Lambert Chaumont
Encyclopedia
Lambert Chaumont was a Flemish
Baroque
composer
and organist
.
Chaumont was from the Liège
area, possibly born in that city. The earliest mention of his name dates from January 1649, when he is listed as a lay brother at the Carmelite monastery at Liège. He was still there in October 1651, and then a monastery accounts entry dated 8 May 1659 lists Chaumont among the nine brothers who completed their novitiate
s at the monastery at Reims
. Nothing is known about the next 15 years of Chamount's life. On 10 February 1674 he was made rector of the parish of St. Martin's Church at Huy
. The post was insignificant, and the church and the parish were very small, but eventually Chaumont's career progressed further. On 7 September 1688 he became priest of the parish of the nearby St. Germain's Church, and pater of the Carmelites at Huy. He occupied these positions until his death in 1712.
Chaumont's extant oeuvre comprises a collection of organ music, Pièces d'orgue (Huy, 1695), and a work of piety published in 1709. At least one more collection of music is lost. Although he evidently spent most of his life in Liège and Huy, Chamount's style in his organ pieces is entirely French. His collection is usually regarded as one of the best of the French organ school of the 17th century, particularly for its fine fugue
s, trios, and other contrapuntal
genres, which are given prominence in the collection. Pièces d'orgue comprises 111 pieces arranged in eight suites of 12 to 15 pieces each. The suites are united by mode, and follow the eight church tones. Somewhat unusually, each ends with one or two dances, mostly allemande
s, although there are also two chaconne
s (suites 2 and 6) and a gigue
(suite 1) as well. Chaumont's writing, characterized by strong contrapuntal technique and a well-developed melodic imagination, has drawn many favorable comments from modern researchers and musicians. In a preface to a modern edition of Chaumont's works, scholar Roger Bragard claimed that the pieces impress the listener "not only by their richness and their melodic purity, but also by the undeniable strength of the technique". The renowned Belgian musicologist José Quitin wrote that the music is "distinguished by its seriousness, its convincing sense of form, the fascinating blend of sonorities and the serene elegance of the counterpoint." Willi Apel
, although slightly less enthusiastic, nevertheless agreed that Chaumont was a major composer with good taste and technique, and singled out Chaumont's récits, which articulate their themes in phrases of varied length. In all of his récits Chaumont develops the melody from a single motif, which recurs at the beginning of each phrase, but is continued differently every time. In addition to music, Pièces d'orgue also includes a set of tuning instructions and two short essays, on accompaniment and plainchant.
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
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
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
.
Chaumont was from the Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
area, possibly born in that city. The earliest mention of his name dates from January 1649, when he is listed as a lay brother at the Carmelite monastery at Liège. He was still there in October 1651, and then a monastery accounts entry dated 8 May 1659 lists Chaumont among the nine brothers who completed their novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
s at the monastery at Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
. Nothing is known about the next 15 years of Chamount's life. On 10 February 1674 he was made rector of the parish of St. Martin's Church at Huy
Huy
Huy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the sillon industriel, the former industrial backbone of Wallonia, home to about two-thirds of the Walloon population...
. The post was insignificant, and the church and the parish were very small, but eventually Chaumont's career progressed further. On 7 September 1688 he became priest of the parish of the nearby St. Germain's Church, and pater of the Carmelites at Huy. He occupied these positions until his death in 1712.
Chaumont's extant oeuvre comprises a collection of organ music, Pièces d'orgue (Huy, 1695), and a work of piety published in 1709. At least one more collection of music is lost. Although he evidently spent most of his life in Liège and Huy, Chamount's style in his organ pieces is entirely French. His collection is usually regarded as one of the best of the French organ school of the 17th century, particularly for its fine 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, trios, and other contrapuntal
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,...
genres, which are given prominence in the collection. Pièces d'orgue comprises 111 pieces arranged in eight suites of 12 to 15 pieces each. The suites are united by mode, and follow the eight church tones. Somewhat unusually, each ends with one or two dances, mostly allemande
Allemande
An allemande is one of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite...
s, although there are also two chaconne
Chaconne
A chaconne ; is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line which offered a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and...
s (suites 2 and 6) and a gigue
Gigue
The gigue or giga is a lively baroque dance originating from the British jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th century and usually appears at the end of a suite...
(suite 1) as well. Chaumont's writing, characterized by strong contrapuntal technique and a well-developed melodic imagination, has drawn many favorable comments from modern researchers and musicians. In a preface to a modern edition of Chaumont's works, scholar Roger Bragard claimed that the pieces impress the listener "not only by their richness and their melodic purity, but also by the undeniable strength of the technique". The renowned Belgian musicologist José Quitin wrote that the music is "distinguished by its seriousness, its convincing sense of form, the fascinating blend of sonorities and the serene elegance of the counterpoint." Willi Apel
Willi Apel
Willi Apel was a German-American musicologist.Apel was born in Konitz, West Prussia. He studied mathematics from 1912 to 1914, and then again after World War I from 1918 to 1922, in various universities in Weimar Germany. Throughout his studies, he had an interest in music and taught piano lessons...
, although slightly less enthusiastic, nevertheless agreed that Chaumont was a major composer with good taste and technique, and singled out Chaumont's récits, which articulate their themes in phrases of varied length. In all of his récits Chaumont develops the melody from a single motif, which recurs at the beginning of each phrase, but is continued differently every time. In addition to music, Pièces d'orgue also includes a set of tuning instructions and two short essays, on accompaniment and plainchant.