Louis Marchand Resource

Louis Marchand (1669-1732)

SausageLynx Home

Louis Marchand Contents/Home

Louis Marchand Here

Biography

Compositions

Louis Marchand There

Audio

Video

Louis Marchand STORE

External Links

Find Your Own Info

Bibliography

Discography

Here we discuss Louis Marchand's output in different compositional genres. Below, a table lists noted compositions of Marchand. Products related to the compositions can be found in the store.

Marchand composed harpsichord, organ, and vocal music. Publishing was not a priority of Marchand's and only a limited number of publications exist of his music. Most of his music can be viewed in manuscript form and much may be waiting to be discovered. His only daughter Françoise Angéline inherited a trunk of manuscripts that has not been located.

Keyboard: The keyboard compositions through which we come to know Marchand all date from early in his career. They tend to demonstrate more lyrical qualities than his organ pieces. They are primarily known through his Pièces de clavecin published in two books, the first published in Paris in 1699 and the second published in 1702. Each book contains a single suite that is confined to one tonality in a manner established by Chambonierres. The title pages of these books confirm Marchand's post as organist at St. Benoît and the Cordeliers mentioned above. Recently, a book of harpsichord pieces was discovered in France in 2003 and has been attributed to Marchand. The contents include fourteen individual harpsichord compositions, twelve in C minor and two in C major.

Organ: His organ music tends to look backward to earlier traditions. Some of it is loosely based on the medieval modes. This retrospection is only one dimension of Marchand's organ compositions. Another is their secular properties resulting from Marchand's popularity as a harpsichordist and the fact that his birthplace, Lyon, was known for cultivating Italian music. Much of the organ music appears to be teaching material or outlines for improvisation, although some musical gems can be found. Twelve pieces were published posthumously (although the Mercure de France from January 1700 seems to refer to an earlier, now lost version, of this publication), while forty-two compositions can be found in four books of manuscripts in Versailles. Orderliness was not a strong point of Marchand's and his organ pieces are arranged haphazardly, sometimes even lacking any registration and titles.

Geoffrey Sharp, in his journal article, "Louis Marchand, 1669-1732. A forgotten virtuoso," organized the organ works into three groups, those influenced by vocal genres, those influenced by instrumental genres, and vocal-instrumental hybrids. He identifies three vocal genres: duos, trios, and recits. The duos are two voice compositions with the second voice imitating (Marchand's compositions usually have the second voice imitation at a fourth below the first). In Sharp's opinion, these are not compositionally successful because they fail to demonstrate equal rhythmic/melodic importance for both voices. Marchand's trios are all marked manualiter and are more successful than his duos. His recits have the strongest connection to Italian vocal style and vary greatly, one is only eight measures long while a more formally complex one is four pages long. Sharp identifies the instrumental genres as fugues, grand jeu, plein jeu, and fond d'orgue. In his article, Sharp points out the weaknesses of the fugues of French organists including Marchand, whose fugues are "weak and badly organized." The other three instrumental categories come from names of organ registration formulas. Sharp's four vocal-instrumental hybrid categories are en taille pieces, basse de trompette, quatour, and dialogue.

Vocal: Marchand's vocal output consists of several airs that appeared in various anthologies published between 1706 and 1743. He also composed an opera whose manuscript has not yet been found.

Compositions by Name

(Click to Expand/Contract Information)

Alcione: This is Marchand's only known cantata It exists in manuscript form.

Cantiques spirituelles: These three vocal compositions are based on text by Racine. Four additional cantiques, formerly believed to be by Louis Marchand, were later found to be composed by Jean-Noël Marchand.

Fond d'orgue in E Minor: This particular Fond d'orgue, one of several found in the Versailles manuscripts, is known for its shifting tonality and rich harmonies. The genre of the fond d'orgue in general is know for varying form and straying tonalities.

Grand dialogue in C: A large organ composition dated from 1696. It is found also found in the Versailles manuscripts and is usually found listed as the "Third Book" in modern publications of Marchand's Pièces de orgue. This work is a dialogue in many senses of the word. There is contrast between sonorities demonstrated by Marchand's registration markings, and corresponding dialogues between timbres and registers. There is also a sort of dialogue between moods (the tempo markings of the compositions are lentement, legerement, and gravement).

La vénitienne: This harpsichord composition was published in Ballard’s Pièces choisies pour le clavecin in Paris during 1707.

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Prelude: This is not an unmeasured prelude, but it is improvisational in character. An opening pedal tone of six bars can cause initial confusion concerning the appropriateness of this piece for the organ. Tones such as this would be trilled or prolonged in another matter according to the guidelines of Diruta's Il Transylvano.

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Allemande

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Courante (I)

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Courante (II)

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Sarabande

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Gigue: This gigue contains fugal elements.

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Gavotte

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Rondeau

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Chaconne

Pièces de clavecin - Book I - Suite in D Minor - Menuet

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Prelude: This prelude is unmeasured in the French traditional manner.

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Allemande

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Courante

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Sarabande

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Gigue

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Gavotte

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Menuet: This composition is interesting for its form. It contains a ten-bar strain divided into two five-bar segments.

Pièces de clavecin - Book II - Suite in G Minor - Menuet Rondo

Pyrame et Thisbé: The manuscript to this opera composed by Marchand has never been located. The opera is known because it is mentioned in the writings of Titon.

Quatuor: This composition was published posthumously in an organ publication. The work, for three manuals and pedals, clearly shows Marchand's command of contrapuntal writing and performance. The quatuor was a showpiece for organ virtuosi during this time period.

Oh the legality of it all!: Users of the site agree to not hold the creator responsible for anything that happens, related or unrelated to this site, in their lives after any form of sensory perception of the material on this site (or sites we link to). Users agree to not hold the creator responsible for anything they believe is not covered by the first statement. Use the site completely at your own risk!