Marin Marais's Pieces de Violes

Author(s): Clyde H. Thompson

Source: The Musical Quarterly , Oct., 1960, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Oct., 1960), pp. 482-499
Published by: Oxford University Press

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 MARIN MARAIS'S PIECES DE VIOLES
By CLYDE H. THOMPSON

MARIN MARAIS was the central figure in the French school of

bass-viol composers and performers that flourished during the
late 17th and early 18th centuries. He spent his entire life in Paris, and
the greater part of it in royal service. First appointed as Ordinaire de la
Musique de la Chambre du Roi in 1685, he retained that post through-
out the reign of Louis XIV and from 1715 to 1725 served under the
Regency and Louis XV. His contemporaries recognized him as an out-
standing performer and a composer of stature whose works for viols
and the operatic stage were known beyond the boundaries of France.

These barest of facts represent almost the entire body of readily

available information concerning a musician who was a major figure in
French music during his lifetime. Little else about Marais's life, and
even less about his music, has appeared in print.' Music historians from
Hawkins and Burney to the present have accorded him passing mention,
at least, and some have, albeit cautiously, extolled the excellence of
his works. In addition, the revival of interest in the viols and, concur-
rently, an occasional performance of a piece by Marais have focused
attention on Marais and his contemporaries, who represent the final
flowering of the literature for these once indispensable instruments. Still,
the poverty of information persists. This seems particularly curious since
the period in which he lived produced some of the most important
developments in the history of string music. In view of the increasing
interest in the music of this period and Marais's admitted stature in
that epoch, it seems pertinent to supply some additional detail concerning
his life and times and a discussion of his contribution to the art of
1 See Richard Newton, Hommage c~ Marin Marais, in The Consort, June 1952,
14 ff.; Newton, More About Marais, in The Consort, July 1953, 12 ff.; Fran<ois
Lesure, Marin Marais, in Revue belge de musicologie, VII (1953), 129 ff.; Maurice
Barthilemy, Les Operas de Marin Marais, ibid., 136 ff.; Laurence Boulay, La Musique
instrumentale de Marin Marais, in La Revue musicale, Numdro Special, No. 226
(March 1956), 73 ff.
482

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 483

le grand siecle. Moreover, it would appear that

interested in the literature for viols may fi
contents of Marais's five books of Pidces de Viol
The most extensive account of Marin Marais's life and works was
provided by Titon du Tillet in his Le Parnasse frangois (Paris, 1732)
Dedicated to the greater glory of the practically divine Louis XIV, the
work depicted an imaginary Parnassus of poetry and music over which
Louis ruled with noble forbearance. The leading poets and musician
of the late 17th and early 18th centuries were given places around the
throne in accordance with their importance. Marin Marais, in company
with Jean-Baptiste Lully, Climent Marot, Isaac de Benserade, Philippe
Quinault, and Michel Delalande, among others, was included in th
royal entourage. Each member of the select group was eulogized in the
body of the work by a medallion engraved in his likeness and a section
devoted to his life and accomplishments (see Plate I). Le Parnasse
frangois is an invaluable source for information concerning poets and
musicians of this period. In the case of Marais, it appears to have served
as the most important single repository of contemporary information

Titon relates that Marais was born in Paris on May 31, 1656, and
died there on August 15, 1728. As a boy, he was a member of the
choir of the Sainte-Chapelle and in his teens studied the basse de viole
with Hotman and Sainte-Colombe, both important figures in the early
development of French string music. Marais entered the royal orchestra
as a soloist in 1685 and about the same time became a member of the
orchestra of the Acadimie Royale de Musique. In the latter position
he played under the direction of Lully, who later became his teacher in
composition. Marais spent the remainder of his life performing and
composing, and also fathering nineteen children, several of whom became
important figures in French musical life.

The list of works that Titon provides comprises five volumes of

Pidces de Violes (1686-1725); a book of Pidces en Trio (1692), which
appear to be the first of their kind published in France; four operas:
Alcide (1693), Ariadne et Bacchus (1696), Alcione (1703), and
2 Titon's essay on Marais is clearly the basis for other well-known articles on
Marais. The information given by Laborde in his Essai sur la musique (Paris, 1780,
III, 449) is based almost entirely on Titon's work. Whole sentences were lifted intact
from Titon's essay. Similar practices are evident in the articles by William Barclay
Squire in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed., V, 559 f.; Sir John
Hawkins, General History of the Science and Practice of Music, London, 1776, V,
45 f., reprint London, 1875, II, 779.

