Two Te Deums and a setting of Psalm 126:
This Charpentier Te Deum is one of his six settings of the Latin hymn. It’s famous – or, at least its opening Prélude is – as the theme music of the Eurovision network. It’s thought that the work was written for the celebrations of the French victory at the battle of Steinkirk in 1692.
(00:00) I. Prélude
(01:34) II. Te Deum laudamus
(02:53) III. Te aeternum Patrem
(04:50) IV. Pleni sunt caeli et terra
(07:01) V. Te per orbem terrarum
(10:30) VI. Tu devicto mortis aculeo
(11:22) VII. Judex crederis
(11:59) VIII. Te ergo quaesumus
(14:26) IX. Aeterna fac cum sanctis
(17:05) X. Dignare Domine
(19:19) XI. Fiat misericordia tua
(21:02) XII: In te, Domine, speravi
You may have gathered from the Charpentier above that the Te Deum is associated with public celebration. Here – with no less a glorious personage than Louis XIV, the Sun King himself in attendance (as godfather!) – is the work written by the king’s dancing master, composer and general musical factotum, Lully, to celebrate the baptism of his (Lully’s) son:
1. Symphonie 0:00
2. Patrem immensae majestatis 8:48
3. Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes 16:12
4. Salvum fac populum tuum 21:25
5. Dignare, Domine 26:52
6. In Te, Domine, speravi 32:47
There’s something of a mystery about Rameau’s sacred music. He spent the first forty years of his life – before becoming a famous composer of operas – as a church organist, and yet he seems to have composed nothing for the organ itself and just a few pieces of church music. This motet (one of only four) is a setting of Psalm 126, which expresses the joy of the Israelites at their return from Babylonian captivity.
0:00 In convertendo
2:51 Tunc repletum est gaudio os nostrum
6:02 Magnificavit Dominus
9:24 Converte Domine captivitatem nostram
11:30 Laudate nomen Dei cum canctico
15:44 Qui seminant in lacrimis
18:00 Euntes ibant et flebant
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