The Lure and Legacy of Music at Versailles

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Every knowable fact, beginning with the names of the choirboys and their teachers, is presented in loving detail. Thanks to the archives of the cathedral chapter, and those of the Aixois notaries, John Hajdu Heyer brings to life the religious musical culture of the most prestigious musique in Provence, as it was lived during a golden age of French music, the classical age ... [He] rightly draws on the research of other scholars, and a lot of his own, to bring together what can be known about a major moment in musical culture, far from Paris and Versailles.' Orest Ranum, Panat Times blog (ranumspanat.com) '... a fascinating study, the first of its kind in English, of the role of the maitre de musique and of the functioning of the maitrise ... this book performs an invaluable service ... John Hajdu Heyer, after a lifetime's experience of researching this area, has abundantly demonstrated what a fruitful subject it is for investigation ...' Graham Sadler, Early Music '... the most comprehensive source of biographical information in English, or indeed in any language, on most of the composers discussed here. ... essential reading for existing specialists in the field.' Shirley Thompson, Music and Letters '[John] Hajdu Heyer's study is a major contribution to the study of the grand motet, a richly documented, generous book that opens up the field for those who wish to pursue the lines of inquiry he has initiated ... the study more generally provides a fascinating insight into the background and training of a number of under-appreciated composers - Campra in particular - who had an outsized influence in Paris. The volume should be of interest to all those who work on sacred music in France and to all scholars interested in Parisian interactions with the provinces.' Peter Bennett, Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music