Gilles Jullien
Encyclopedia
Gilles Jullien was a French
Baroque
composer
and organist
.
He is credited with bringing the style of French organ music then current in Paris
to Chartres
.
Almost nothing is known about Jullien's life or training. His burial certificate indicates he was 50 or slightly younger when he died, so he must have been born between 1651 and 1653. It is assumed that he became organist of the Chartres Cathedral on 6 December 1667. The date is questionable, but the fact that Jullien was appointed organist of the cathedral while still very young is indisputable. He occupied this position until his death in Chartres in 1703. He was succeeded at the cathedral by his eldest son, Jean-François Jullien.
All of Jullien's surviving music is contained in his Premier Livre d'orgue (Paris, 1690). It consists of around 80 pieces (most influenced by Nicolas Lebègue
's work), organized into eight organ suite
s in the eight church modes. According to the preface, these works were intended for liturgical
use, but the only link to the liturgy is a fugue on Ave maris stella. The suites also contain several four- and five-voice fugue
s that reflect Jullien's studies of counterpoint
, but, like most French composers of the time, he was not particularly apt at complex polyphony, and both his fugues and his grasp of chromatic writing have been deemed primitive. The préludes and récits de dessus have been considered the most successful pieces.
Jullien's Premier Livre d'orgue has a number of interesting features. One of these is that in the preface Jullien claims to have invented five-voice genres, even though such pieces appeared earlier, in collections by Nicolas Gigault
and André Raison
, published in late 1680s. Furthermore, the collection concludes, very unusually, with a choral piece, Cantantibus organis. Another vocal work by Jullien, La Crèche de Bethléem, is known by name only, and the second organ book was apparently planned, but never appeared.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and organist
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
.
He is credited with bringing the style of French organ music then current in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
.
Almost nothing is known about Jullien's life or training. His burial certificate indicates he was 50 or slightly younger when he died, so he must have been born between 1651 and 1653. It is assumed that he became organist of the Chartres Cathedral on 6 December 1667. The date is questionable, but the fact that Jullien was appointed organist of the cathedral while still very young is indisputable. He occupied this position until his death in Chartres in 1703. He was succeeded at the cathedral by his eldest son, Jean-François Jullien.
All of Jullien's surviving music is contained in his Premier Livre d'orgue (Paris, 1690). It consists of around 80 pieces (most influenced by Nicolas Lebègue
Nicolas Lebègue
Nicolas Lebègue was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was born in Laon and in 1650s settled in Paris, quickly establishing himself as one of the best organists of the country. He lived and worked in Paris until his death, but frequently made trips to other cities to...
's work), organized into eight organ suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
s in the eight church modes. According to the preface, these works were intended for liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
use, but the only link to the liturgy is a fugue on Ave maris stella. The suites also contain several four- and five-voice fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
s that reflect Jullien's studies of counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
, but, like most French composers of the time, he was not particularly apt at complex polyphony, and both his fugues and his grasp of chromatic writing have been deemed primitive. The préludes and récits de dessus have been considered the most successful pieces.
Jullien's Premier Livre d'orgue has a number of interesting features. One of these is that in the preface Jullien claims to have invented five-voice genres, even though such pieces appeared earlier, in collections by Nicolas Gigault
Nicolas Gigault
Nicolas Gigault was a French Baroque organist and composer. Born into poverty, he quickly rose to fame and high reputation among fellow musicians. His surviving works include the earliest examples of noëls and a volume of works representative of the 1650–1675 style of the French organ...
and André Raison
André Raison
André Raison was a French Baroque composer and organist. During his lifetime he was one of the most famous French organists and an important influence on French organ music. He published two collections of organ works, in 1688 and 1714. The first contains liturgical music intended for monasteries...
, published in late 1680s. Furthermore, the collection concludes, very unusually, with a choral piece, Cantantibus organis. Another vocal work by Jullien, La Crèche de Bethléem, is known by name only, and the second organ book was apparently planned, but never appeared.