Marin Marais facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marin Marais
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Marin Marais, 1704
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| Born | 31 May 1656 Paris
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| Died | August 15, 1728 (aged 72) Paris
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| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Musician |
Marin Marais (born May 31, 1656, in Paris – died August 15, 1728, in Paris) was a French composer and viol player. He is known as one of the most important French musicians of the Baroque period.
Contents
Early Life and Learning Music
Marin Marais grew up as the son of a shoemaker. He went to a choir school where he learned to play the viol. The viol is an old string instrument, similar to a cello.
Later, he studied with Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, a very famous bass viol player. People said that after just six months, Marais was even better than his teacher!
In 1675, when he was 19, Marais joined the orchestra at the Paris Opera. There, he met Jean-Baptiste Lully, who was the director of the Opera. Lully taught Marais how to compose music. Marais often conducted the operas that Lully had written.
Musician for the King
In 1676, Marais was hired to play music at the royal court of Versailles. He became a very successful court musician.
In 1679, he received a special title: "ordinaire de la chambre du roy pour la viole." This means he was a regular musician for the king's chamber, specifically for the viol. He held this important job until 1725.
His Music and Works
Marin Marais was a master of the basse de viol, which is a type of viol. He wrote a lot of music for this instrument. He is considered the most important French composer for the viol.
He wrote five books of Pièces de viole (Pieces for Viol) between 1686 and 1725. Most of these pieces are suites, which are collections of dances. They often included a basso continuo, which is a bass line played by instruments like a cello or harpsichord. These pieces were very popular at the royal court. People later said that he "founded and firmly established the empire of the viol."
Marais also wrote other music:
- A book of Pièces en trio (Trio Pieces) in 1692.
- Four operas between 1693 and 1709.
His opera Alcyone (1706) is famous for its exciting storm scene. In 1706, Marais became the conductor of the Paris Opera. However, after his 1709 opera, Sémélé, was not very successful, he slowly stopped performing in public.
Family Life
Marin Marais married Catherine d'Amicourt on September 21, 1676. They had 19 children together! Two of his children, Vincent Marais and Roland Marais, also became famous musicians. His grandson, Nicolas Marais, was also a musician.
Famous Musical Pieces
A writer named Titon du Tillet wrote about Marais in his book Le Parnasse françois. He described two interesting pieces by Marais:
- The Labyrinth: This piece is from Marais' fourth book. It changes keys many times. The music uses notes that sometimes sound a bit off or "dissonant," and it changes between fast and slow parts. It's meant to describe a person lost in a labyrinth. Eventually, the person finds their way out happily, and the music ends with a graceful chaconne (a type of dance).
- La Gamme (The Scale): This piece slowly goes up the steps of an octave (a full musical scale) and then slowly comes back down again.
Marin Marais in Movies
Marin Marais and his music were featured in the 1991 movie Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World). The movie tells a detailed, imagined story of Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, Marais' teacher. You can hear a lot of Marais' music in the film, including his longer work Sonnerie de Ste-Geneviève du Mont-de-Paris (1723).
A recording of the Sonnerie played on a Fairlight synthesizer was also used in the cult classic film Liquid Sky.
Images for kids
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Portrait by André Bouys, 1704
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Viol part of Premiers couplets des Folies d'Espagne from Marin Marais' second book of viol pieces.
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See also
In Spanish: Marin Marais para niños
