A masterpiece by Jean-Philippe Rameau. Popular classical music.
When it comes to great French composers of the Baroque era, Jean-Philippe Rameau stands out.
Rameau earned high acclaim for the grand motet—a church vocal form featuring a rich, relatively large ensemble—and for his opera Les Indes galantes.
His music naturally fits the movements of ballet, and he is hailed as the greatest composer of ballet music before Stravinsky.
This time, I have gathered quintessentially Baroque pieces by Rameau, including harpsichord (clavecin) masterpieces and selections from his operas.
I hope you will give them a listen.
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Masterpieces by Jean-Philippe Rameau. Popular classical music (31–40)
The Princess of NavarreJean-Philippe Rameau
In his youth, Rameau aspired to a legal career, and he did not begin to gain fame as a composer until after his forties.
With The Queen of Navarre (1744, libretto by Voltaire), he was awarded the title of Composer to the French Royal Court, firmly establishing his position.
The conductor of this performance of The Queen of Navarre, Nicholas McGegan, is one of the foremost conductors of Baroque music.
Contradance in rondo form (Abarrisse)Jean-Philippe Rameau
In September 1764, at the age of 81, the great master of the French Baroque, composer Rameau, brought his life to a close.
His final work was the opera Les Boréades (The North Wind), composed in 1764.
Its most famous number is a rondeau-style contredanse, a dramatically stirring piece that moves the soul.
The Faithful Shepherd (le Berger fidèle)Jean-Philippe Rameau
The Faithful Shepherd, a pastoral drama written by the Italian Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538–1612), was published in 1590 and became immensely popular throughout Europe at the time.
Musicians vied with one another to compose works based on its content.
Rameau, too, composed The Faithful Shepherd as a chamber cantata in 1728, creating a marvelous work that fashioned a world of melodic beauty through balance and harmony.
Surprises of Love (Les Surprises de l’Amour)Jean-Philippe Rameau
The opéra-ballet The Surprise of Love, which premiered in Paris in 1748, is a work in which every element—instrumental music, chorus, and dance—shines with sonic color, exuding the very essence of Rameau’s music.
Under the baton of the outstanding classical conductor Marc Minkowski, it becomes an even more magnificent, masterful performance.
How lovely are thy tabernacles (Quam dilecta tabernacula)Jean-Philippe Rameau
In his thirties, before he made his name in opera, Rameau composed sacred grands motets.
“How Lovely Are Thy Altars,” composed in 1720, showcases his mastery as a leading authority on functional harmony, and is an outstanding work that conveys the fragrant spirit of the French Baroque through its beautiful and delicate harmonies.
Symphony of ImaginationJean-Philippe Rameau
Les Musiciens du Louvre is a world-renowned period-instrument baroque orchestra, founded in France in 1982 and based in Grenoble, known for its performances of baroque music and baroque opera.
This “imaginary symphony” by the baroque orchestra offers listeners a supreme experience through its refined, harmoniously woven melodies.
Harpsichord Pieces and Fingering, No. 1 (Suite No. 2), TambourinRameau
A work by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, who represents the Baroque era.
In Rameau’s time, the piano had not yet been invented.
Therefore, this piece is an etude for the harpsichord (also known as the clavecin), the predecessor of the piano.
If you want to improve your trills and ornamentation, or if you’d like to take on Baroque-era repertoire, definitely give it a try!
In conclusion
How was it? We’ve brought you masterpieces by Jean-Philippe Rameau, a French composer of the Baroque era. You probably heard many quintessentially Baroque pieces and famous opera numbers. Although Rameau was also an organist, he was a late bloomer as a composer, beginning in earnest only after his forties. However, he was deeply devoted to musical scholarship, and he is known for systematically theorizing functional harmony and tonality using concepts such as the fundamental bass and inversions—foundations for the theory pursued by today’s aspiring classical composers. Since he originally studied law, he must have been exceptionally intelligent as well. Please continue to explore many of Rameau’s works.