Claude Balbastre

Claude Balbastre is a organist and Clavecin ist French born the December 8th 1724 with Dijon and dead the May 9th 1799 with Paris.

Wire of Benign Balbastre, organist in Dijon which is its first professor, it studies with Claude Rameau, brother of famous the Jean-Philippe Rameau which is native same city. He profits from the benevolent assistance of this last when he settles in Paris in 1750 and can thus make known himself high society: he plays Concert of sacred music, becomes organist of the church Saint-Roch before reaching the most prestigious stations gradually: organist with Notre-Dame de Paris, harpsichordist at the Court of France where he teaches with Marie-Antoinette, and becomes the organist of the count de Provence (future Louis XVIII) and of the royal Chapelle. In spite of its states of service, he arrives, while adopting - at least seemingly - the novel ideas, to cross the Révolution and to preserve his station at Notre-Dame who was transformed into Temple of the Reason where he carries out with the organ his adaptations of the revolutionary anthems. It is true that its play was always snuffed of the public: its imagination is such, even with the church, that in 1762 the archbishop of Paris makes him prohibition to play during the midnight mass because of the tumult which it involves.

In 1763, he marries Marie-Genevieve Hotteterre, girl of Jacques-Martin Hotteterre and downward of this famous family of musicians. The English type-setter and biographer Charles Burney, visited Balbastre in its apartments street of Argenteuil and quoted in a letter the splendid harpsichord Ruckers in possession of the musician.

To leave 1776, Claude Balbastre is organist of Mister brother of the king, professor of the duke of Chartres, the queen Marie Antoinette, and with the Abbaye of Notre-Dame to Wood. Lastly, it receives a district with the organ of the royal Vault in Versailles.

Its work includes/understands:

14 concertos for organ (all disappeared, but of which at least was found in the manuscript of Versailles)
of the sonatas in quartet
two books of parts of harpsichord (1748 and 1759)
four varied continuations of noëls (1770) for the fortepiano or the organ
variations on the topic of the Marseillaise: Walk of Marseillois and the Air That-will go Arranged for Strong the Piano/By the Citizen C. Balbastre/With the brave men defenders of the French Republic the year 1792 1st of the Republic

Curiously, the noëls, which are clearly in the tradition of the French organ, are published by him for “the Clavecin or the Piano-forte”. It is on the latter instrument that he plays them with great success in the mediums of the aristocracy.

To listen to a work

“Joseph is quite married” , part for organ for the time of Christmas, consisted a succession of 6 variations on the popular topic.

Registrations:

Variation 1: Account of Horn.
Variation 2: Small Full Play
Variation 3: Low of Bassoon in duet with funds 8,4,2 of the Large Organ
Variation 4: Duet of Cromorne
Variation 5: Small flutes with trembling soft
Variation 6: Big game (with Against-Bombards of 32 on the last agreement)

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