Rameau, Jean-Philippe

Rameau, Jean-Philippe , great French composer, organist, and music theorist; b. Dijon (baptized), Sept. 25, 1683; d. Paris, Sept. 12, 1764. His father was organist of St. Étienne in Dijon. He learned to play the harpsichord as a small child, and from age 10 to 14 attended the Jesuit Collège des Godrans in Dijon, where he took up singing and composing instead of concentrating on his academic studies. At 18 his father sent him to Milan, where he stayed for only a brief time before joining the orch. of a traveling French opera troupe as a violinist. In Jan. 1702 he received a temporary appointment as organist at Avignon Cathedral; in May 1702 he became organist at Clermont Cathedral. By 1706 he was in Paris, where he publ. his first Livre de pièces de clavecin; was active there as a church organist until 1708. He succeeded his father as organist at Notre Dame Cathedral in Avignon in 1709, and then became organist to the Jacobins in Lyons in July 1713. He was organist at Clermont Cathedral from 1715 to 1723, where he wrote his famous Traité de l’harmonie (Paris, 1722). This epoch-making work, though little understood at the time, attracted considerable attention and roused opposition, so that when he settled definitely in Paris (1723) he was by no means unknown. The fact that he failed in 1727 in a competition for the position of organist at St.-Vincent-de-Paul did not injure his reputation, for it was generally known that Marchand (probably out of jealousy) had exerted his powerful influence in favor of Daquin, who was in every respect inferior to Rameau. In 1732 he became organist at Ste.-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, and soon was recognized as the foremost organist in France. In 1726 appeared his Nouveau système de musique théorique, an introduction to the Traité. The leading ideas of his system of harmony are (1) chord-building by thirds; (2) the classification of a chord and all its inversions as one and the same, thus reducing the multiplicity of consonant and dissonant combinations to a fixed and limited number of root chords; and (3) his invention of a fundamental bass (basse fondamentale), which is an imaginary series of root tones forming the real basis of the varied chord progressions employed in a composition. The stir that these novel theories occasioned, and his reputation as the foremost French organist, by no means satisfied Rameau’s ambition; his ardent desire was to bring out a dramatic work at the Opéra. He had made a modest beginning with incidental music to Alexis Piron’s comedy L’Endriague in 1723. After contributing further incidental music to Piron’s comedies L’Enrôlement d’Arlequin (1726) and La Robe de dissension, ou Le Faux Prodigue (1726), he became music master to the wife of the “fermier-général” La Pouplinière; the latter obtained from Voltaire a libretto for Samson, which Rameau set to music; but it was rejected on account of its biblical subject. A second libretto, by Abbé Pellegrin, was accepted, and Hippolyte et Aricie was produced at the Opéra in 1733; its reception was cool, despite undeniable superiority over the operas of Lully and his following. Rameau considered abandoning composing any further works for the theater, but the persuasions of his friends, who also influenced public opinion in his favor, were effective; in 1735 he brought out the successful opéra-ballet Les Indes galantes, and in 1737 his masterpiece, Castor et Pollux, a work that for years held its own beside the operas of Gluck. A career of uninterrupted prosperity commenced. Rameau was recognized as the leading theorist of the time, and his instruction was eagerly sought. For the next 30 years his operas dominated the French stage. He was named Compositeur du cabinet du roy in 1745, and was ennobled 4 months before his death.

From the beginning of his dramatic career Rameau roused opposition, and at the same time found ardent admirers. The first war of words was waged between the “Lullistes” and the “Ramistes.” This had scarcely been ended by a triumphant revival of Pygmalion in 1751 when the production of Pergolesi’s La Serva padrona (1752) caused a more prolonged and bitter controversy between the adherents of Rameau and the “Encyclopédistes,” a struggle known as “La Guerre des Bouffons,” in which Rameau participated by writing numerous essays defending his position. Practically the same charges were made against him as would be made a century later against Wagner: unintelligible harmony, lack of melody, preponderance of discords, noisy instrumentation, etc. But when 25 years later the war between Gluckists and Piccinnists was raging, Rameau’s works were praised as models of beauty and perfection. It is a matter for regret that Rameau was indifferent to the quality of his librettos; he relied so much upon his musical inspiration that he never could be brought to a realization of the importance of a good text; hence the inequality of his operas. Nevertheless, his operas mark a decided advance over Lully’s in musical characterization, expressive melody, richness of harmony, variety of modulation, and expert and original instrumentation. The so-called complete edition of Rameau’s works, ed. by Saint-Saëns and C. Malherbe (after the latter’s death continued by M. Emmanuel and M. Teneo), was never completed (18 vols., Paris, 1895–1924). A new critical edition, under the joint auspices of the Association pour la Publication des Oeuvres de Rameau in Paris and the Broude Trust of N.Y., with N. Zaslaw as general ed. and F. Lesure as managing ed., began publishing in 1983. For a complete edition of his Writings, see E. Jacobi, ed., Jean-Philippe Rameau: Complete Theoretical Writings (Rome, 1967–72).

