Michel of the Bar

Michel of the Bar , born with Paris towards 1675 and died in Paris the March 15th 1745 is the first of the large known flutists French. From its compositions, of simple executant, it probably founded the first school of French flute.

Biographical elements

Beginnings in Versailles

Collaborator of the first times of the two German flutists “”. preferred Lully and of Louis XIV, Rene Pinion Descoteaux (v.1646-1728) and Philibert Rebillé says Philbert (v.1650-1712), Michel of the Bar officiated quickly in the living rooms of Versailles, at the sides of François Couperin, Antoine Forqueray or the brothers Hotteterre, at the time of these famous concerts of room which the king tasted extremely. It thus developed a particular taste for the formation in trio (two instruments of top and low continues), which illustrated with wonder the noble and sumptuous taste of the monarch and had been initiated in Versailles by Lully for famous “the couchers of the king”. Imitating Marin Marais which had rubbed in 1692 with the kind, it is thus not astonishing that the first work of Michel of the Bar, published by Christophe Ballard in 1694, was a book of trios on the frontispiece of which it is described as “flute of the Room of Roy”. Dedicated to obscure “a Miss G.L.C.”, the collection privileges the tender and significant movements which often made say that the Bar had a talent particular to move the ladies by the court:

“ Miss, /Ce is neither the ambition of paroître, nor the desire to acquire reputation, which committed me to make the Trio that I present to you: Quoyque one & the other reasons is glorious, & that one can, without reddening, to let itself go to leaning so soft; However I aurois perhaps be a long time insensitive to their softnesses, if I had been pushed there by the desire only I worts to do something which could you like & to be diverted. It is the only goal which I proposed in my company, & it is as in this sight as take it freedom to offer them to you: I auray made a success of always rather well, if yours delicacy can be satisfied some, & if I then by-there you to persuade that I am with all the possible respect, /Mademoiselle, /Vôtre very-humble & très-/Obeïssant Serviteur,/Bar. ”

In 1703, it enters officially the Music of the Stable and of the Room of the King and until in 1730 will remain there. It is then already employed by Lully in reinforcement for its entertainments and does not delay, in 1700 to integrate the orchestra of the Opera and into there one of the best soloists of the “small chorus”, as one described it in 1713. The year 1700 also sees the publication of the second book of “ Pièces in Trio for the violins, flustes and oboe composed by Sieur Of the Bar ”, this time without any dedication nor title… These seven new continuations of dances join, by their style, recent the Sérénade or Concert, Divisé into three Continuations for the violins, flutes and oboe published by Montéclair in 1697. They follow however the diagram of the Italian Sonata da chiesa , with, in a more or less perceptible way, the melody and decorative elements of a typically French taste.

The Opera and first parts for flutes

When the young person duke of Anjou reaches the throne of Spain, in 1701, by the play of the royal wills, Michel of the Bar accompanies the young sovereign at the Spanish border, in company of 20 other musicians. This tour, remained famous for its relation in the gallant Mercure mentions clearly: “ Mrs Labarre, Player of German Flute, the Moor, Violin, Robel, Violin ”, musicians of the continuation of the duke of Ayen and accompanying the future king. He could also explain the “Iberian” titles with character and/or warriors of certain parts of the First Book for flute published in 1702 by the type-setter but probably earlier made up. This collection, probably the first published in France for the instrument, was sufficiently important so that its author takes the trouble to add to it, in preamble, a “warning” extremely interesting. It was said to it to be inspired by the splendid parts for the viol that Marais had published in 1686 and 1701, while confessing that its goal was to bring the music for flute to a level of improvement equal to that of the viol. He did not assert the viol was then the ideal partner of the German fluste by his sound, “ a little nasal like that of an ambassador ”:

“ These parts are for most of a so singular nature and so different from the idea that one had jusques here, of those which are appropriate for the Flute, that I had solved to show to them the day only by carrying out them myself; But requests of those which intended them to me to play, & the faults which slipped into the Copies of those that one surprised me, finally determined me to make them print; And as these parts are the first which appeared for this kind of flute, I believe being obliged to give the intelligence of it, to say to those which them will want to play: With regard to the extent, there are two or three let us tons, of which I believe that one is not informed, & I could not make them hear in writing; But those which will want to learn them, will be able to try hard to pass at home, if they are with range to make it, I will be made a pleasure of showing them to them without interest. These let us tons are the E, if, semi full, & D, D, Dièse in top; for C, ground, C, Sharp in bottom, it is done while turning the mouth of the Flute in inside. One can play only most of these Parts. When one wants to do it partly, it will be necessary to take Bass viol absolutely, & Théorbe or a Harpsichord, or both unit; but I believe that Théorbe is to be preferred with the Harpsichord: because it seems to me that the sound of the cords with bowel is appropriate better with the sound of the Flute, that of the brass cords. I still believe to be obliged to say, that I ay given names to these Parts, that because there are several of the same species of them, & that I ay drawn these names or from the People with whom they had happiness to like, or from the places where I with do them, without claiming by these names to mark their Character in any manner. Lastly, I ay affected to insert in these Parts part of the beauties & difficulties whose this instrument is likely, to engage those which will want to carry out to study enough to reach that point. And to approach as much as it is possible, this Instrument of the perfection, I ay grown for the glory of the Flute & mine clean, duty to follow in that Mr Marais, who gave himself so much sorrows & care for the perfection of the Viol, & which so fortunately made a success of there. ”

But the year 1700 also sees the first contribution of the Bar to the Opera: the Triumph of Arts , Opera ballet in five acts, without Prolog, on a booklet of Houdar of the Mound is given on May 16th. Although it did not obtain discounted success and that no recovery was recorded, the last act will be re-examined by Ballot of Sauvot.et put in music by Rameau in 1748 under the title of Pygmalion. The name of Marin Marais, which played of the viol near the Bar with the theater, is reproduced on a part intended for low continuous in the material of preserved orchestra. Among the other executants are reproduced, on the desk of violin in particular, Théobalde and Rebel while Gabriel Garnier, especially known as organist of the Royal Vault in 1702 .tenait the harpsichord. But the Bar found his/her friend Marais when this last, a few months before the nomination of like beater of measurement, is mentioned in a “State of the troop of the Opera”, drawn up on September 24th, 1704. The Bar is this time in the great chorus at the sides of Nicolas II known as “Hake” Hotteterre. When the Triumph of Arts was given, the librettist Henry Guichard d' Hérapine was violently to be caught some with the text of Houdar of the Mound. In a lampoon entitled Letter of Lanterniste de Thoulouze in Autheur of the Ballet of Arts represented on the Theater of the Opera , it found the “control of the part” of “put out of order more”, the private worms of “tenderness” and “energy”, finally “much of words without any thought”. Besides the music of the Bar seemed more to have marked the spirits which the booklet as prove it many diffusions of certain melodies of the ballet in the various collections of airs, and this, during all it.

Having thus proven reliable near a public which started to tear off such collections, Michel of the Bar is named, on May 27th 1704, “Hautbois and haversack of Poitou of the Room and the Large Stable”. He reconsiders the lyric scene, on May 26th 1705, with a comic opera in a prolog and three acts, always on a booklet of Houdar of the Mound. In 1768, Dauvergne will give to the same booklet a new partition and an Op3era Comique of it so much the role of the Zerbin servant will not have any evil to make is important there.

In the honor of the flute

The third Book of the trios of the Bar appears in 1707, and is this time dedicated to Etienne Landais, treasurer general of artillery.

The six sonatas which this collection contains are all in four movements, mixing dances (gigues, gavottes, rondos) with the preludes to Italian, and ending mainly in a vast running away.

