BaroqueMarc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier was born in Paris almost four hundred years ago, the year Louis XIV became king…
Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1643👶 Birth
Born in or near Paris
- 1643🏛️ Landmark
Louis XIV becomes king aged 4
- 1666🌍 Meanwhile
Great Fire of London
- 1667📚 Trainingage 24
Studies in Rome with Giacomo Carissimi
- 1669🌍 Meanwhile
The Royal Academy of Music (Paris Opera) is founded
- 1670🎩 Careerage 27
Composer to Mademoiselle de Guise at the Hôtel de Guise
- 1673🎼 Workage 30
Music for Molière’s Le Malade imaginaire
- 1680🎩 Careerage 37
Composes for the Dauphin’s chapel
- 1687🌍 Meanwhile
Newton publishes the laws of gravitation
- 1690🎼 Workage 47
Te Deum H. 146 (c. 1690)
- 1693🎼 Workage 50
Médée, tragédie en musique at the Opéra
- 1700🌍 Meanwhile
Bartolomeo Cristofori invents the piano in Florence (c. 1700)
- 1704🕯️ Deathage 61
Dies in Paris on 24 February
Listen to the music
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Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
Marc-Antoine Charpentier was born in Paris almost four hundred years ago, the year Louis XIV became king… at only four years old!
As a young man he went to Rome to learn Italian music, full of emotion. Back in Paris he worked for a princess, then wrote the music for Molière’s last play, The Imaginary Invalid.
He composed a huge amount of music for churches. His Te Deum begins with a joyful fanfare of trumpets and drums. You may know it without realising: since 1954 it has been the tune at the start of Eurovision!
Charpentier copied all his music out himself in beautiful handwriting. It has been carefully kept.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s instruments
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