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484 The Musical Quarterly
Semild (1709); a Te Deum which Titon states wa
occasion of the convalescence of Monsieur le Dau
1701; and a group of works, consisting of La G
Maresienne, and La Sonnerie de Sainte GeneviLve
performed sur le Violon, la Viole & le Clavecin an
in folio in 1723. The last three works apparently
The Te Deum, described as in manuscript by Tito
suffered the same fate.

The instrument for which Marais wrote the major portion of his
works is commonly referred to as the viola da gamba. Strictly speaking,
however, it was the small bass of the viol family, which in the 17th
and early 18th centuries included as many as nine different sizes of
instruments, all called by the generic name viola da gamba. Marais's
instrument - viola da gamba, bass viol, basse de viole, or, simply,
"gamba" - was somewhat smaller than the modem 'cello and had frets
and seven strings, tuned to A1, D, G, c, e, a, d'.
According to contemporary accounts, Marais was recognized as the
greatest performer on the bass viol of his era. Hubert le Blanc reported
that Marais played the viol "like an angel,"3 and Johann Gottfried
Walther called him "an incomparable French violdigambist."'4 Con-
temporary judgments of his prowess as a composer are no less enthu-
siastic. Joachim Christoph Nemeitz declared that Marais's works "were
known by the whole of Europe."5 Titon stated: "One recognizes the
fecundity and elegance of the genius of this musician by the quantity
of works he has composed. One finds everywhere in them good taste
and a surprising variety."'6

Although Marais's operas, trio sonatas, and other compositions were

widely performed during his lifetime, the most significant part of his
musical output is represented by the five books of Pidces de Violes that
he produced over a period of forty years, between 1686 and 1725.
These collections include more than 550 compositions for one, two, and
three bass viols and figured bass. All volumes were originally published
3 Hubert le Blanc, Difense de la basse de viole, Paris, 1740, p. 59.
4 Johann Gottfried Walther, Musicalisches Lexicon (1732), facsimile ed. by
Richard Schaal, Kassel, 1953, p. 382,
5 Joachim Christoph Nemeitz, Sejour de Paris, Leiden, 1727, p. 352.
6 Le Parnasse fran~ois, p. 626. "On connoit la ficondit6 & la beautC du genie
de ce Musicien par la quantit6 d'ouvrages qu'il a composez. On y trouve par-tout
un bon goft & une variett surprenante."

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 1x~

Plate I

Medallions struck in honor of Manin Marais

and Michel Delalande. From Le Parnasse frangois.

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 Marin Marais's Pidces de Violes 485

by the composer. Etienne Rogers, according to

issued in 1716, reprinted at least the first thr
reprints were piracies, but they did follow
contained all the directions for bowing, finger
that were present in the Paris editions. Marais's
from the original plates in 1698. The fourth v
Paris in 1729, in accordance with a royal p
composer's heirs in that year."

All collections were printed in separate part

viols and the figured bass. The only works tha
ten additional pieces that were appended to
pieces d une et t deux Violes (1689). While t
the collections generally corresponds to modern
often contain more notes than the actual time value allows. These are
invariably florid passages in which the groups of notes function as
ornamental figures that do not alter the rhythmic progress. The clefs
employed include three C clefs (mezzo-soprano, alto, and tenor), in
addition to the G and F clefs. Marais's preludes are consistently barred
throughout, unlike those by earlier composers for the lute, clavecin, and
viol, which were left unbarred in accordance with their improvisatory
character. Marais, like Frangois Couperin, apparently hesitated to leave
his examples unbarred. Both composers, however, retained the free style
and impromptu character that was traditionally associated with this
type of movement.

Although the five collections contain similar types of pieces, they

differ in design and in the number of instrumental parts required. The
great majority of works was intended for one bass viol and figured bass.
All collections include pieces for this combination. Book I offers twenty
additional works for two viols and figured bass. The preface to each
volume, with the exception of the first, states that many of the pieces
are appropriate for other instruments, such as the treble viol, violin,
organ, theorbo, and transverse flute.

