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Delalande Michel-Richard

  
  Picture of Michel-Richard de Lalande.             Michel-Richard Delalande, detail of a crayon drawing by J.-B. Santerre [Credits : The Andre Meyer Collection—J.P. Ziolo]               Michel-Richard de Lalande, after painting by Jean-Baptiste Santerre, engraving by de Mathoy
 
 
 
 BIOGRAPHY
 
 

Michel Richard Delalande [de Lalande] (1657 – June 18, 1726) was a prolific French Baroque composer and organist who was one of the most important composers of so-called grand motets, of which he wrote almost 80. He also wrote orchestral suites known as "Simphonies pour les Soupers du Roy", or in an alternative spelling of the time, simply "Symphonies". Delalande also composed ballets as well.

Born in Paris, he was a contemporary of Jean-Baptiste Lully and François Couperin. Delalande taught music to the daughters of Louis XIV of France, and was director of the French chapel royal from 1714 until his death at Versailles in 1726.

Delalande was arguably the greatest composer of French grands motets, a type of sacred work that was more pleasing to Louis XIV because of its pomp and grandeur, written for soloists, choir and comparatively large orchestra. According to tradition, Louis XIV organized a contest between composers, giving them the same sacred text and a time to compose the musical setting. He alone was the judge. Delalande was one of four winners assigned to compose sacred music for each quarter of the year (the other composers being Coupillet, Collasse and Minoret). Delalande's was the most important quarter of the year because of the Christmas holiday. Later he had full responsibility for the church music for the complete year.

Delalande left many versions of his works. His earlier versions show adherence to French Baroque style, but the later revisions incorporate more Italian melismatic lines and greater attention to polyphonic counterpoint.

Also, at least four collections of his works exist, each displaying different looks at composer's work as viewed by the people who assembled each collection.

Scholarship of Delalande's work was for many years hindered because of inconsistencies in the spelling of his last name: de Lalande, Lalande, la Lande, de la Lande, and others. The family wrote the name as 'Delalande'. Finally, in 2006 the definitive "Thematic Catalogue of the Works of Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657-1726)" by noted British musicologist Lionel Sawkins came out which runs to 752 pages containing over 3,000 music examples details of performing requirements and of all source materials, as well as with comprehensive indexes and thematic locators

 
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Works  of  DeLalande

Audite cæli quæ loquor, grand motet, S. 7

Beati quorum remissæ sunt, grand motet, S. 5

Deus noster, refugium

Exaltabo te, domine

Leçons De Ténèbres

Les Folies de Cardenio (extracts)

Miserere à voix seule

Quam dilecta tabernacula, grand motet, S. 12

Simphonies des Noëls pour les instruments

Suite for Trumpet Timpani and Organ

Symphonie des Noëls No. 4

Symphonie des Noëls No. 11

 

Symphonies pour les soupers du Roy (extracts)

Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres du Mercredy Saint

Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres du Vendredy Saint

Troisieme Leçon du Jeudy

Troisieme Leçon du Mercredy

Troisieme Leçon du Vendredy

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My  Collection
 

Delalande Choir  Te  Deum                   William  Christie     Les Arts Florissants          

Delalande  Choir  Super  flumina Babilonis               William  Christie     Les Arts Florissants            

Delalande  Choir  Confitebor  tibi  Domine    William  Christie     Les Arts Florissants            

Delalande  Choir  Te  Deum laudamus  Sampson,Griffith,Gilchrist,Agnew, GunthorpeMustard  Jeffrey  

Skidmore    Ex  Cathedra

Delalande  Choir  Panis Angelicus       Sampson,Griffith,Gilchrist,Agnew,GunthorpeMustard Jeffrey Skidmore    Ex  Cathedra

 Delalande  Choir  La grande piece royale      Sampson,Griffith,Gilchrist,Agnew,GunthorpeMustard Jeffrey Skidmore    Ex  Cathedra

 Delalande  Choir  Venite, exultemus   Sampson,Griffith,Gilchrist,Agnew,GunthorpeMustard Jeffrey Skidmore    Ex  Cathedra

 Delalande  Choir  De Profundis   Fisher,Johnston,Daniels,Smith,Varcoe   Edward Higginbotttom       The King's Consort Choir of New College Oxford      

 Delalande  Choir  Confitebor tibi Domine  Fisher,Johnston,Daniels,Smith,Varcoe    Edward Higginbotttom       The King's Consort Choir of New College Oxford      

 Delalande  Choir  Miserere       Fisher,Johnston,Daniels,Smith,Varcoe    Edward Higginbotttom  The King's Consort Choir of New College Oxford   

 

 

 

Selected Recordings  
 
 
 
Delalande: Concert de Trompettes / Trois Caprices by Michel-Richard Delalande, Jean-François Paillard, Jean-Francois Paillard Chamber Orchestra, and Jean-François Paillard Chamber Orchestra (Audio CD - 1992)
 
Delalande: Symphonies pour les Soupers du Roy (Selections) by Michel-Richard Delalande, Michel-Richard de Lalande, Hugo Reyne, and La Simphonie du Marais (Audio CD - 1992)
 
Delalande - Te Deum /Gens * Piau * Steyer * Fouchecourt * Piolino * Correas * Les Arts Florissants * Christie by Michel Richard DeLalande, William Christie, and Veronique Gens (Audio CD - 2001)
 
De Lalande: Grands Motets by Alain Buet, Michel-Richard Delalande, Pierre Dumage, Martin Gester, and Le Parlement de Musique-Strasbourg (Audio CD - 2002)
 
De Lalande: Leçons des Ténèbres by Louis Couperin, Michel-Richard Delalande, Marin Marais, Robert de Visee, and Pierre Trocellier (Audio CD - 2007)
 
De Lalande: Leçons de Ténèbres by Louis Couperin, Michel-Richard Delalande, Marin Marais, Robert de Visee, and Pierre Trocellier (Audio CD - 1996)
 
 
 
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