Joseph Bodin de Boismortier

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier is a Compositeur French born the December 23rd 1689 with Thionville and died in Roissy-in-Brie the October 28th 1755.

Biography

Table of family

His/her father, Etienne Bodin (1652-1730), affublé of the nickname “Boismortier” was an originating former serviceman, by his Michel grandfather, of the borders of the Berry and the Touraine (Saddle-on-Nahon) close to Chateauroux. After a passage to Laval, Etienne enters in garrison to the regiment of confined Soissonais to Thionville and obtains an exemption of his military obligations in order to marry, on April 7th, 1687, Lucie Gravet (1665-1738), an young girl of the vintage. He makes profitable the family tradition while becoming merchant confectioner, in the shade of the severe frontages of the cathedral of Metz.

As of on March 24th, 1688, a first child is born: a girl, Marie. Invited to become main tailoress since 1712, she will marry, on April 8th, 1720 on the parish Holy Cross of Metz, Jean Bouchotte, 35 years, commercial button manufacturer. Their son, Jean-Didier, cash clerk of Extraordinary of the Wars then Receiver-payer of the pledges of the officers of the Parliament, will have to him even several children of which Jean-Baptiste No5el Bouchotte, eminent Minister for the war under the Convention, between 1793 and 1794.

November 18th, 1691, with Thionville always, a small Catherine is baptized. Lastly, on September 29th, 1700 is recorded the death of Marie-Therese, with Metz this time, before one had time to make it pass on the funds. To complete this portrait of family, a letter dated January 11th, 1753 and addressed by Boismortier to the Superintendent of the Art schools, existence of a painter attests, Pierre Etienne, who was actually accepted in his Metz-native corporation on March 28th, 1719.

Boismortier most is then probably intended to take again the shop of his father but its already perceptible talents make it embrace very an other way…

Formation

Until recently, the greatest blur reigned over this first period. Anxious to lend to the teenager a prestigious professor, one had supposed that Joseph Bodin had been able to follow the teaching of Henry Desmarest, then in Lorraine exile since 1707. It of it is nothing. In 1702, he sings indeed with his brother with the Metz-native church of Saint-Gorgon, certain parts of the motet Parce mihi Domine of the composition of Joseph Valette de Montigny. This last, originating in Béziers, had come to Lorraine in the continuation from Viscount from Andrezel, adviser of the Grand Dolphin, and had named since 1701, subdelegated with the Intendance of Alsace. The two characters will have an major importance in the continuation of the life of Boismortier; the young man undoubtedly composing his first parts in Lorraine. To flee the future of confectioner who awaited it, Boismortier accepts, in 1713, of expatrier in Catalogne. It arrives there at Perpignan like receiver of the Royal Control of the Tobaccos for the troops in Roussillon. The purchase of such a load supposes an financial aid rather than a paternal donation…

Perpignan

In place in the Midsummer's Day district of Perpignan, Boismortier marries on November 20th, 1720, with the cathedral, Marie Valette, niece of her Languedocien professor and girl of goldsmiths grassement nouveau riches. It is established then in the family residence, with the n°7 of the street of the Argenterie Calved ; house of which it is not long in inheriting with the death his father-in-law, on March 18th, 1722. Also fall into its escarcelle, “ a vine located at the soil of Vernet, two ayminattes and three cartonattes ”…

November 15th of the same year, sees the day the first girl of the type-setter, Suzanne, destined for a literary future as gilded as that, musical of his/her father. The Viscount of Andrezel having followed Boismortier and Montigny in the Catalan capital antique to exert there the load of intendant in Roussillon, Cerdagne and Comté of Foix, it benefits from his influence to incite Boismortier to send, since 1721 with the Parisian editor Christophe Ballard, a first serious air and with drinking to test the market. The success is with go what decides the type-setter to leave his functions and to launch out in the adventure. It leaves Perpignan and, on the way which leads it to Paris during the winter 1723, makes a short halt with the Château of Seals, at the Duchesse of Maine, for one to give a French cantata, Spring . Admittedly, the glare of the great “Nights” of this critical court faded but it meets there in particular Nicolas Bernier, Joseph Mouret or Charles Hubert Gervais…

Paris

It is then established street Saint-Anthony, behind the barrier of the sergens in front of the Large Jesuits, district where will return its wife besides after her death (she will be buried there). It optient a first privilege of impression, on February 29th, 1724, which enable him to publish four books of sonatas with two flutes without low, kind of choice of its best tests: “ As there is nearly one year that it runs has Paris twelve Sonatas has two Flute-Bridging pieces of my composition, copied with the hand, and that the Copyists slipped several essential faults there; I ay solved, by adjoûtant twelve news there, to give them moy-même to the public in four Books, or in each one there will be of them three of the first and three of the news. If the public makes me the grace taste this first, I them donneray of continuation ”.

It is then the beginning of an exemplary career, completely released of necessary protections that his/her colleagues Naudot, Braun, Blavet, Corrette or Leclair did not balk to accept. Boismortier puts a point of honor owe his success only with him only. Just is authorized it to publish in foreword with its first works a false dedication in Andrezel, which is in fact only one mark of sincere friendship. More still than these homages necessary, these are the many poems that Boismortier will choose at the head to publish of its works which will complete to draw up of him a portrait of more attaching. Flattering the ladies, meeting the great names of the Parisian nobility, traversing the living rooms vêtu of sound more beautiful gilded dress, jovial, pleasant man and of good company, Boismortier added to its talent of type-setter that of poet as we made it clear it Jean-Benjamin de Laborde:

“ It made worms with the manner of Scarron, of which some one would run in the companies …”.