The grouping of single compositions into larger entities, i. e. suites

or sets of works that exhibit some kind of formal unity, follows no
7 See Denis Vairaisse, Histoire des Severambes, Peuples qui Hapitent Une
Partie du troisidme Continent communiment appell La Terre Australe, Amsterdam:
Etienne Rogers, 1716, II, 345. The publisher included a list of his musical pub-
lications as an appendix to this volume.
8 Michel Brenet, La Librairie musicale en France de 1653 & 1790, in Sammel-
biinde der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft, VIII (1905-07), 432.

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486 The Musical Quarterly
consistent plan. French composers of the late 1
centuries did not share the interest in the developm
a unified form that was manifested by their Germ
Sebastien de Brossard's Dictionnaire de musique
the term suite as such. As late as 1768, the Dictionn
Jean Jacques Rousseau entered under suite only a ref
sonate, where, however, the term suite is sufficiently
refer to a set of his pieces as a suitte in the preface t
of 1689, but his first use of the term as a title for
does not appear before the Fourth Book (1717).
Marais consistently uses a common tonality for a
specific set, with but two exceptions, in all of hi
practice he followed the lead of the lute composers a
the clavecin composers. The two collections of s
appeared before the publication of Marais's first vo
certain Du Buisson (1660) and the other by the bett
de Machy (1685), adhered to the familiar sequence,
sarabande, and gigue, with but one exception. De M
chaconne for the gigue in his last suite.9 The plan o
somewhere between the fairly circumscribed conte
ployed by the lute and earlier viol composers, and th
arrangement evident in the works of the claveci
Marais's sets are limited to the established dance mo
addition of the double, minuet, and gavotte. Others
forty-one separate pieces. The larger sets normal
dance movements and, in addition, chaconne, fantai
great variety of special pieces that the composer te
caracteres. The term suite hardly seems appropriate
of works. Most of them, however, do include the s
that were typical of the suite, and the unifying
common tonality. These traits, coupled with the fa
himself employed the word suitte in reference to th
ample justification for the use of the term.

Marais's first collection of pieces for viols (see

cated to Lully and appeared in 1686 under the t
et a deux VIOLES Compose'es par M. Marais ordin
de la Chambre du Roy. Its formal design incorporat
in the publications of his predecessors. All the trad
SLe Sieur de Machy, Pieces de Violle, Paris, 1685.

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 487

are present. There is, however, no visible attempt

order. Prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande,
all the suites and usually in the same order. The m
ever, frequently separated by other pieces, double
of the same type. Most suites introduce a prelude
and maintain the same tonality throughout. The fi
demonstrates the apparent looseness of the schem
1. Prelude 15. Sarabande
2. Prelude 16. Gigue
3. Prelude 17. Double
4. Prelude 18. Gigue
5. Fantaisie 19. Gigue
6. Allemande 20. Double
7. Double 21. Fantaisie
8. Allemande 22. Rondeau
9. Double 23. Menuet
10. Courante 24. Rondeau
11. Double 25. Menuet
12. Sarabande 26. Gavotte en
13. Courante Rondeau
14. Double 27. Gavotte

Eleven different types of works, omitting doubles, are present in a

set containing twenty-seven compositions. The suite includes four pre-
ludes, two allemandes, two courantes, two sarabandes, three gigues, in
addition to the doubles and miscellaneous movements. It seems clear
that the composer did not intend the set to be performed as a continuous
group of pieces. Rather, he offered a collection of compositions from
which a performer could select a smaller group of contrasting works,
or which he could use as a repository of assorted pieces in any manner
that seemed appropriate. The arrangement offers many possibilities for
a variety of sequence - a virtue that may have had considerable value
for Marais and other performers.

The second suite, in D major, reveals a somewhat different plan.

The customary prelude is followed by a fantaisie and a second prelude.
Two allemandes and a double, two courantes and a double, two sara-
bandes and two gigues ensue, in that order. The remainder of the suite
includes a paysanne, rondeau, gavotte, three minuets, and a lengthy
chaconne. The disparity in the order of pieces in the two suites has no
apparent purpose. Each set provides several choices for a pleasing suc-
cession of contrasting works.

