Jean-Philippe Rameau

Very few musicians have had as much influence in terms both of composition and of theory as Jean-Phillipe Rameau (1683–1764). As a theorist, he laid the foundations for understanding tonal music. Core concepts in music theory – such as tonic, dominant, and subdominant – which have undergone many changes over the course of history, can be traced back to the teachings that Rameau set out in numerous writings. As a composer, Rameau is known for his virtuosic, diverse harpsichord music and as a master of the tragédie lyrique, the special French form of opera, which is performed less frequently in German-speaking countries than in France. Last but not least, Rameau is one of the great innovators in the history of instrumentation and orchestral sound with his extraordinarily colourful sound inventions.

Rameau’s creative life can be divided roughly into two parts. As the son of an organist in Dijon, the centre of Burgundy in central France, his career in church music was predestined from an early age. At the age of 16, Rameau took up his first position as his father’s assistant, and until the 1730s he held numerous organist posts in Dijon, Clermont-Ferrand, Paris, and elsewhere, without settling permanently anywhere. However, Rameau apparently spent most of this period in Paris without a regular job as an organist. From 1722 onwards, he published several collections of harpsichord pieces (Pièces de clavecin) here, some of which were dance movements, others genre pieces with characteristic titles in which he used virtuosic playing techniques to elicit entirely new effects from the instrument, venturing into new realms of expression.

Rameau was already drawn to opera during this phase. After a project pursued together with Voltaire but ultimately unsuccessful, he staged the tragédie lyrique Hippolyte et Arcie in 1733. This innovatively conceived work marks a turning point in Rameau’s oeuvre in which stage works, ranging from opera to ballet, now increasingly took focus. In a public that was very interested in musical theatre and eager to debate, Rameau’s works repeatedly sparked controversy and gave rise to lively discussions and disputes on aesthetic issues. His second main interest during this phase was music theory, including its physical foundations. Rameau exchanged ideas with numerous philosophers and scientists and published extensive writings. Granted an annual pension by King Louis XV and honoured many times, Rameau died at the age of 81 as a wealthy artist.