Work

Boismortier privileging in his first opus the intruments with wind, and more particularly the flute of which he played, falls under the line of the duets of Michel of the Bar or Hotteterre, using of an erudite counterpoint and multiplying by ten the emotion which the erudite overlap of the voices gives. But it already keeps with the spirit the Italian influence growing in Paris in these years 1720. It is registered from the start in a pastoral and popular movement snuffed of the nobility and middle-class, which are pricked to play in their living rooms, for a company chosen, some quite spiritual sonatas or duets.

“ the instrumens to which one attachoit more in this time in Paris, are Clavessin and the Flute or German. François play today of these instrumens, with a nonsimilar delicacy ”.

From there came the mercantile tradition of Boismortier, privileging the quantity with the quality, relayed once again by the infatiguable Laborde:

“ Boismortier appeared in the tems where one liked only the simple and extremely easy music. This skilful musician benefitted only too much this taste to the mode and made for the multitude of the airs and the duets without number, which one carried out on the flutes, violins, haubois, haversacks, hurdy-gurdies, etc… That had a very great flow; but unfortunately it prodigea too many these harmonic banters, of which some especially were sown pleasant projections. He misused so much the good-naturedness of his many purchasers that to the end one says of him: Happy Boismortier, whose fertile feather/Can every month, without sorrow, to give birth to a volume. Boismortier for any answer to his criticisms, said: I earn money ”.

Most of its work thus includes/understands parts dedicated to its instrument. Its friendships also were invaluable. Its contact with of Bordeaux the Pierre Labbé are attested by the Avertissement with its work 26:

“ As I do not play rather well of the violoncello to judge myself of these parts I requested from Mr the abbot which one knows celebrates for this instrumen to examine them. It is by its approval that I was determined to give them to the public of which I wish the same advantage . ”

The opus 31 as for him, dedicated to the Viola da gamba, is a true homage to Marin Marais, re-examined and corrected by one of the friends close to Boismortier: Parisian the Louis de Caix d' Hervelois which will divide the same address, in 1736, that our Lorraine-Catalan: street of the Day, opposite the large Gate St Eustace with the cigne of the cross .

Within a catalog of almost 130 indexed collections, containing enough “spangles to form an ingot”, always according to Laborde, the force of Boismortier, in this 18th strongly competing century, was to compose with a variety of your specimen. Little instrument escaped its feather and almost no musical form was ignored to him. One counts thus in his catalog, of works for Flute obviously, Recorder, Hautbois, Violon, Violoncelle, Viola da gamba, haversack, Vielle with wheel, Basson, over viol, Clavecin in the form of continuations, sonatas, duets, trios, quartets, quintets and most various concertos. Pushing art and the manner with a seldom equalized degree, Boismortier could also marry the stamps and mix sonorities within these forms. The vocal music held in the same way all its attention since it composed five operas, six small motets, four large motets, two cycles of four French cantatas, a collection of Cantatilles and especially nearly fourteen volumes of air to one or more voice.

The Opera… an epilog

As of 1736 indeed, for more recognition, it goes up to the attack of the Royal Académie of Music with its Voyages of the love , dedicated to the director, the Count de Clermont, kind of vast fresco “to the Watteau” of which the relative failure the fact however of temporizing. He attends the Parisian Living rooms, becomes acquainted with Rameau, Mondonville and the horde of the innovators what pushes it to compose its parts of Clavecin. Quite naturally, the doors of the Concert of sacred music open with him. It will give to it several works of which the famous Motet with great chorus, Fugit Nox (November 1741), taken again each year during more than twenty years and interfered noëls agreeably Catalan extremely typical ( San Josep F bugada ). Before Runner of 1763 (p.13) there saw a chief of work of combination and overall while the Journal of Music of 1770 (p.49) described it: “ entremèlé of noëls with much taste and address. The effect is pleasant, especially when one thinks of the taste which reigned in the music when this work was made ”.

He will reiterate the experiment successfully this time, by giving Don Quichotte , in 1743, on a booklet of Favart and inpiré of Cervantès, kind of joke in which Sancho escapes from little from a monster in fury and takes refuge in the gardens of an imaginary duchess that many were the musicologists tempted to see there those of the Duchesse of Maine at which Boismortier had shone a few twenty years earlier… Predestined on the subject light, Mr Bodin will exert also and directly his talents of leader to the Foire Saint Laurent in 1744 then with the Foire German Saint the following year.

Lastly, ultimate work of the catalog, Daphnis and Chloé , pastoral in three acts on a booklet of Pierre Laujon, will be represented for the first time on Thursday, September 28 1747 then taken again with the scene on Thursday, May 4 1752, for 12 representations.

“ I had said, in one of my letters with Monseigneur, whom I was to give the Four Parts of the world, poem of Mr. the King, but the Italians, who took the top with the Opera one reduces to me to the retirement . ”

Boismortier, in this only letter autograph which remained to us of him, gives us the reason of his withdrawal of the musical life: the Quarrel of the Buffoons.

Towards 1753, it earlier withdraws in its property of Gâtinellerie , acquired a few years, where it dies in 1755. It is still buried there, in the nave of the church of Roissy-in-Brie. His wife will return street Saint-Anthony to Paris and will sell the property. His/her daughters will continue to manage the many republications with success of works of their father until in 1771. They remained street Percée, vis-a-vis the church Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis.

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