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488 The Musical Quarterly
The seventeen remaining compositions for one bass
into two shorter groups. The first of these, set in G m
prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue, gav
An additional prelude, in D minor, separates the G m
the last set. The latter, in A major, includes nine
boutade, allemande and double, courante, two sarab
minuet.

Twenty compositions for two bass viols and figured bass comprise the
second part of Book I. The first suite, containing seven pieces in D
minor, offers the familiar dance group: prelude, allemande, courante,
sarabande, and gigue, with the addition of a gavotte and minuet. The
second set, in G major, includes the five basic movements, and a
gavotte en rondeau, two minuets, a fantaisie, and a chaconne. The final
work in the volume, the Tombeau de Mr. Meliton, is a powerful,
genuinely fugal composition in D minor.

At first glance, it seems evident from the contents of Book I that

Marais was not concerned with the exploitation of a prescribed sequence
of movements. In the first two suites for one viol the order of move-
ments appears almost haphazard. Closer examination, however, reveals
that, although the traditional dances are separated by other types,
doubles, and duplications, the basic principles of the established sequence
are maintained. The third and fourth suites demonstrate distinctly this
adherence to general practice. The third is augmented only by a gavotte
and minuet; the fourth by a boutade, a double for the allemande, an
extra sarabande, and a minuet. A similar plan is used for the two suites
for two viols. The basic set of dances is increased by the addition of
extra dance pieces or character pieces of a special nature. A tabulation
of the kinds of movements presented in the First Book, with an indi-
cation of the number of times each type appears, discloses the following
relationships:

Pieces for one viol Pieces for two vio

Preludes 9 Preludes 2
Allemandes 6 Allemandes 2
Doubles 4 Courantes 2
Courantes 6 Sarabandes 2
Doubles 3 Gigues 2
Sarabandes 7 Gavottes 3
Menuets 5
Gigues 7
Doubles 2 Gavotte en rondeau 2
Menuets 7 Fantaisie en Echo 1

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 489

Rondeaux 4 Chaconne 1
Gavottes 3
Fantaisies 3
Gavotte en rondeau 1
Boutade 1

Paysanne 1
Chaconne 1

As the tabulation demon

viols is, in fact, almost
greater variety of move
types. Solo players, and e
greater need of a variety
for two viols were concei
pupil.

As noted above, the Basse-continues for the First Book did not appear
until three years after the publication of the solo parts. In addition to
the figured basses, the volume contains ten new compositions in score.
The first eight of these comprise the movements of a suite: prelude,
allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue, minuet, rondeau, and fantaisie.
The ninth work, a ground bass with twenty variations entitled Sujet et
Diversitez, is for two viols unaccompanied. Marais comments on this
composition as follows:

The ground bass, upon which one will find twenty couplets composed above, was
given to me by a foreigner for making all these variations on it, which I have
taken pleasure in working out, for this subject seemed very good to me. It
changes at the end to B-flat [G minor]; the same subject is always played while
the second viol varies all the couplets. 10

The work is similar to the English divisions on a ground which are

thoroughly explained by Christopher Simpson in The Division Violist
(1659).1"
The last work, a rondeau, is chordal throughout. Marais adds a
brief comment on this piece, too, and offers a justification for the
extreme demands it makes on the performer: "It is only difficult be-
cause of the abundance of harmony. But this piece and all the other
10 Marais, Basse-continuis des pidces & une et & deux Violes (1689), Preface.
"Le sujet de Basse, ou l'on trouvera vingt couplets faits dessus, m'a est6 donni par
un Etranger, pour y faire toutes ces variations, que j'ay pris plaisir a travailler: car
ce sujet ma paru fort bon: Il change sur la fin en b mol. Ce mesme sujet se joiie
tofijours pendant que la Seconde Viole varie les couplets."

"Facsimile reprint London, 1955.

