The Sainte-Colombe son is as mysterious as his father, made famous by his incarnation on the big screen by Jean-Pierre Marielle in Tous les matins du monde (Alain Corneau, 1991). Some traces of this son can be found across the Channel, in London and Edinburgh around 1700, but above all the Pièces de viole presented here, in a manuscript comprising five suites, including a Tombeau pour Mr de Sainte-Colombe le père.
The score, for viola alone, gives a general feeling of harmonic 'lack', and many performers often add chords to fill this void: the version proposed here offers a reconstruction of a continuo part that has probably been lost, in imitation of the Pièces de Viole of composers of the same generation as the son Sainte-Colombe (Marin Marais, Caix d'Hervelois, Antoine Forqueray). Written according to the customs of the past by François Joubert-Caillet, the music of the son Sainte-Colombe comes back to life with the bass and the harmonic support it requires, allowing us to rediscover a sublime, profound music that is too little known.
Cast (2 or 3 musicians)
François Joubert-Caillet, bass viol
Sarah van Oudenhove, bass viol
Yoann Moulin, harpsichord
François Joubert-Caillet, viola da gamba L'ACHÉRON
Ricercar, 2024
The Sainte-Colombe family remains a source of mystery to this day: the first name and the origins of the father, who taught Marin Marais and composed numerous pieces for one or two viols, remains hidden in the mists of time. The same obscurity surrounds his son or sons: records show a few traces of him in London and Edinburgh around 1700, although all that is really known of him comes from the Pieces de viole recorded here; these five suites of dances in the French style, including a Tombeau pour Mr de Sainte-Colombe le pere, have survived in a non-autograph manuscript. The version presented here breaks with the usual interpretations of these Pieces de Viole, as it includes a reconstruction of a basso continuo part as was common in works by composers of the son's generation.
Great news!
François Joubert-Caillet has just been appointed Professor of viola da gamba at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, succeeding Paolo…
François Joubert-Caillet has just been appointed Professor of viola da gamba at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, succeeding Paolo Pandolfo and Jordi Savall before him! Read the official press release.
Find out more about his programme suggestions for the coming season:
