Pierre Robert’s sumptuous motets for large choir are at the origin of the Versailles grand motet in the same way as those of Lully. The first publication since their disappearance from the repertoire of the Chapelle royale of Versailles in the eighteenth century, this volume invites musicians and researchers to delve into the major work of a composer of the French "Parnassus"----

Pierre Robert (c. 1622–1699) is heir to the great polyphonic tradition of the late Renaissance through his training in the choir of the cathedral of Paris, then through his activity in three of the most important cathedrals of the kingdom: Senlis, Chartres and Paris. In 1663, together with Henry Du Mont, he was recruited by Louis XIV as sous-maître of the Music of the Chapelle du roi, a prestigious position he held until 1683. He actively contributed to the emergence of new forms of religious music and to the development of a specific repertoire for the Chapelle du roi which would be the basis of the French grand motet and petit motet.

This volume brings together the first five pieces of Pierre Robert’s Motets pour la Chapelle du Roy, a collection published in separate parts in Paris by Christophe Ballard in 1684. The general introduction provides a complete overview of Pierre Robert’s known production for the royal chapel, covering both the sources and the particularities of his style. The scholarly editor then presents the works in the volume in their historical context.

Andrée Dagenais is an associate professor at Brandon University (Canada), where she also directs several vocal groups. A graduate of the University of Iowa, the Eastman School of Music and McGill University, in 1999 she spent time at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, supported by the CNRS, to conduct her research on Pierre Robert.