Te Deum
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
Michel-Richard Delalande (whose name also appears as La Lande, de Lalande, and de La Lande) was one of the major composers in the generation after Lully at the courts of Louis XIV and Lous XV. He was an organist and harpsichordist and also played violin (although he is said to have been rejected by Lully as a violinist for his opera orchestra). At the age of 26, he won a competition to become one of the organists at the royal chapel at Versailles and over time was appointed to increasingly higher posts. Well liked by the king, he became Lully's successor in charge of music at court. Delalande is perhaps best known for his more than seventy grand motets written for the royal chapel and for his popular instrumental Symphonies, which were reportedly "performed every fifteen days during the suppers of Louis XIV and Louis XV."
His Te Deum is a grand motet for the royal court. With contrasting solo and choral sections and a full orchestra, it has a great variety of sonorities and emotions, ranging from intimate and even introverted music to grandiose movements with trumpets and timpani. It was one of Delalande's most popular and frequently performed works during his lifetime and for many decades afterwards.
The Te Deum exists in two very different versions. It was originally written in 1684, when the composer was 27 years old, but he completely reworked it at a later date, composing new solo movements and almost doubling its length. Each version has its virtues. The earlier one has a youthful exuberance in its beautiful music, while the later and longer version is a more monumental work.
Boston Baroque Performances
Te Deum
November 2, 1996
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloists:
Sharon Baker, soprano
Mara Bonde, soprano
Frank Kelley, tenor
Randy McGee, tenor
Philip Lima, baritone