PURCHASE CD

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689−1755)

While Joseph Bodin de Boismortier left a considerable body of work and was one of the principal figures in the cultural life of eighteenth century Paris, very little is known about his life.

It has only recently been established with certainty that this prolific composer was born in Lorrraine at Thionville in 1689. With slender evidence concerning his childhood, even the most dedicated researchers have been reduced to conjecture in the effort to explain his move in 1713 to Perpignan in the Catalan region where he was a receiver in the Royal Tobacco Control for the troops based in Roussillon.

Both his musical education and his journey from distant Perpignan towards the Parisian musical scene are equally undocumented. Arriving in Paris in 1723, Boismortier quickly obtained the publishing rights that allowed him to produce four to five collections per year. These publications afforded rapid financial returns that allowed him and his household to live independently, with the support of neither a prince nor duties as a church organist.

Thus unfettered, Boismortier easily navigated the musical echelons of Paris. Though known primarily for his instrumental works, he also wrote three opera−ballets, "Les Voyages de l’Amour" (1736), "Don Quichotte" (1743) and "Daphnis et Cholë" (1747). All of these were presented by the prestigious Royal Academy of Music. Boismortier continually adapted to public demand and produced collections for all of the instruments that were currently in vogue in France, with the exception of organ and lute.

Boismortier, who had spent his whole musical maturity in successfully melding the French style with the inevitable rise of the Italian, finally withdrew from musical life in 1752, a victim of the "Querelle des Bouffons". This increasingly acrimonious debate between men of letters and music resulted in flurries of pamphlets that decried or defended the older French style and the increasing influence of Italian artists in Paris. Political attack was hidden within artistic disputes to the point of challenging the foundations of royal authority. Support of Italian music came to represent free thinking individualism and a weakening of the monarchy. Perhaps exhausted by the debate, Boismortier died at his estate G’tinellerie that he acquired through the proceeds of his successful career.

While producing an abundance of approachable and seemingly simple music, Boismortier also freely explored the different musical styles that were in fashion at the time. He passed with ease through the dances of the French suite and lively movements of the Italian sonata. Boismortier was the first French composer to write a concerto for a solo instrument (Concerto in D Major, Opus 26 for Violoncello, Viol or Bassoon) in the manner of the Italian concertos. Despite the clacking of jealous tongues over the profusion of Boismortier’s works, he harvested all styles and left a richly varied and original body of work.

Perhaps it is necessary to consider Boismortier’s provincial background, and the small circles of amateur musicians with whom he associated. It is important to note that in the eighteenth century, the term "amateur" had none of the faintly pejorative connotations that the word holds in our time. Musical instruction was an integral part of the education of the bourgeois and nobility and musical performance was a highly visible form of entertainment in high society. Boismortier, along with Blavet, Baudot, La Barre and many others, was a frequent guest in the salons of noble women and wealthy gentility. In these salons, the works were presented in concert by the composers themselves or by another invited guest, and at times even the host would be the performer. The high attendance at these events provided immediate publicity and was in effect was the most effective method of distribution for the time, an indispensable tool for the completely self−employed composer. These could be the reasons that led him to write such a large body of chamber music.

Another standard marketing method of the time, used by Boismortier and many other eighteenth century composers, was to indicate that a particular collection of music could be played on several different instruments. In the five collections from which we have drawn the repertoire for this recording, the title pages suggest, in differing orders of priority depending on the work, the cello, viol or bassoon. The viol, which reigned supreme in the previous century, was starting to lose ground to the cello, recently arrived from Italy. The bassoon, the bass voice of the woodwinds, was going through technical developments that permitted it to take an equal place as a solo voice with the bass instruments of the string family.

If the six sonatas of Opus 26, dedicated to the cellist Labbé, show a style of writing that is particularly suited to the cello, the sonatas of Opus 14, 49 and 66 seem perfectly suited to the expressive and technical potential of the bassoon. In these sonatas, the allemandes and courantes from the French suite are interspersed with sicilienes and largos, blending disparate styles into one language for the greater pleasure of the performer and listener.

Rather like the musicians of the eighteenth century, it was in the spirit of pleasure in music−making that this recording was conceived. In perusing the five volumes of sonatas by Boismortier for two bass voices, we have chosen pieces that interested us the most. These offer a perspective on the evolution of Boismortier’s writing and style throughout his entire career. Using the facsimile editions of the original printings has allowed us to come as close as possible to realizing the original intentions of the composer. At the same time, we have also sometimes taken the liberty of varying the instrumentation, sometimes even within the same sonata, in the search for the widest range of tonal colours.

An inspired orchestrator and alchemist of sound, we like to think that Boismortier would have appreciated our new reading of his music, in particular the unusual alloy of lute and contrabassoon that gives the bass lines a surprising depth and colour.

Perhaps it is necessary to consider Boismortier’s provincial background, and the small circles of amateur musicians with whom he associated. It is important to note that in the eighteenth century, the term "amateur" had none of the faintly pejorative connotations that the word holds in our time. Musical instruction was an integral part of the education of the bourgeois and nobility and musical performance was a highly visible form of entertainment in high society. Boismortier, along with Blavet, Baudot, La Barre and many others, was a frequent guest in the salons of noble women and wealthy gentility. In these salons, the works were presented in concert by the composers themselves or by another invited guest, and at times even the host would be the performer. The high attendance at these events provided immediate publicity and was in effect was the most effective method of distribution for the time, an indispensable tool for the completely self−employed composer. These could be the reasons that led him to write such a large body of chamber music.

Another standard marketing method of the time, used by Boismortier and many other eighteenth century composers, was to indicate that a particular collection of music could be played on several different instruments. In the five collections from which we have drawn the repertoire for this recording, the title pages suggest, in differing orders of priority depending on the work, the cello, viol or bassoon. The viol, which reigned supreme in the previous century, was starting to lose ground to the cello, recently arrived from Italy. The bassoon, the bass voice of the woodwinds, was going through technical developments that permitted it to take an equal place as a solo voice with the bass instruments of the string family.

If the six sonatas of Opus 26, dedicated to the cellist Labbé, show a style of writing that is particularly suited to the cello, the sonatas of Opus 14, 49 and 66 seem perfectly suited to the expressive and technical potential of the bassoon. In these sonatas, the allemandes and courantes from the French suite are interspersed with sicilienes and largos, blending disparate styles into one language for the greater pleasure of the performer and listener.

Rather like the musicians of the eighteenth century, it was in the spirit of pleasure in music−making that this recording was conceived. In perusing the five volumes of sonatas by Boismortier for two bass voices, we have chosen pieces that interested us the most. These offer a perspective on the evolution of Boismortier’s writing and style throughout his entire career. Using the facsimile editions of the original printings has allowed us to come as close as possible to realizing the original intentions of the composer. At the same time, we have also sometimes taken the liberty of varying the instrumentation, sometimes even within the same sonata, in the search for the widest range of tonal colours. "Boismortier was an inspired orchestrator and alchemist of sound and we like to think that he would have particularly appreciated the unusual alloy of lute and contrassoon in the the bass line."

− Mathieu Lussier