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490 The Musical Quarterly
previous ones were made expressly for those who
ability on the viol."'"
Marais's second collection of Pifces de Violes (170
to his patron and life-long friend, the Duc d'Orlians.
sharply from the plan of the First Book. The first co
composed expressly for the bass viol, and contained a
of works that demanded genuine virtuosity, as Ma
stated. Shortly before the publication of the first colle
been appointed to the post of soloist in the royal band.
of that period no doubt reflected his interest in the t
of his instrument and his youthful enthusiasm for th
virtuosity. The change of attitude in Book II is expres
of short, tuneful pieces and in the admission that the
not intended exclusively for the bass viol, but were
playing on all sorts of instruments, such as the org
theorbo, lute, violin, and German flute." Moreover
special instructions for those who might wish to play t
pieces without bothering to learn the works themselve
was given to the figured basses, in order to make the
and readily adaptable for the several instruments that
them.13

The Second Book comprises seven long suites, totaling 141 separate
compositions. The individual suites contain as many as forty-one and as
few as thirteen pieces. As in the First Book, the works are numbered
consecutively. Only the change of tonality and the appearance of a new
prelude signal the beginning of a new set. In addition to the tonalities
present in the first collection - D minor, D major, G major, and G
minor - Marais uses B minor, A major, E minor, and E major. The
disposition of the works into the seven suites is as follows:
1-41 D minor Suite I
42-64 D major Suite II
65-82 G major Suite III
83-95 B minor Suite IV
96-110 E minor Suite V
111-124 E major Suite VI
125-141 A major Suite VII
12 Marais, Basse-continues, Preface. "Elle n'a de di
accords. Mais cette piece, et touttes les autres cy dev
ceux qui auront une tres grande habitude sur la V
13 Marais, Book II, Preface.

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 491

Each of the suites contains at least one or more of each of the

standard movements- prelude, courante, sarabande, and gigue. A
in the first collection, they appear in that order although they may
separated by other compositions. Additional types that appear mo
frequently are minuet, gavotte, rondeau, and fantaisie. The nine type
account for 112 of the 141 compositions. The remaining pieces includ
a chaconne, bourasque, boutade, folette, passacaille, and les pidces
caracture, so-called "character pieces" with descriptive titles. Of p
ticular interest are the four most extensive works in the collection. These

include Folies, thirty-two variations on a La Folia theme, which compare

favorably with Corelli's more famous set; two tombeaux, one dedicated
to Lully and the other to Sainte-Colombe; and a fascinating polyphonic
piece entitled Fuge [sic] gaye. Surrounded by relatively simple pieces,
these compositions clearly represent the major efforts of the volume.
They were obviously intended specifically for the bass viol and for
performers of formidable capacities. The following tabulation contains
all the types of works that appear more than once in Book II, and
the number of times each type is represented:
Preludes 14 Minuets 19
Allemandes 15 Rondeaux 9
Doubles 4 Gavottes 7
Courantes 10 Fantaisies 6
Sarabandes 16 Chaconnes 3

Gigues 16 Tombeaux 2
Doubles 1 Boutades 2

The remaining single wor

price, Ballet en rondeau
Polonaise, Les voix huma
cieux, Branle de village,
vilageoise.

The third collection of Pices de Violes (1711) continues the trend,

established in Book II, towards short, tuneful pieces that make relatively
modest demands on the performer. Only six works out of a total of 134
occupy more than one page in the solo part. Marais comments on this
disposition of simple and complex pieces in the dedication of the col-
lection. Addressing the general public, to whom the third collection is
dedicated, Marais states that since the publication of his second volume
of Pidces de Violes he has received many requests for another similar
collection. Expressing the hope that this third volume will convince
the public that he has neglected nothing in his endeavor to merit the

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492 The Musical Quarterly

approval accorded the second collection, he adds tha

and more fully harmonized compositions are includ
advanced performers.

The third volume contains nine suites for one vio

Each suite includes from twelve to nineteen pieces
consecutively. They are grouped in sets in the follow
1-13 A minor Suite I
14-25 A major Suite II
26-39 F major Suite III
40-58 D major Suite IV
59-75 B-flat major Suite V
76-91 G minor Suite VI
92-107 G major Suite VII
108-122 C major Suite VIII
123-134 C minor Suite IX

The five basic dance movements are

species appears once in a set, except
allemandes. The sequence of the movem
in the two earlier publications. The
fantaisie in lieu of the customary p
eleventh member of that set. This repr
first three collections of a movement
the first member of a suite. At leas
courante, or gigue, is included in eac
frequent than in the previous volumes
the individual dances, such as Allem
stante, Gavotte la Sincope, and Menuet
are several pieces composed as imitatio
include: La Trompette, Menuet la Gu
and Gavotte du goust du theorbo qu
"Gavotte in the fashion of the theorb
wishes to do so."