December 9th 1709, the king grants finally a personal privilege to him of edition for twelve years, for the publication of “ various works of music as well vocal as instrumental and for the flutes, to 2 or several parts”. Until 1725, Michel of the Bar then undertakes the diffusion of its 15 continuations for two flutes without low, first tests in a kind which was going to know during all the 18th century an extraordinary rise, true ambassador of the gallant and refined conversation; finally ideal illustration of the intimacy of a duet, discussing in a felted living room, with the wavering light of a candle…

From 1709 to 1714 (1st Suite/9e Continuation of Parts with 2 flutes), the Bar lives “street of the old woman monnoye, at Mr. Chârlier, merchant”. In 1710, it briefly resides “new Street St Mederic, near the street to the fox, at Mr. Coquelin”, in accordance with the frontispiece of the Second Book of Parts for the flute. Addressed to certain Chauvet., “Managing director of the Field of Occident” the dedication falls under a long tradition of supported offering, intended to offer the accreditation of an influential character near the public.

The last part of the collection, the “ sonata the Unknown factor ” however has sonata only the name. It remains indeed a succession of perfectly French movements, characterized and completely representative of moods of the Bar. Exuberant the Chaconne which finishes it, made sentences with four repeated measurements, borrows from the viol its batteries of semiquavers. The fact that the Bar called it “sonata” however proves the growing influence of the Italian music…

In July 1717 as well as on October 17th 1721, two other privileges royal prolong the right to him to publish its twelve years music additional. The Bar is then regarded there as “ one of the musicians of the Room for the flute ”. From 1721 and this until in 1725, its address disappears from the frontispieces. In the neighborhoods of 1720, it was withdraws, pensioner, of the orchestra of the Royal Academy of Music. December 20th 1730, it also resigns of its load of “oboe and haversack of Poitou” which is then repurchased by Jacques Chéron. It probably finishes its life with the service of its public…

Critical fortune

In its Sonatas with violin and continuations for the flute with low the of 1711, Louis-Antoine Dornel significantly pays a vibrating homage to the world of the flute by titrating some of its parts: Chauvet, Saraband Descosteaux, Sicilian Hotterre, the groin of Mr. of the Bar . This last resumption of a proper part of the Bar, present in the book of 1702… the superb portrait allotted a long time to Robert Levrac-Tournières and from now on returned unanimously at André Bouys, almost illustrates with wonder the matter of Dornel. Suivrant a rhetoric of quite precise representation at the time baroque, one recognizes there without any possible dispute the figure of Michel of the Bar, black wig on the head, upright on the right, opening its 3rd Book of trios of 1707. The player of viola da gamba, on the left, does not seem to correspond to Marin Marais whose Bouys had already reproduced the features. One thus legitimately proposed to see Antoine Forqueray there. As for the two other flutists, difficult to say if it is about Jacques Hotteterre “the Romain” and of the one of his/her brothers or cousin or of Philibert and Descoteaux…

The first to speak in praise of Michel of the Bar was probably Sebastien de Brossard which, in its catalog of 1724 (p. 352), testifies that the Bar was “ the most excellent player of the flute which is in Paris, and it is him which put this instrument sails about it ”.

Titon of Tillet as for him, in its Parnassus François of 1727, also mentions the flutist: “ one can say that it étoit the first man of its time for the execution of this instrument. Admirable Blavet succeeded to him”. On the other hand, when it describes its “orchestra of the Parnassus”, it holds the places with “ Philbert, Of the Slopes, both Hotteterres, Lucas, will charm there by the sound of their Flute ”.

D' Aquin specifies, in 1753, qu' it “ had the marvellous gift to tenderize ”. The propensity of Michel of the Bar to succeed in the tender emotion and melodies was also included in however severe the Dictionnaire of the Artists of Fontenai (Paris, 1776), which synthesized the various opinions there on the flutist:

“ It was looked like the most excellent player of German flute of his time. It is said that it had the marvellous talent to tenderize while playing of this instrument. One still remembers the impression that it made in the orchestra of the Opera, to which it was attached a long time, and of which it had a pension at the end of its days”.

Thus remain to play the Bar because its music, still suffers from an unhappy ignorance.

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