Christophe shares some of his thoughts on what makes this period and style so special, and on working with two of London's most acclaimed early music groups.
That French Baroque idiom is so recognisable - the combination of grandeur and grace, pomposity and poise. Where did this come from? Is it connected with the Sun King cult?
I think it's a long process. It comes out of the idea of monarchy that's been evolving from the beginning of the seventeenth century. When Louis XIV steps in that's already there, and the tradition of the grands motets - big masses and church music - is already present. People like Lully and Charpentier just take on that tradition.
What was lost in the French Revolution was that tradition of church choirs - because everything was destroyed - and a lot of repertoire from this period has been lost too. We know that in many cathedrals in France, there were very good maîtres de chapelle, and very ambitious compositions. The general level was very high. So it's a long tradition.
Of course, when you listen to Charpentier you are in the century of Louis XIV, so the grandeur is very obvious - but it's not only that. There's quite a complexity in the harmony, especially in Charpentier himself. He's the one, prior to Rameau, who does that and enriches the harmonic language. Often we are so amazed with how Bach composed around chorales, and all the music he developed from that simple melody - but you have the same thing in French music. They develop polyphony and very elaborate pieces out of plainchant origins. It's quite a challenge for the composers to have this basis and develop this kind of writing. It's very complex - it doesn't come from nowhere, it's mostly based on those chants.
The interlude Nuit in the first motet is recorded as being one of the first uses of mutes on strings. How much do we know about how and why mutes were invented? Or would the musicians have had to improvise a solution to get the sound Charpentier wanted?
I don't know much of it, but I think the most famous example is Lully's Armide - in there they're called les sourdines d'Armide, so that's in 1686. They were used to give the same sort of impression as we use them for now - but it is indeed quite new. The sourdines d'Arrmide were meant to represent the main character dreaming, and here it's about the night so the allusion is clear.
That first motet starts with some subdued preliminary material that’s more in the spirit of Advent than of Christmas - longing and praying for the coming of Christ. It reminds me almost of the first part of Messiah, in miniature! How common was it to look back towards Advent in Christmas music of this time?
It's a pastoral piece, and there was a tradition of telling the Nativity story that way in France, which is still alive in the South of France today - performances, often by children, re-telling the story, and it starts from the angels appearing to the shepherds. But it's part of a tradition that uses this special form of pastorale, recalling both the shepherds and the ordinary people more broadly. It's simple, sometimes naive. And of course 'naive' music in Charpentier is always rather elaborate and sophisticated!
Speaking of Messiah, on a side note - you’re giving four performances of Handel’s Christmas masterpiece in mid-December, including one in London. Do you see any traces of this kind of music making their way across into Handel's style?
I wouldn't say so, no! The only French touch you can find in Handel at that point is the French-style overture! The rest... well, yes, you have the pastoral music, but that's equally a German tradition, it's really everywhere.
Speaking as someone whose own voice has always felt more comfortable as a taille than as a true tenor… how did the uniquely French division of vocal parts into dessus, haut-contre, taille and basse arise?
It is quite an accent on male voices - maybe because the singing children weren't good enough to hold a line? The core of the French chorus is haute-contre (high tenor), taille (low tenor) and basse-taille. There are wonderful pieces with just a trio of male voices in French sacred music, and the soprano line sometimes divides but we don't have a tradition of an alto voice in French music. That's why we use such a low pitch - you can hear it in the angel parts in the pastorales here - because those parts are so high and demanding. You have to use French pitch, if possible.
How did Catholic France get away with the tradition of the ‘Noël’? The Council of Trent was pretty crystal-clear about folk music having absolutely no place in worship, and yet here they all are - a key part of the French Baroque sacred style.
There's again a certain naive element to it. These Christmas carols were known by everybody, so everybody could sing them - at home, or wherever. They were famous, and also the basis of lots of adaptations for the organ. They were very popular. And I think the idea of Charpentier basing his Mass on these tunes is aimed at encouraging people to be able to participate in, or relate to, the celebration in a different way. Quite practical. But as I said before... even Charpentier's naive moments are still very sophisticated!
Likewise, why did it eventually fade away? Was it just a simple case of changing tastes and musical fashions?
No - the Revolution stopped it dead. Once you lose the churches, you lose the music. They destroyed everything about churches in general - the buildings themselves, but also the choral traditions, the copies of the music. So perhaps people still knew the tunes, but there was a real hard cut-off. And still today, in fact, the devotion in France is not very powerful - people don't go to church that much.
The Revolution was important for all of Europe, because when the churches were desecrated and invaded and disrespected, nothing happened! You would imagine that God would have intervened and destroyed the revolutionaries, but nothing happened. So it led to a big change in mentality - not just in France and elsewhere. I think it's the birth of the Romantic idea, really; the Church gave people something to trust and believe in - and suddenly everything was gone, and people had their doubts. Even if you later restore the churches and so on, it's never the same. So yes, the Revolution changed everything. Right across the whole Western tradition.
Regarding the collaboration with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, which people might be wondering about - what's the story behind that?
I've been invited to conduct them, and I was very proud, because I've always admired these two groups. I was very happy about that, and I think the combination of French music and Bach (which is what we did in the concerts) was a perfect one for me, both as a musician and specifically as a harpsichordist. This feels like 'my' repertoire in a lot of ways. And having a French conductor for this music helped them too, I think - the orchestra enjoyed the ideas I gave them, especially for the way they might produce the sound in the strings. Having a very smooth and very relaxed sound is very important in this style.
Obviously when I come back for things like Messiah, or Theodora in two years from now, that's quite different; they have their own traditional sound. But I think I have a different view on Handel - I don't have the weight of those traditions on my shoulders! Because we don't perform him every year in France. I can bring something new, perhaps.
Tickets for the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists' London performances of Handel's Messiah conducted by Christophe Rousset are available at https://monteverdi.co.uk/handel-messiah-2025.
English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, Christophe Rousset
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