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.