Writings

(all publ. in Paris): Traité de l’harmonie réduite à ses principes naturels (1722; Eng. tr., 1737; modem ed. in Eng. tr. by P. Gossett, 1971); Nouveau système de musique théorique (1726); Dissertation sur les différentes méthodes d’accompagnement pour le clavecin ou pour l’orgue (1732); Génération harmonique ou Traité de musique théorique et pratique (1737; modem ed. in Eng. tr. by D. Hayes in Rameau’s “Génération harmonique,” diss., Stanford Univ., 1974); Mémoire où l’on expose les fondements du Système de musique théorique et pratique de M. Rameau (1749); Démonstration du principe de l’harmonie (1750); Nouvelles réflexions de M. Rameau sur sa Démonstration du principe de l’harmonie (1752); Observations sur notre instinct pour la musique (1754); Erreurs sur la musique dans l’Encyclopédie (1755–56); Suite des erreurs sur la musique dans l’Encyclopédie (1756); Prospectus, où l’on propose au public, par voye de souscription, un code de musique pratique, composé de sept méthodes (1757); Réponse de M. Rameau à MM. les éditeurs de l’Encyclopédie (1757); Nouvelles réflexions sur le principe sonore (1758–59); Code de musique pratique, ou Méthodes pour apprendre la musique … avec de nouvelles réflexions sur le principe sonore (1760); Lettre à M. d’Alembert sur ses opinions en musique (1760); Origine des sciences, suivie d’une controverse sur le même sujet (1762); also Vérités intéressantes (unfinished MS).

Works

DRAMATIC (all first perf. at the Paris Opéra unless otherwise given): Opera: Samson, tragédie en musique (1733; not perf.; not extant); Hippolyte et Aricie, tragèdie en musique (Oct. 1, 1733); Les Indes galantes, opéra-ballet (Aug. 23, 1735); Castor et Pollux, tragédie en musique (Oct. 24, 1737); Les Fêtes d’Hébé (Les Talents lyriques), opéra-ballet (May 21, 1739); Dardanus, tragédie en musique (Nov. 19, 1739); La Princesse de Navarre, comédie-ballet (Versailles, Feb. 23, 1745); Platée (ou Junon jalouse), comédie-lyrique (Versailles, March 31, 1745); Les Fêtes de Polymnie, opéra-ballet (Oct. 12, 1745); Le Temple de la gloire, opéra-ballet (Versailles, Nov. 27, 1745); Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour, ou Les Dieux d’Egypte, ballet-héroïque (Versailles, March 15, 1747); Zaïs, ballet-héroïque (Feb. 29, 1748); Pygmalion, acte de ballet (Aug. 27, 1748); Les Surprises de l’Amour, divertissement (Versailles, Nov. 27, 1748); Naïs, pastorale- héroïque (April 22, 1749); Zoroastre, tragédie en musique (Dec. 5, 1749); Linus, tragédie en musique (not perf.; greater portion of music not extant); La Guirlande, ou Les Fleurs enchantées, acte de ballet (Sept. 21, 1751); Acante et Céphise, ou La Sympathie, pastorale-héroïque (Nov. 18, 1751); Daphnis et Eglé, pastorale-héroïque (Fontainebleau, Oct. 30, 1753); Lysis et Délie, pastorale (1753; not perf.; music not extant); Les Sybarites, acte de ballet (Fontainebleau, Nov. 13, 1753); La Naissance d’Osiris, ou La Fête Familie, acte de ballet (Fontainebleau, Oct. 12, 1754); Anacréon, acte de ballet (Fontainebleau, Oct. 23, 1754; rev. version to different text, May 31, 1757); Le Procureur dupé sans le savoir, opéra-comique en vaudevilles (private perf., 1758 or 1759; music not extant); Les Paladins, comédie-ballet (Feb. 12, 1760); Abaris, ou Les Boréades, tragédie lyrique (first perf. in concert form in London, April 19, 1975; first stage perf. in Aix-en-Provence, July 21, 1982). Ballet: Nélée et Myrthis (Les Beaux Jours de l’amour), Zéphyre (Les Nymphes de Diane), and Io (none publicly performed). OTHER: He also contributed music, in collaboration with others, to the following comedies by A. Piron; L’Endriague (Feb. 3, 1723); L’Enrôlement d’Arlequin (Feb. 1726); La Robe de dissension, ou Le Faux Prodigue (Sept. 7, 1726); Les Jardins de l’Hymen, ou La Rose (1726; March 5, 1744); Les Courses de Tempé (Aug. 30, 1734); also the intermède en musique Aruéris (Dec. 15, 1762). VOCAL: Secular Cantatas: Thétis (1718); Aquilon et Orinthie (1719); Les Amants trahis (1721); Orphée (1721); L’Impatience (1715–21); Le Berger fidèle (1728); Cantate pour la fête de Saint Louis (c. 1740). Sacred Voca1: 4 Psalm settings for Soloists, Chorus, and Instrumental Ensemble: Deus noster refugium (c. 1716), In convertendo (c. 1718), Quam dilecta (c. 1720), and Laboravi (pubi, in Traité de l’harmonie, 1722). KEYBOARD: Premier livre de pièces de clavecin (1706); Pièces de clavecin avec une méthode sur la mécanique des doigts (1724; rev. 1731, as Pièces de clavecin avec une table pour les agréments); Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin (c. 1728); Cinq pièces pour clavecin seul, extraites des Pièces de clavecin en concerts (1741); Pièces de clavecin en concerts for Harpsichord, Violin or Flute, and Viol or Violin (1741; 2^nd ed., 1752).

