Mouret, Rondeau

This rondeau by French composer Jean-Joseph Mouret (1682-1738) will be instantly recognized by many as the musical theme for the television series Masterpiece Theater. Some of the best television drama, much of it produced by the BBC, aired as part of the series on Sunday nights beginning in 1971. Those were the days before cable and satellite, when most of us could access three commercial channels plus the Public Broadcasting Station, and so a quality drama series drew considerable attention.

Mouret’s piece seemed to strike just the right mood, conveying a sophisticated refinement with energy and excitement. Of course, Mouret did not write with British drama in mind, but rather for the drama of French royalty and the court of King Louis XIV. We have had numerous occasions in the courses and features on this site to visit the Palace of Versailles and discuss why the artistic events in Louis’ long reign (1643-1715) were so important in the history of music. In a nutshell, Louis used the arts to convey power, and so music to accompany royal events had to be refined, sophisticated, exciting, and all the other things that sent the message that Louis ruled absolutely.

These qualities extended to much of French Baroque music. Purely instrumental music became more important, especially at Court events, taking its place alongside music written for the Church and Theater.

The predominant composers in Louis’ court included Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and François Couperin. Mouret held a royal appointment at the end of Louis’ reign as Director of the orchestra of the Opera from 1714 to 1718 and thereafter as Director of the Nouveau Théâtre Italien until 1737.