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SAINTE-COLOMBE le fils (fl c1700): Pièces de viole
L'Achéron
rec: Oct 2023, Caen, Conservatoire & Orchestre de Caen (Petit Auditorium)
Ricercar - RIC 466 (© 2024) (80'44")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - translations: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
Scores
Spotify
[Suite] in e minor;
[Suite] in F/f minor;
[Suite] in g minor;
[Suite] in a minor;
[Suite] in b minor
François Joubert-Caillet, viola da gamba;
Sarah Van Oudenhove, viola da gamba [bc];
Yoann Moulin, harpsichord
Between 2017 and 2023 Ricercar released five volumes of music for viola da gamba by Marais Marais, each devoted to one of the books he has left. The performers were François Joubert-Caillet and his ensemble L'Achéron. Marais's music for the viola da gamba is well-known, and his life and career are well documented. That is entirely different with the composer to whom Joubert-Caillet turned his attention after having finished the recording of Marais's complete oeuvre for the viola da gamba.
To date it has been impossible to establish the identity of either Sieur de Sainte-Colombe the elder and Sainte-Colombe the younger. Much research has been done, and there was a moment when it was thought that a certain Jean de Sainte-Colombe was identical with the former. This theory was later refuted. It has been assumed that Sieur de Sainte-Colombe may have been a Huguenot. The reason was that, despite his great skills, he never had any official position at the court, and that at the end of the 17th century he disappears from the public scene. Was this the effect of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1684, which had given Protestants some freedom? The fact that a certain Sainte-Colombe le fils appeared on the London music scene in the early 18th century was interpreted as supporting this assumption: he may have settled in England for religious reasons.
The liner-notes to the present recording of the complete oeuvre for viola da gamba by the latter Sainte-Colombe largely refute all these theories. The elder Sainte-Colombe was active in Paris from before 1663 until at least 1692, when his name is included in a book of Parisian addresses. The latter contradicts the suggestion that he may have been hiding since the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. After 1692 there is no evidence of his presence in Paris or anywhere else. Had he died? He must have passed away in 1700 at the latest, as in 1701 Marais included a Tombeau pour M. de Sainte-Colombe in his second book of pièces de viole.
Another option dates from early in the 20th century, and has recently been revived. Sieur de Sainte-Colombe may have been identical with Joseph Augustin Dandricourt, who signed himself as sieur De Ste Collumbe. He was master of music at the Hôpital de la Charité in Lyon from 1657 to 1658, and then at the Confrérie des Pénitents du Confalon from 1659 to 1668. "He left Lyon in 1669 and reappeared in 1671 as master of music at the cathedral of Saint-Vincent in Chalon-sur-Saône, after which his
name disappears for some ten years - and it is precisely during this period that Sainte-Colombe is known to have been in Paris." (booklet) His marriage certificate of 1662 describes him as an "excellent jouer de viole". However, he died in 1688, whereas the name of Sieur de Sainte-Colombe is still mentioned in the address book of 1692. However, François-Pierre Goy, in his liner-notes, writes that it is not impossible that this Sainte-Colombe may have referred to the son.
And that brings us to the composer of the pièces de viole recorded here. A player of the viola da gamba of this name appeared in Edinburgh in 1707 and a "Mr Ste-Colombe" is mentioned in London in 1713, when a concert of vocal music was given for his benefit. One may assume that this is one and the same person, but Goy states that this is not the case. The former was active as a viola da gamba teacher and died in 1711. It is not known whether he has left any compositions. The identify of the latter Sainte-Colombe is not known; he may have been the composer of the present suites, but that cannot be established with any certainty.
The pièces de viole by Sainte-Colombe le fils have come down to us in copies by Philip Falle, an Anglican clergyman and player of the viola da gamba, who acted as chaplain to the Duke of Portland, who was the English ambassador to Paris in 1698. He used the opportunity to acquire manuscripts and printed editions of music for the viola da gamba. This means that the fact that the suites by Sainte-Colombe le fils have been preserved in the library of Durham Cathedral does not indicate that the composer has been in England. Falle held the canonicate of Durham Cathedral since 1700 and donated his music library to the cathedral in 1739.
The pieces by Sainte-Colombe le fils are copied from manuscripts without a basso continuo part. The question is whether they were intended as pieces for viola da gamba solo without bass, or whether Falle just forgot to copy the bass part. Caillet-Joubert studied the pieces, played them, but felt increasingly unsatisfied with the way they had been preserved. "Many passages were still strange, sounding wrong not only rhetorically but also in regard to the work itself. I started adding a few chords out of frustration and the music slowly began to sound more coherent and expressive; moments that had seemed clumsy now found a clear meaning and the pieces seemed to come to life. But if these pieces needed harmony so much, why hadn't the younger Sainte-Colombe included it directly in the viol part? Or rather, if the harmony weren't there, wouldn't it have been logical to have it played by other instruments?"
Marais at first conceived the pieces in his first book without a bass part, but later added one. When he published his later books, writing for viola da gamba solo had become obsolete, and therefore Joubert-Caillet thinks that they may have been intended to be played with basso continuo, although he acknowledges that this cannot be definitely proven. Experiments have led him to reconstruct a basso continuo part for all the pieces.
The pieces are ordered according to key, but the word 'suite' is never used. They are put together here as such, which was custom at the time. The use of keys is one of the notable aspects of these pieces. The Tombeau de Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe le père, part of the 'Suite' in F, is in the key of F minor; considering that this piece almost certainly dates from before 1700, this is the first time this key was used in music for viola da gamba. With the exception of G minor, Sainte-Colombe le fils uses keys that his father had never used.
This is not the first complete recording of the pièces de viole by Sainte-Colombe le fils. Jordi Savall recorded them more then twenty years ago, but then without accompaniment. Some pieces may also have been part of anthologies. As Joubert-Caillet admits, the addition of a basso continuo part is speculative, but musically the result is satisfying. This recording makes crystal clear that the son was a highly gifted player and composer. Most of the pieces are dances, some of which are very short - the shortest takes just 30 seconds. The Tombeau pour Sainte-Colombe le père is by far the longest piece, and it is definitely the highlight. However, all these pieces are very well written and are highly enjoyable. That is also thanks to the outstanding and compelling performances by Joubert-Caillet and his colleagues: Sarah Van Oudenhoven on the second bass viol and Yann Moulin at the harpsichord. The rhythmic pulse is perfectly realised, and the often strong dynamic contrasts and the treatment of tempo result in a beautiful rhetorical discourse.
This has to be one of the discs of the year.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
François Joubert-Caillet