Jean-François DANDRIEU (1681-1738)
Magnificats
Magnificat du 1er ton (D minor) [10:03]
Tierce en taille in A [3:03]
Muzète in G [2:48]
Magnificat du 2e ton (G minor) [9:06]
À la venue de Noël [2:48]
Bon Joseph écoutez-moi [3:39]
Or nous dites Marie [4:33]
Carillon ou cloches [3:29]
Magnificat du 8e ton (G major) 09:18]
Fugue (chromatique) [2:17]
Fugue. Hymne Ave maris stella [1:53]
Magnificat du 3e ton (A minor) [10:55]
Offertoire pour le jour de Pâques 'O filii et filiae' [6:47]
Jean-Baptiste Robin (organ)
rec. July 2019, Chapelle Royale, Versailles, France
CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES SPECTACLES CVS023 [70:52]
Since 2009, the wonderful Royal Chapel in the castle of Versailles offers an annual programme of concerts, some of which are also released on disc. So far, the historical organ of 1710 by the Clicquot dynasty, and restored in the 1990s to its original state, was not documented on disc. A few years ago the label Château de Versailles de Spectacles planned a series of recordings of this instrument. The first disc was recorded by Ton Koopman (review) and on the second his colleage Jean-Baptiste Robin - the organ's incumbent since 2010 - presents the instrument in music by Jean-François Dandrieu.
Dandrieu was born in Paris and received his first music lessons from his uncle, Pierre, organist of St Barthélemy, and probably also from Jean-Baptiste Moreau. From 1705 until his death he acted as organist of St Merry, a post earlier held by the famous Nicolas Lebègue. In 1721 he was also appointed organist of the Chapelle Royale (which makes him a predecessor of Robin), and in the last years of his life he occupied the position of his uncle at St Barthélemy.
Dandrieu published four books with harpsichord pieces and one book with organ works. The Premier Livre de Pièces d'Orgue was printed in 1739, the year after his death. Originally, he had planned to publish two books of organ pieces, which should include twelve suites, six in a major key, and six in a minor key. Each suite was to open with an Offertoire and close with a Magnificat. About the character of his organ works, he stated: "I have endeavoured throughout to grasp this noble and elegant simplicity which is the specific character of the organ, and taken care to indicate the movement and the mood of each piece, using terms which seemed to me to be the most appropriate to indicate my intentions." Probably due to his death, only one book with six suites was published. It includes Pièces in D La Ré, G Ré Sol and A Mi La, each of them in major and minor respectively.
Robin selected four of the six Magnificats. These comprise five to seven verses, whose titles refer to their form (Duo, Trio) or the required registration (plein jeu, basse de trompette, flûte), and a character indication (tendrement, vif et marqué). Obviously, these Magnificats were intended for the alternatim practice in the liturgy. However, Dandrieu does not indicate which verses of the Magnificat he has set, and which are to be sung. This may well be deliberate. His organ works show his mastery of counterpoint, for instance in the application of the form of the fugue. However, they are quite modern in that they include pieces which show the influence of Lully's operas. Some pieces are transcriptions of movements from his trio sonatas. There are also pieces which one often finds in harpsichord suites and instrumental works of the time, such as the musette (Suite IV in G, Muzète). Dandrieu's organ suites bear witness to the changes in organ music in the early 18th century which is also reflected by the almost complete disappearance of plainchant melodies.
In addition, Robin selected pieces from various suites as well as a number of Noëls, representing a genre that was very popular from the late 17th century onwards. The origin of these songs often go back as far as the Middle Ages. They gradually became part of the liturgy. Until the beginning of the 17th century they were sung during the Offertory; then the ecclesiastical authorities tried to put an end to this tradition. As a way of compensation, organists started to play variations on these songs during the Offertory. Dandrieu's Noëls are included in a book of such pieces which was printed 21 years after his death, probably by his sister who was also an organist. These are not original compositions, but rather arrangements or reworkings of pieces by his uncle Pierre. Modern influences are traceable here as well.
Jean-Baptiste Robin is an excellent organist, and as he is the incumbent of this instrument, one may expect him to know it inside out and to explore its features to the full in order to bring out the qualities of Dandrieu's music. This is a disc that no organ lover should miss.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
