Programme
Friday 20 November
Introduction
- Bénédicte Hertz (Centre de musique baroque de Versailles – CESR)
- Thomas Leconte (Centre de musique baroque de Versailles – CESR)
Speakers
- Edward Higginbottom
Michel-Richard de Lalande : une perspective d’outre-Manche
Michel-Richard de Lalande: a perspective from across the Channel - Priscille Lafitte (Radio France)
Roger Désormière et les Symphonies pour les Soupers du Roy : réalisation musicale, concert et enregistrements, 1930-1956
Roger Désormière and the Symphonies pour les Soupers du Roy: musical production, concerts and recordings, 1930–1956 - Marie Delamorinière (Université Paris Cité)
Réinterprétation de Lalande au XXe siècle - perspectives juridiques
Reinterpretation of Lalande in the 20th century – legal perspectives
Saturday 21 November
Speakers
- Florence Gétreau (IReMus / CNRS)
Michel-Richard Delalande « à la cour et à la ville » : ses portraits et sa galerie de tableaux
Michel-Richard Delalande ‘at court and in the city’: his portraits and his gallery of paintings - Thomas Leconte (Centre de musique baroque de Versailles – CESR)
Quel Lalande pour la postérité ? Portraits biographiques et regards historiographiques aux XVIIIᵉ et XIXᵉ siècles
Which Lalande for Posterity? Biographical Portraits and Historiographical Perspectives in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries - Beverly Wilcox (California State University)
Lalande et ses préparatifs cachés sur l’édition et les concerts publics : les preuves indirectes
Lalande’s Hidden Preparations for Publishing and Public Concerts. The Circumstantial Evidence - Bénédicte Hertz (Centre de musique baroque de Versailles – CESR)
La présence de Lalande au répertoire des cathédrales et collégiales dans la seconde moitié du XVIIIᵉ siècle : entre héritage et permanence
The presence of Lalande in the repertoire of cathedrals and collegiate churches in the second half of the 18th century: between heritage and continuity
A musical resonance
Celestial Art
CONCERT
Saturday 21 November 2026 – 7 pm
University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, Royaume-Uni
Instruments of Time & Truth
Oxford Consort of Voices
Edward Higginbottom, direction
Programme
Henry Purcell, Hail! Bright Cecilia (Ode for St Cecilia’s Day, 1692)
Michel-Richard de Lalande, Dies iræ (1690)
George Frideric Handel, My heart is inditing (1727)
To mark the 300th anniversary of the death of Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657–1726), the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles is organising, in partnership with the Maison Française d’Oxford, a two-day international study event “Lalande’s Legacy: from Fame to Posterity”, which set out to examine the reputation and legacy of this major composer in France’s musical heritage.
Lalande’s death in 1726 did not in any way put an end to the dissemination of his works; on the contrary, it marked the beginning of a remarkably long-lasting posterity, unique in the French musical landscape. From the decades immediately following his death through to the Revolution, and beyond, his grands motets for large chorus — as well as various vocal and instrumental pieces — remained firmly rooted in liturgical and concert practices at court, in Paris and throughout the provinces: the Chapelle royale, the Concert Spirituel, cathedrals and collegiate churches, and concert societies continued to programme them successfully. In the 19th and 20th centuries, his name resurfaced through the revival of maîtrises, emerging musicological endeavours, the first editions and later recordings, ushering in a new phase of recognition that continues and is even renewed today.
These discussions invite reflection on the construction of a genuine and singular musical “presence”, bringing together historical, musicological, philological, sociological and performance-based approaches.
