J.P.E. Martini

Requiem Pour Louis Xvi J.P.E. Martini

When it comes to his illustration of music at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Martini had more to show than Plaisir d'Amour alone. The Bavarian, would rise to glory at the French court and enjoy a privileged position among the sovereigns. Appointed Superintendent of the King's Music in 1788, he fled France under the Terror before making a triumphant return to Paris with his opera Sapho, joined the Conservatoire in 1796, distanced himself from the stage and, finally, was reinstated as

Superintendent in 1815. That same year, in Saint-Denis, he had the honour of hosting his Requiem Mass with a full orchestra, on 21 January 1815, when the remains of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were transferred to the Royal Basilica. This Requiem in memory of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette was performed once again one year after, to mark the anniversary of the martyr King.