Antoine Boesset (1586–1643), surintendant de la musique de la chambre to Louis XIII, has long been known as one of the most important composers active in early seventeenth-century France, but until recently he was believed to have produced only secular airs de cour. This edition presents for the first time Boesset’s newly identified sacred works, a repertory of some seventy compositions for the nuns of the Royal Abbey of Montmartre, Paris. Scored for multiple high voices, bass, and basse continue, Boesset’s works include three complete mass ordinary settings (through-composed and alternatim), Te Deums and Magnificats (again both through-composed and alternatim), psalms, and a number motets for important feasts and ceremonies at Montmartre. Montmartre was also one of the first religious houses to adopt so-called “plain chant musical,” a type of newly composed or modified chant. Several works of the edition make particular use of this kind of chant, most notably the alternatim hymn settings, which use unusual metered versions of the newly composed hymn chants in alternation with the polyphony. Boesset’s compositions for Montmartre represent by far the largest single repertory of sacred music from the reign of Louis XIII, and, while not showing the influence of the newest Italian practices, nevertheless anticipate several of the musical techniques previously associated with Henri Dumont, in particular the use of the basse continue. These works thus fill a significant gap in our understanding of musical developments in seventeenth-century France and demonstrate that sacred music of the highest quality emerged during a period that scholars have long dismissed as being of little interest.

Contents

Motets

1. Alma Redemptoris Mater

2. Anna mater matris

3. Ave Maria (1)

4. Ave Maria (2)

5. Ave per cor suavissimum Jesu

6. Ave Regina caelorum

7. Ave salus mundi

8. Ave virginum gemma Catharina

9. Benedicimus te

10. Domine salvum fac regem (1)

11. Domine salvum fac regem (2)

12. Domine salvum fac regem (3)

13. Domine salvum fac regem (4)

14. Duo seraphim

14a. Duo seraphim (alternative opening)

15. Ecce panis Angelorum

16. Fons aquae vivae

17. Hic est beatissimus

18. O athletum invictissimum

19. O crux ave

20. O Doctor optime

21. O pastor aeterne

22. O quam suavis

23. O sacrum convivium

24. Popule meus

25. Pretiosus Domini Dionysius

26. Regina caeli (1)

27. Regina caeli (2)

28. Regina caeli (3)

29. Regnum mundi

30. Salve Regina (1)

31. Salve Regina (2)

32. Salve Regina (3)

33. Sancta Maria

34. Tu es Petrus

35. Tu es vas electionis

36. Veni Sancte Spiritus

37. Vir Domini Benedictus

Hymns

38. Ad caenam Agni (alternatim)

39. Alleluja. O filii et filiae

40. Aurea luce (alternatim)

41. Ave maris stella (alternatim)

42. Ave mater pia (alternatim)

43. Christe redemptor omnium, Conserva (alternatim)

44. Christe redemptor omnium, Ex Patre

45. Claris conjubila (alternatim)

46. Dionysii martyris (alternatim)

47. Iste Confessor (alternatim)

48. Jesu, nostra redemptio (alternatim)

49. O gloriosae virgines

50. O salutaris hostia

51. Pange lingua . . . Corporis

52. Pange lingua . . . Certaminis

53. Quam pulchra es

53a. Quam pulchra es (alternative refrain)

54. Veni Creator Spiritus (alternatim)