N. BERNIER, MS OF CANTATAS, COPYIST MANUSCRIPT

written by three copyists, in brown ink on up to ten staves per page, in two- or three-stave systems, including duets and solo cantatas with violin obbligato, comprising: 'La Vengeance  Cantate a Violon', for alto voice, violin and continuo, 31 pages; 'Bachus Cantate a Violin', for bass voice, violins and continuo, 33 pages; 'Iris et Daphné', a duet for two sopranos and continuo, 37 pages; 'Jupiter et Europe Cantate a deux avec Violons', a duet for soprano and bass voices, two violins and continuo, 51 pages; the first two works in the hand of the same copyist ("de Rignauld"), named on the first page, the remaining works by other copyists 152 pages, folio (37.5 x 24.5cm), 10-stave paper, eighteenth-century mottled calf, gilt spine in compartments, red-gilt title-label to spine, French provenance, first half of the eighteenth century, some splitting at joints repaired, sound  10 x 15 inches (25.5 x 38.3 cm).

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

We have not traced the first cantata among the known works by Nicolas Bernier (1665-1734): 'La Vengeance' ("Le soleil adoroit la reine de Paphos"), composed to a text by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau.  It may be unrecorded. The other cantatas here are 'Bacchus' ("Chantons le dieu bachus chantons et que sa gloire soit l'Eternel objet"), the text also by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, published in Bernier's fourth volume of Cantates françoises ou musique de chambre (1703); 'Iris et Daphné' ("Triomphés liberté charmante triomphés fixes", published as the first number in Les Nimphes de Diane (1703), also in 1703; and 'Jupiter et Europe' ("Quel prodige misterieux"), also published in Bernier's fourth volume.  The French composer, harpsichordist, and theorist Nicolas Bernier succeeded Marc-Antoine Charpentier as maître de musique of the Sainte-Chapelle, and later took a post as sous-maître de musique at the Chapelle Royale alongside André Campra and Charles-Hubert Gervais, succeeding Michel-Richard de Lalande. Highly influenced by Italian music, he balanced the French and Italian tastes in his cantatas, motets, and other choral works. Together with Jean-Baptiste Morin, he is seen as one of the creators of the French cantata genre, preceding composers such as Montéclair, Gervais, Jacquet de la Guerre, Boismortier and Mouret.

 

"Bernier, with 39 works, was one of the most prolific of French cantata composers. As well as using all the procedures found in Morin's cantatas, he included in his airs some of the earliest examples in French music of the new ritornello structure. His cantatas, often light and witty, are particularly attractive and include some of the finest early examples of the form."