Marais's fourth collection, Pidces a une et d trois Violes (1717), is

the most diversified and, in this respect, the most interesting of the five.
The composer calls it "an attempt to satisfy the different tastes of the
public in respect to the viol . . . so that each one can find here what
suits him best."'4 The volume is divided into three parts, each devoted

14 Marais, Book IV, Preface.

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 493

to a separate aspect of viol-playing. The first part co

for persons "who prefer pieces that are easy, me
little harmony to difficult ones."'5 Six Suittes, so ca
make up this section. Each includes from seven t
moderate difficulty for one viol and figured ba
with a prelude and five offer an allemande as the s
remainder of each set is filled out with typical dan
character pieces that include La Mignone, La
Basque, La Provengale, and others. None of t
courante, a type that appeared frequently in the su
volumes. The omission seems accountable by the
phonic construction of most courantes in the p
Marais, apparently, avoided the type in order to m
of harmonic playing in these easy suites. The trend
cation is further manifest in the comparative ra
double, usually the florid variation of a preceding
or gigue, appears only twice in the six sets. The
position in this section of Book IV is the chaconne f
but this, too, is less complex than similar move
publications. Character pieces comprise a large p
number of works. Many of the standard dance mo
with descriptive titles, of which Allemande la f
Gracieux, Allemande l'Enfantine, and Saraban
typical. The contents of Suites II and V demonstr
types in two separate suites:
Suite II Suite V
Prelude Prelude
Allemande la Guimbault Caprice
Allemande la familibre Allemande l'Enfantine
Boutade Sarabande la Gracieuse
Gavotte la Favorite Gigue; Double
La petite Brillante Le Basque; Double
Rondeau le Gracieux Branle de Village
Menuet
Menuet

The six suites are set in D minor, D major, F major, A minor, A

major, and E minor. Although the composer avowedly designed them
for amateur performance, his description of them as easy can hardly
be taken literally. Generous use of ornaments, occasional passages of
polyphonic construction, and specified bowings of some intricacy require
s15 Ibid.

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494 The Musical Quarterly
a performer of no mean accomplishments. Marais's sim
rather, in the sparing use of the harmonic style and th
of the individual pieces.

The second part of Book IV consists of one long s

one viol and figured bass, entitled Suitte d'un goat
describes the Suitte as composed expressly for advan
do not like easy pieces and who have respect only for w
dinary difficulty.16 This concept is evident in the nat
positions and in the virtuosity they demand from the p

In content and sequence of movements the Suitte d'u

bears little resemblance to Marais's previous suites. It in
works of various kinds, and the succession of move
apparent plan in either the choice of movements or th
The set contains neither a prelude nor a courante, and
thirty-six pieces are from the standard group of dance
of the titles, such as March Tartare and Pidce Luth&e, i
are distinct types that have been transformed into ch
Marais. Others, of which L'Ameriquaine, a playful
Reveuse, a lengthy set of variations, are representa
intended as programmatic works.

The Suitte d'un goat Etranger employs several keys

in contrast to the single, unifying tonality characteri
other suites. The arrangement of the pieces in the cont
is as follows:

March Tartare E-flat major

Allemande
Sarabande
La Tartarine;
Double
Gavotte
Feste Champetre E minor
Muzette E major
Tamborin E minor
Gigue
Rondeau
Le Tourbillon
La Uniforme
L'Ameriquaine E major
Allemande E minor

16 Ibid.

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 Marin Marais's Pidces de Violes 495

Allemande L'Asmatique G major

La Tourneuse
Muzette C major
Caprice ou Sonate A minor
Le Labyrinthe A major
Chaconne
La Sauterelle D major
La Fougade
Allemande la Bizarre D minor
La Minauderie

Allemande la Singulibre F major

L'Arabesque
Allemande la Superbe F minor
La Reveuse

March F-sharp minor

Gigue
Piece Luthie
Gigue la Caustique
La Badinage

The Suitte d'un goat Etranger includes many of Marais's most in-
teresting and challenging compositions. Each piece in the set possesses a
distinct character and, in several instances, requires a special kind of
technique. Notable in this respect are Le Labyrinthe, for its modulatory
character; Caprice ou Sonate, for its extended two-part formal structure;
and Allemande la Bizarre, for its unusual instrumental demands. Most
of the works are so clearly designed for the capacities of the bass viol
that their adaptability for other instruments seems questionable. Both
in musical quality and instrumental complexity these compositions may
well represent the ne plus ultra in the literature for the bass viol.

