Michel Montéclair

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Michel Pignolet. de Montéclair (1667 - 1737) was a French composer of the baroque period.

Montéclair was born in Andelot, Haute-Marne, as Michel Pignolet, son of a weaver, and only later added "Montéclair" (a fortress in his home town) to his name. Little is known of his life, and there are no known portraits. His entrance into the choir school at the age of nine may have been the only chance of escaping the poverty of a weaver's life. In 1687, he went to Paris where he joined the orchestra of the Opera where he played the basse de violon.

At some point between 1687 and the early years of the new century, he must have been maître de musique to the Prince de Vaudémont and have followed him to Italy. It was probably from there that he brought the idea to add the double bass to the opera orchestra. All the time Montéclair must have worked as a music teacher of high regard: Among his pupils were his colleague Couperin's daughters. His approach to teaching was fresh and almost modern. He published books on teaching music (e.g. 1709) and opened a music shop (1721) before he retired from teaching in 1735. Around 1730 he published his "Recueil de Brunettes," which contains vocal music adapted for flute. The collection was expressly intended as a pedagogical tool to teach french style, and for this reason the music is underlaid with the text. He gave up his position in the opera orchestra shortly before his death in 1737, which occurred at Aumont.

Montéclair was not greatly productive as a composer, but was an innovator in orchestration who had a significant influence on the development of the art form. His work was later taken up by Jean-Philippe Rameau.. His specialty was using certain instruments to enhance the stage scene, e.g. letting horns play softly behind the stage to simulate a faraway hunt. Among his stage works are Festes de l'été and Jephté, which was considered difficult by contemporaries.

His works include: