Chambonnières, Sarabande

Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (1601/2 – 1672) is described as the founder and one of the most distinguished members of the French classical school of harpsichord playing. We know little of his early life, but his reputation as harpsichordist was firmly established prior to the death of Louis XIII in 1643. Soon after this, he was commissioned by the Regent Anne of Austria to purchase a harpsichord for the seven-year-old Louis XIV.

We have previously discussed other prominent composers and harpsichordists of the time, Johann Froberger and the Couperin family, all of whom were admirers of Chambonnières. The Couperin brothers Louis, Charles, and François were his pupils, along with one or both Gaultiers (Denis or Ennemond). But Chambonnières apparently did not handle his enormous success well. He acquired a reputation for pretensions and, as musical styles changed and his skills declined, he lost support. The violinist Jean Rousseau noted that toward the end of his career Chambonnières was unable to accompany from figured bass and therefore had to resign his post. (Out of deference, Louis Couperin refused to replace him.) The renowned scientist Christiaan Huygens wrote in 1660, “The situation of the Marquis de Chambonnière would be pitiable if he had not put on such airs in the past.” Chambonnières died in poverty.

There is some dispute of his role in the development of the Baroque suite, in particularly whether it was he who transferred the lute style of Ennemond Gaultier to the harpsichord. His works are almost all suite movements: allemandes, sarabands, courantes, and pavanes, not composed as unified suites. They appear in the Bauyn Manuscript organized only according to key, suggesting that the performer could assemble them into a suite of his own choosing. But he clearly mastered the prevailing, highly-ornamented style, and his compositions are praised for their beauty and craftsmanship.