The final section of Book IV consists of two suites for three viols
and figured bass. The two independent upper voices are intended for
two solo viols. The third viol ordinarily doubles the bass line of the
figured bass; it is occasionally provided with a separate part, but this
is almost invariably a diminution of the bass line. Superficially, the
works appear to resemble those for two viols and figured bass in the
First Book. The earlier pieces, however, offer in most cases only two
distinct parts. The figured bass was added after the solo parts had been
composed and was derived from the solo parts, as Marais states in the
preface to the Basse-continuis of 1689. However, if Marais expected
a third viol to support the bass line in these compositions, as was
customary in the period, the earlier works would employ the same
instrumental forces as the pieces for three viols from the Fourth Book.

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496 The Musical Quarterly
The basic difference between the two sets of works i
Fourth Book were conceived as genuine three-part com
those in the First Book are essentially in two parts.

The two suites for three viols contain the standard d

with the addition of rondeau, gavotte, minuet, and sh
pieces:
Suite I Suite II
Prelude Caprice
Allemande Allemande
Courante Courante
Sarabande Paysanne Gracieuse
Gigue Sarabande
Gavotte Gigue
Petite Paysanne Gavotte
Rondeau Rondeau
Muzette
Muzette; Double
Menuet en Muzette

The initial movement of each suite is the longest and most complex
of the set. Both the prelude from the first suite and the caprice from the
second are extended movements, consisting of a slow opening section
followed by a faster one, both worked out in fugal style. The other pieces,
with the exception of the rondeaux, are simple and relatively straight-
forward. The rondeaux are fairly long works containing four refrains
separated by contrasting material.

The Fourth Book is a publication of great variety and includes music

of undeniable beauty. Its contents seem well tailored to the needs of the
18th-century viol-playing public, and Marais appears to have effectively
achieved his avowed aim - "to satisfy the different tastes of the public
in respect to the viol."

Marais's last collection of Pisces de Viole (1725) 17 represents a return

to the plan used in the Second and Third Books. All the pieces are for
17 In the record reviews of The Musical Quarterly (Vol. XL, No. 1, January
1954, p. 136), David Boyden statedlthat Marais's Fifth Book of Pieces de Violes was
published in 1717 rather than .1725. This understandable error apparently resulted
from the addition of the former date, in a typically 19th-century hand, on the title
page of the copy of Book V in the possession of the Bibliothbque Nationale. Since
the publication date of 1725 is corroborated not only by Titon but also by the date
1725 on the Royal Privilege included in the Paris edition of the Fifth Book, there
seems little doubt that the appended date 1717 appearing on this particular title
page represents an error in judgment on the part of some enthusiastic but inaccurate
bibliophile.

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 497

one bass viol and figured bass and most of them a

culty. Each suite, nevertheless, contains one or
complished performers. The 115 compositions
lengthy suites. Individual suites include thirteen
set, except the fifth, commences with a prelude. T
the customary prelude with a caprice. None of th
courante, although all the other dance types are pr
of the collection is made up of character pieces, w
composer, were in great vogue at that time.18 Aga
movements bear descriptive titles, such as Prel
dedication), Allemande la Fiere (the Proud),
(unexplained). Only the gavottes and minuets co
pseudo-programmatic implications. In the first sui
dance movements and character pieces are about e
Prelude la Soligni Petit Caprice
Allemande La Facile Rondeau
Sarabande Bagatelle
Fantaisie
La Marine
Gavotte Grande Gavotte
Gigue Gigue !a Mutine
Menuet Simple Rondeau
Menuet Double Prelude en Harpbgement
La Sincope

