O Natal de Charpentier

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What would it be like to celebrate Christmas in the Royal Chapel of Louis XIV or in one of the cathedrals of 17th century France? This season was celebrated with great musical abundance, including liturgical works in Latin, as well as ancient folk songs in French - the famous Noëls. Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed a vast work for this time of year, including the O Antiphons, destined to the novena of Advent that prepared the arrival of Christmas, and several oratories that told the story of the Nativity, interspersing the biblical story with devotional texts, and dedicated to each day of the festivities, a little like Bach would do years later in his Christmas Oratorio. The composer reveals in these works a mystical look, particularly sensitive to the supernatural mystery of the Incarnation, announced by the prophets and sung by the angels, but also paying close attention to the fragile humanity of the Son of God, born in the middle of the night, of ice and poverty. A more pleasant and popular vision emerges in his imaginative instrumental arrangements of traditional Noëls, sung by children during this season, both in the snow-covered streets and in the marble galleries of the most luxurious churches, these days lined with silk, velvet and gold.