Bibliography

BIOGRAPHICAL: C. Poisot, Notice biographique sur J. P. R. (Paris, 1864); T. Nisard, Monographie de J. P. R. (Paris, 1867); R. Garraud, R. (Paris, 1876); H. Grigne, R. (Dijon, 1876); A. Pougin, R. (Paris, 1876); L. de La Laurencie, R. (Paris, 1908); L. Laloy, R. (Paris, 1908); Y. Tiénot, J. P. R.: Esquisse biographique, suivie d’un tableau chronologique comprenant une liste complète des oeuvres de R. (Paris, 1954); H. Charlier, J. P. R. (Lyons, 1955); P. Berthier, Réflexions sur l’art et la vie de J. P. R. (1683–1764) (Paris, 1957); C. Girdlestone, J. P. R.: His Life and Work (London, 1957; 2^nd ed., rev., 1969); J. Malignon, R. (Paris, 1960); C. Kintzler,J. P. R.: Splendeur et naufrage de l’esthétique du plaisir à l’ge classique (Paris, 1983). WORKS: G. Graf, J. P. R. in seiner Oper Hippolyte et Aricie: Eine musikkritische Würdigung (Wädenswil, 1927); P.-M. Masson, L’Opéra de R. (Paris, 1930); Z. Klitenic, The Clavecin Works of J. P. R. (diss., Univ. of Pa., 1955); E. Ahnell, The Concept of Tonality in the Operas of J. P. R. (diss., Univ. of 111., 1958); G. Seefrid, Die Airs de danse in den Bühnenwerken von J. P. R. (Wiesbaden, 1969); M. Terey-Smith, J. P. R.: “Abaris ou les Boréades”: A Critical Edition (diss., Eastman School of Music, 1971); J. Anthony, French Baroque Music from Beaujoyeulx to R. (London, 1973; 2^nd ed., rev., 1978); M. Cyrs, R.’s “Les fêtes d’Hébé” (diss., Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, 1975); P. Rice, The Fontainebleau Operas of J. P. R.: A Critical Study (diss., Univ. of Victoria, Canada, 1981); R. Klingsporn, J. P. R.s Opern im äesthetischen Diskurs ihrer Zeit: Opernkomponistion, Musikanschauung und Opernpublikum in Paris 1733–1753 (Stuttgart, 1996); C. Dill, Monstrous Opera: R. and the Tragic Tradition (Princeton, 1998). THEORIES: P. Estève, Nouvelle découverte du principe de l’harmonie, avec un examen de ce que M. R. a publié sous le titre de Démonstration de ce principe (Paris, 1752); J. Le Rond d’Alembert, Éléments de musique théorique et pratique selon les principes de M. R. (Paris, 1752; 2^nd ed., 1762); F. Marpurg, Versuch über die musikalische Temperatur, nebst einem Anhang über den R.- und Kirnbergerschen Grundbass (Breslau, 1776); M. Keane, The Theoretical Writings of J. P. R. (diss., Catholic Univ. of America, 1961); J. Krehbiel, Harmonic Principles of J. P. R. and His Contemporaries (diss., Ind. Univ., 1964); D. Hayes, R.’s “Génération harmonique ou Traité de musique théorique et pratique” (diss., Stanford Univ., 1974); E. Verba, A Hierarchic Interpretation of the Theories and Music of J. P. R. (diss., Univ. of Chicago, 1979); E. Haeringer, L’esthétique de l’opéra en France au temps de J. P. R. (Oxford, 1990); T. Christensen, R. and Musical Thought in the Enlightenment (Cambridge, 1993).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire