Esprit Antoine Blanchard
Encyclopedia
Esprit-Joseph-Antoine Blanchard (Pernes
, 29 February 1696 - Versailles
, 19 April 1770) was a French baroque composer, a contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau
, and regarded as a representative composer of religious music in eighteenth-century France.
Blanchard was born at Pernes in the County of Avignon in 1696. His father was a physician. He was a choirboy at the Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence.
Pernes
Pernes is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Pernes, Pas-de-Calais, in the Pas-de-Calais département* Bailleul-lès-Pernes, in the Pas-de-Calais département* La Roque-sur-Pernes, in the Vaucluse département...
, 29 February 1696 - Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, 19 April 1770) was a French baroque composer, a contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
, and regarded as a representative composer of religious music in eighteenth-century France.
Blanchard was born at Pernes in the County of Avignon in 1696. His father was a physician. He was a choirboy at the Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence.
Works, editions and recordings
- Eleven of his grands motets were published by Marc-François Bêche, a highly esteemed singer of the Chapelle RoyaleChapelle royaleThe chapelle royale was the musical establishment attached to the royal chapel of the French kings. The term may also be applied to the chapel buildings, the Chapelle royale de Versailles....
, who had sung under Blanchard his music when performed during the king's mass at Versailles. - Te Deum first performed 26 October 1744 for the recovery of the king from the Alsace campaign, but rededicated 12 May 1745 for the victory at Fontenoy as Cantique d'action de grâces pour les conquêtes de Louis XV.
- In Exitu Israël composed April 1749 for the Chapelle RoyaleChapelle royaleThe chapelle royale was the musical establishment attached to the royal chapel of the French kings. The term may also be applied to the chapel buildings, the Chapelle royale de Versailles....
and given again at the Concert SpirituelConcert SpirituelThe Concert Spirituel was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790; later, concerts or series of concerts of the same name occurred in Paris, Vienna, London and elsewhere...
in 1763. Restored in 2003 by Michel Lefèvre and recorded 2004 by his Ensemble Jubilate de Versailles. - 46 Motets conserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale.