Keywords
Julien Amable Mathieu
L’Abbé Le Fils
Music Analysis
Bon Goût
How to Cite
Accepted 2024-07-12
Published 2024-05-15
Abstract
Gallantry, understood as ‘Bon goût’, was a peculiarity of French music in the 17th and 18th centuries, but the 'gallant style' properly so called is what characterized most of the national music composed around the mid-1700s, in particular at Versailles. It stands out for its free compositional structure, complex but non-contrapuntal thematic designs, richness and complexity of embellishments, arpeggios and charming passing notes, for short, animated and sinuous melodic lines, and for a formal detachment from rhetoric of XVII century. Leading figure in the galant violin period was Julien Amable Mathieu. He was the first violin in the Vingt-Quatre Violons du Roi, symbol of music and magnificence during Louis XV and Louis XVI’s reign. Almost nothing was written about him, but he greatly contributed to the development of violin techniques and aesthetics, in line with L’Abbé Les Fils School concepts. His works were regularly performed during the Concerts de la Reine; so impressive that he deserved a specific coat of arms and a “Lettre de Noblesse” with wich he was awarded all the noble titles by Louis XVI. This work briefly reviews his life and his contribution to the spread of galant style and violin technique.
References
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