Review

Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Te Deum (Prélude):

Arranged by Jean-Louis Couturier

brass quintet, timpani, and organ

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2013
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

score and parts

Primary Genre: Chamber Music
Secondary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

Over the length of his life, Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed six settings of Te Deum. Four of these settings have survived, and only one of them, H.146, composed in the early 1690s, includes trumpets. It is this setting from which this pompous and joyous “Prélude” originates.
 
Jean-Louis Couturier, a French composer who specializes in early brass music, has arranged this succinct movement into a delightful piece for brass quintet, timpani and organ. After a brief timpani introduction, Couturier assigns the “A” theme of this Rondo movement to the full ensemble, lead by the brass quintet. The organ alone performs the “B” and “C” themes. Since the melodic content of the brass quintet parts equals to four repetitions of a single eight-measure phrase, the movement is quite simple and easy to prepare. Although the work utilizes printed eighth-note patterns in 2/2 meter, Couturier suggests the use of Baroque-era stylized dotted-eighth/sixteenth rhythms in their place.
 
Due to its simplicity and brevity, the piece does not work well as a feature on a full recital, but with the combination of organ and timpani and the brilliance of its character, it fits perfectly as a processional to any ceremonial or church event. While the Cherry Classics website notes that it is targeted at advanced players, it could easily be performed by an undergraduate college level group.

-Cory Mixdorf
University of Arkansas