The second set, in A major, reveals about the same distribution of

character pieces and dance movements. In the third group the descriptiv
works outnumber the dance types. Only six of fifteen compositions lack
some kind of extra-musical title:
Prelude Rondeau Paysan
Allemande la bois Guillaume Rondeau le Douceroux
Sarabande Idle Grotesque
La Demoi Gigue Double
Menuet Les Forgerons
Menuet; Double Le touche du Clavecin
Gavotte Prelude en Harpgement

Dance movements dominate the fourth suite. It contains, however,

formidable set of variations entitled Variations sur une basse contrainte,
a particularly interesting Fantaisie et Double, and an especially charming
gigue, La Fromental. The penultimate work, a caprice in D minor, repre-
sents the only instance in the Fifth Book in which Marais violates the
tonal unity of a suite.
18 Marais, Book V, Preface.

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498 The Musical Quarterly
The fifth and sixth suites present about equal num
tive pieces and dance movements. The fifth set includ
elegy for one of his deceased sons, a gently movin
Tombeau pour Marais le Cadet. The Rondeau le Badi
dite la Maupertuy are the most demanding works in t
suite, in G major, offers several works of extraordinary
Jardin, Le jeu du Volant, Le petit badinage, and Dia
The final group of compositions in Book V is among
tive of Marais's suites. The set numbers twenty-five pie
four are without descriptive titles. As in the other sets
most of the compositions make only modest technical
piece projects an individual character quite without pa
five collections. Especially appealing are La Simplici
mande la Bailly Duchesse, and Resveries Mesplaini
Bellemont, named for a violist-colleague, Les Relavaill
vine represent the virtuoso pieces in the set. The best k
the most unusual work in all of Marais's five publicatio
Le Tombeau de l'Operation de la Taille. This remarkabl
to depict the horrors of a gall-bladder operation, w
anesthesia, experienced by Marais around 1720. A runn
in the text indicates the details of the ordeal. The wo
as one of the earliest examples of French instrumental
Les Relavailles follows L'Operation and presumably dep
convalescence.

Marin Marais's five collections of Pisces de Violes represent an ac-

complishment of great scope and originality. Historically, they constitute
the full flowering of an established French musical tradition, the culmina-
tion of an art that had its origins in' the 16th century. In sheer numbers
the books surpass the production of any other composer for the bass viol.
In musical variety and range of instrumental expression, they stand alone
in the contributions to the literature for that instrument, and Curt Sachs
has stated with full justification that Marais's books of pieces for viols
"form one of the most important documents in the history of French in-
strumental music."20 Hubert le Blanc accorded Marais a niche with the
great artists of the period: "Corelli and M. Michel are the Bossuets, the
19 Curt Sachs, Our Musical Heritage, New York, 1955, p. 212 ff.; Sachs, The
Commonwealth of Art, New York, 1946, p. 122. L'Operation is reprinted in Encyclo-
pidie de la musique et dictionnaire du Conservatoire, ed. by Albert Lavignac and
Lionel de la Laurencie, Paris, 1913-30, Part II, Vol. III, p. 1776.
20o Curt Sachs, Notes for L'Anthologie Sonore, Vol. VIII, p. 12.

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 Marin Marais's Pisces de Violes 499

FCndlons, the Demosthenes, and the Ciceros of

with the pieces of Marais and Couperin, as th
illustrious orators and prelates does with th
Virgil."21

Titon du Tillet did not consider Marais a genius of the first rank, and
in his classification of the great spirits of France did not place him in the
company of Corneille, Racine, Moliere, and Lully. But Marais's stature
nearly matched that of the foremost creative artists of France, and Titon
did not hesitate to assign him a place of honor in the second tier of im-
mortals, together with Clkment Marot, Isaac de Benserade, Philippe
Quinault, and Michel Delalande. Titon's judgment may have been in-
fluenced by the memory of Marais, the virtuoso; but even on the basis
of his music alone, Marais seems to merit the exalted place in history
accorded him by his literary contemporary.

21 Le Blanc, Difense de la basse de viole, p. 3. "Corelly et M. Michel sont les

Bossuets, les F~ndlons, les Dimosthines, et les Ciceros de la musique, dont les oeuvres
font assaut avec les pi~ces de Marais et de Couperin, comme la prose divine de ces
illustres orateurs et prilats a la po6sie d'Hombre et de Virgile."

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