Louis XIV. consecrates his crown & sceptre to the Mother of God by Philippe de Champaigne (1643), courtesy of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.
Saturday September 26, 2026 at 7.30 P. M.
The Parish Church of St. Andrew
311 North Raymond Avenue
Pasadena CA 91103
Free parking in the lot diagonally across from St. Andrew’s.
The music of Versailles has come to define the music of the grand siècle, overshadowing the rest of that period’s musical output. Sacred music in particular was seen as an indispensible tool during the Age of Absolutism to convey an image of piety, prestige, and power, but the preferred idiom of the Court – the opulent grand motet – was harshly criticized beyond Versailles as being overly theatrical, bombastic, and disconnected from the liturgy. Conversely, the music of provincial churches was derided by contemporary elites as being old-fashioned and austere, with an inordinate emphasis placed on Gregorian plainchant. The exception to this derision – and perhaps a via media – was the music of the great Parisian churches, which were simulatneously liturgically conservative while seamlessly integrating sacred masterpieces by great composers such as Charpentier, Campra, and Couperin.
The Society of Jesus was established by seven Spaniards studying at the University of Paris in the year 1534, and in the coming decades they enthusiastically disseminated both baroque architecture and baroque liturgical music north of the Alps in order to spread Italian art & culture as part of the Catholic Counterreformation. Their Parisian headquarters, the Eglise Saint-Louis, became renowned for promoting the latest musical styles, famously employing Charpentier, Campra, and even Rameau. Interestingly, this church was the first baroque building in France – as well one of the first Parisian buildings to feature a dome – permanently reshaping not only the city’s skyline, but indeed the city’s musical landscape.
Musica Transalpina is proud to present a mass setting by Charpentier which was composed to celebrate a very important religious event – and was most likely commissioned by the Jesuits – around the year 1670. This mass combines Charpentier’s love for Italian polychoral sacred music with a uniquely French orchestration. Performances of Charpentier’s mass settings are an unusual treat in the United States, and we are confident that this event will be a unique musical experience for all in attendance!