
-
5/20/2018 Marin Marais's Pieces de Violes
21/21
Marin Marais's
Pisces de Violes
499
FCndlons,
the
Demosthenes,
and the Ciceros of
music,
whose works
joust
with
the
pieces
of Marais
and
Couperin,
as
the divine
prose
of those
illustrious orators and prelates does with the poetry of Homer and
Virgil."21
Titon du
Tillet
did not
consider
Marais
a
genius
of the
first
rank,
and
in his classification of the
great
spirits
of France did
not
place
him in
the
company
of
Corneille, Racine,
Moliere,
and
Lully.
But Marais's
stature
nearly
matched that of the foremost creative artists of
France,
and
Titon
did
not
hesitate to
assign
him a
place
of honor in the second
tier
of im-
mortals,
together
with
Clkment
Marot,
Isaac
de
Benserade,
Philippe
Quinault, and Michel Delalande. Titon's judgment may have been in-
fluenced
by
the
memory
of
Marais,
the
virtuoso;
but even on
the basis
of his
music
alone,
Marais seems to merit the exalted
place
in
history
accorded
him
by
his
literary contemporary.
21
Le
Blanc,
Difense
de la basse
de
viole, p.
3.
"Corelly
et M.
Michel
sont les
Bossuets,
les
F~ndlons,
es
Dimosthines,
et les
Ciceros
de la
musique,
dont les oeuvres
font
assaut avec
les
pi~ces
de Marais et
de
Couperin,
comme la
prose
divine de
ces
illustres
orateurs
et
prilats
a
la
po6sie
d'Hombre
et de
Virgile."