Louis Marchand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis Marchand
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| Background information | |
| Born | 2 February 1669 |
| Origin | France |
| Died | 17 February 1732 (aged 63) |
| Genres | Baroque |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | |
Louis Marchand (born February 2, 1669 – died February 17, 1732) was a famous French musician and composer from the Baroque period. He played the organ and the harpsichord. Marchand was born into a family of organists and showed amazing talent from a young age. He quickly became known as one of the best musicians in France.
He worked as an organist in many churches. For a few years, he was even one of the four "Organists of the King" for the French king. Marchand was known for his strong personality. His life included many stories that were talked about a lot, both when he was alive and after he died.
Even though he was very famous, not many of his musical pieces still exist today. Most of the ones we have are from his younger years. However, some of his organ pieces, like Grand dialogue and Fond d'orgue, are still considered classic works of the French organ school.
Contents
The Early Life of a Musical Talent
Louis Marchand came from a family of musicians. His grandfather, Pierre, was a schoolmaster and music teacher. Pierre's three sons, including Louis's father Jean, were all organists. Jean Marchand was an organist at the cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand. Later, his family moved to Nevers in 1684.
Louis showed incredible musical skill as a child. One story says that when he was just 14, he was offered an important job as an organist at the Nevers Cathedral. However, we don't have many official papers from his time in Nevers.
By the time he was 20, Marchand had moved to Paris. He married the daughter of a harpsichord builder named Jean Denis. His marriage contract shows that he was already an organist at the Eglise Saint-Jacques church in Paris. He also played at other churches, including Saint-Benoît-le-Bétourné and the Cordeliers Convent.
In June 1708, Marchand became one of the four "Organists of the King." This was a very important position. He was paid well and played for the king during certain months of the year.
A Musician with a Strong Personality
People who knew Marchand always praised his amazing keyboard skills. But they also often mentioned his very colorful and sometimes unpredictable personality. Because of his great talent and unique character, many stories and rumors spread about him.
One famous story tells how Marchand left Paris for Germany in 1713 for three years. During this time, he performed for various important people, including the emperor. After returning to France, he settled back in Paris. He continued working as an organist and earned extra money by teaching music.
Another well-known story is about a competition Marchand was supposed to have with the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach in Dresden in September 1717. According to some German stories, Marchand was supposed to compete with Bach on the harpsichord. But Marchand supposedly left before Bach arrived, perhaps because he was afraid of losing.
However, the real reason might have been different. Marchand had performed for the king in Dresden. There were rumors he might be offered a job as an organist at the Royal Chapel. This made the other musicians at the court unhappy. The court's music director, Jean-Baptiste Volumier, might have invited Bach to compete. This was possibly to challenge Marchand, who was known for being a bit arrogant. Marchand might have left suddenly because he sensed there would be problems if he took the job.
Even with these stories, Bach himself respected Marchand's skills. One witness said that Bach played Marchand's harpsichord pieces "ingeniously" and from memory.
Marchand's Musical Works
Not many of Marchand's musical pieces have survived, and most of them are from his early career. His organ works are the most numerous and important. Twelve of his organ pieces were published in 1740. It's thought these were copies of an earlier book from 1700 that no longer exists.
Another 42 pieces are found in a special old book kept at the royal library in Versailles. These include important works like the large Grand Dialogue (from 1696), a harmonically interesting Fond d'orgue, and the Quatuor, which is a four-part fugue. A fugue is a type of musical piece where different parts play the same melody at different times.
Marchand also wrote pieces for the harpsichord. These are found in two collections called "suites." The first suite was published in 1699. The second suite was published in 1702. These suites show different musical styles. Some parts sound like older Italian music, while others are clearly in the French style.
In 2005, a recording was released of a manuscript (a handwritten music book) that supposedly contained more of Marchand's harpsichord pieces. This book was found in a private collection. The owners have kept its details secret, so it's hard for music experts to study it. This makes it a bit of a mystery!
Marchand's Musical Legacy
Many musicians admired Louis Marchand, including the famous composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. Marchand also had students, such as Pierre Dumage and Louis-Claude Daquin. Dumage even praised his teacher in the introduction to his own important organ work, Premier livre d'orgue (1708).
Another musician from Marchand's time, Pierre-Louis D'Aquin De Château-Lyon, compared him to François Couperin, another great French composer. He said that while Couperin was more artistic and careful, Marchand had a more natural and spontaneous way of making music.
Besides his music, Marchand also wrote a book about how to compose music called Règles de la composition. The music expert Sébastien de Brossard thought it was an excellent, even if short, work.
Today, many experts don't consider most of Marchand's surviving pieces to be very important. However, some disagree. The French music expert Philippe Beaussant said that Marchand's compositions are "skilfully written." He believed that you need to study them closely to see how truly great they are.
See also
In Spanish: Louis Marchand para niños
