Daquin - Nouveau Livre de Noels | Brilliant Classics 94895

Daquin - Nouveau Livre de Noels

Label: Brilliant Classics

Cat No: 94895

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Christmas

Release Date: 6th October 2017

Contents

Artists

Adriano Falcioni (organ)

Works

Daquin, Louis-Claude

Nouveau Livre de Noels

Artists

Adriano Falcioni (organ)

About

Born into a family of Italian origins, Louis‐Claude Daquin (1694‐1772) lived in France during the reign of Louis XIV, studied with Louis Marchand, and in 1739 was named organist of the Chapelle Royale. In 1755, he was also appointed organist at Notre‐Dame Cathedral. The music for which he is now best known is the Nouveau Livre de noëls, a collection of variations on traditional French Christmas songs.

The noël has a distinguished lineage in French musical history, as the nearest equivalent to the English carol, an expression of joy at Christmas‐time. Thus they are popular songs, of simple form, memorable melody and often pastoral character, telling the story not only of the birth of Christ but of the shepherds who rush to see the infant in the manger in Bethlehem. Cheaply produced anthologies of such songs proliferated in 17th‐century France, and instrumental arrangements became increasingly popular.

Every composer of note in that period would produce their own collection, especially if they had a post in a chapel or liturgical responsibilities, and the scores of these arrangements thus survive in greater number than the original noëls themselves. Just as the greater liturgical freedom of Midnight Mass permitted the singing of noëls from the late 12th century, so too in the second half of the 17th century did it provide the organist with the opportunity to introduce variations on the currently popular tunes. With the French Revolution the genre fell from favour but was revived in Paris in the late 19th century, with examples by Franck, Guilmant and Tournemire. The noëls of Daquin remain pre‐eminent, however, for their charm and vivacity.

Adriano Falcioni has made several recordings for Brilliant Classics which have been warmly welcomed by the international press: among them substantial or complete collections of organ music by Couperin (BC94333), Franck (BC94349) and Durufle (BC92640). On this new set, recorded in July 2017, he plays the organ of l'Abbaye de Saint Guilhem le Désert in the Hérault region of France.

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