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Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair
Person · male · France · Andelot-Blancheville · born 1667 · died 1737 · recording since 1992
French composer
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Also known as Michel Montéclair · Michel Pignolet · 米歇尔·皮纽雷·德·蒙特克莱尔
Timeline
7 events▣ Album 4◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1660s
1730s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Jephté - Tragedie Lyrique
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2020s
· Album
Album: Beloved & Betrayed: Montéclair’s Miniature Dramas for Flute & Voice
Album
source: musicbrainz
Biography
English biography356 words · 1 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1341238318
Biography
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (4 December 1667 – 22 September 1737) was a French composer of the baroque period.
He was born Michel Pignolet in Andelot, Champagne (province), France, and only later added "Montéclair" (the name of a fortress in his home town) to his name. Little is known of his life, and no official portraits exist. He was the son of a weaver; 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 and joined the orchestra of the Opera, where he played the basse de violon. In Paris he studied with Jean-Baptiste Moreau.
At some point between 1687 and the early years of the new century, he seems to have been maître de musique to the Prince de Vaudémont and to 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 the daughters of his colleague François Couperin. Montéclair's approach to teaching was fresh and almost modern. He published books on teaching music (e.g., in 1709), and around 1730 he published 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 opened a music shop in 1721, retired from teaching in 1735, and gave up his position in the opera orchestra shortly before his death. He died in Domont in 1737.
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.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 14 | 70.2th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 4 | 78.1th |
| Studio albums | 4 | 82.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 7 | 82.6th |
| Recording span (years) | -255 | 2.3th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (4 release groups · 4 studio albums)
Albums · 4
1992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 45 tracks · 2:29:36
Disc 11Prologue: Ouverture3:292Prologue: Scène 1: Apollon, Polhymnie, Venus et Choeur "Beaux lieux"2:163Prologue: Scène 2-1: Rigaudons: Venus et Choeur "Riez sans cesse"4:564Prologue: Scène 2-2: Canarie: Menuet: Venus et Choeur "Dans ces beaux lieux"1:205Prologue: Scène 2-3: Symphonie: Divinités "De quels nouveaux concerts"1:396Prologue: Scène 3: La Vérité "Fantômes séduisans"1:357Prologue: Scène 4: La Vérité et sa Suite "Troupe immortelle, comme moy" & Ouverture (reprise)6:128Acte I: Scène 1: Jephté "Sacré Séjour"4:489Acte I: Scène 2: Jephté "On vient, j'apperçois le Grand Prêtre"3:1810Acte I: Scène 4-1: Marche des Guerriers: Jephté, Phinée et Choeur "La Terre,4:3211Acte I: Scène 4-2: Phinée "Mais la Sainte Trompette sonne" & Scène 5-1: Marche:1:5012Acte I: Scène 5-2: Air des Guerriers3:1513Acte I: Scène 5-3: Phinée "Un doux espoir": Choeurs "Viens, repands le trouble et l'Effroy"3:0714Acte I: Scène 7: Jephté "Qu'ay je entendu ? ": "Dieu d'Israël, Dieu que j'adore"3:2915Acte II: Scène 1: Ammon, Abner "Seigneur, tous les moments"3:0916Acte II: Scène 2: Ammon, Iphise "Je vois Ammon"3:5417Acte II: Scène 3: Iphise "Mes yeux, éteignez dans vos larmes"4:1318Acte II: Scène 4: Almasie "A-peine, de ses voiles sombres"4:0019Acte II: Scène 5: Almasie "Je vois Abdon"1:2420Acte II: Scène 6-1: Marche au son des tambourins "Ô jour heureux"2:0721Acte II: Scène 6-2: Une habitante et Choeur "Notre crainte est bannie"2:0122Acte II: Scène 6-2: Air1:4523Acte II: Scène 6-3: Tambourins: L'habitante, choeur "Tout rit à nos voeux"1:54Disc 21Acte III: Scène 1: Jephté "Allez, retirez-vous" & Scène 24:082Acte III: Scène 3: Jephté, Almasie, Iphise "Quel trouble me saisit" & Scène 4-16:393Acte III: Scène 4-2: Jephté, Almasie "Redoutable Dieu des vangeances" & Scène 5-11:404Acte III: Scène 5-2: Marche - Phinée "Peuples que le Ciel a fait naître"0:385Acte III: Scène 5-3: Phinée et Choeur "Pour le vainqueur"1:496Acte III: Scène 5-4: Chaconne - Choeur "Que nos chants"4:187Acte III: Scène 5-5: Phinée "Jephté, si tu veux qu'on te craigne" & Scène 62:568Acte IV: Scène 1: Iphise "Ruisseaux qui serpentez"9:149Acte IV: Scène 2: Iphise, Elise "Les Habitans de ces belles retraites" & Scène 3-12:0210Acte IV: Scène 3-2: Pastourelles, Menuets - "Que tout brille en ce bocage"2:5711Acte IV: Scène 3-4: Iphise "J'aime à voir" - Iphise et choeur "Que le ciel"2:1712Acte IV: Scène 4: Les mêmes, Amasie "Finissez vos chants d'allegresse" & Scène 5-1:5:5113Acte IV: Scène 5-2: Almasie "Dieux redoutables, éxauce-nous" & Scène 6: Iphise4:2214Acte IV: Scène 7: Iphise, Ammon "Le secours est tout prêt" & Scène 8: Iphise "Je frémis"5:4815Acte V: Scène 1-1: Almasie "Ou vay-je ? Ou s'égarent mes pas ?"4:5816Acte V: Scène 1-2: Almasie "Calme le juste effroy" & Scène 21:5417Acte V: Scène 3: Jephté "Seigneur, un tendre Père"1:3718Acte V: Scène 4-1: Jephté, Iphise "Non, cessez de me retenir" - Duo "Mes cris s'élèvent4:4219Acte V: Scène 4-2: Jephté "Quel bruit affreux !" & Scène 5: Choeur de Rebelles & Scène 6-13:5520Acte V: Scène 6-2: Marche du Sacrifice - Choeur "Favorable et terrible Jour"2:3321Acte V: Scène 6-3: Phinée "Quel funeste appareil !"2:3222Acte V: Scène 6-4: Jephté, Almasie, Iphise et Choeur "Du plus beau"2:331998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:15:49
1La Mort de Didon (6e Cantate, Livre I)14:312Il Dispetto In Amore (7e Cantate, Livre II)11:113Le Triomphe de L'Amour (3e Cantate, Livre II)11:564Morte di Lucretia (9e Cantate, Livre III)14:395Pyrame Et Thisbe (6e Cantate, Livre II)23:322020 · studio album
Beloved & Betrayed: Montéclair’s Miniature Dramas for Flute & Voice
2020 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 37 tracks · 1:04:25
1Recueil d’airs sérieux et à boire (Excerpts): Déserts, où des humains j’évite la presence3:262Ariane et Bachus: Ariane adoroit le volage Thesée1:043Ariane et Bachus: Plus cruel que le minotaure2:554Ariane et Bachus: Ah! Dans mon desespoir0:455Ariane et Bachus: Mais, quel Dieu fait fremir les ondes - Sur ces bords écartés1:206Ariane et Bachus: Regnez, adorable mortelle3:447Ariane et Bachus: L’amour de la plus douce chaine0:558Ariane et Bachus: Si vos amans brisent leurs chaines3:389Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: I. La françoise0:5310Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: II. Les tourterelles2:2111Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: III. L’allemande - IV. L’angloise2:0212Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: V. La mantoüane0:4813Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: VI. La genoise1:0314Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: VII. Sommeil des festes de l’été2:1515Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: VIII. Le poitevin0:3916Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: IX. Le breton0:4817Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: X. Le parisien1:1718Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: XI. L’auvergnate - XII. La florentine2:2419Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: XIII. L’espagnol1:3620Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: XIV. La milanoise1:4521Concert no. 1 for Flute & Continuo in E Minor: XV. La venitiene1:0222Recueil d’airs sérieux et à boire (Excerpts): Qu’à l’amour on est peu contraire1:4723Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: I. Je suis charmé d’une brune1:3624Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: II. Le beau berger Tircis1:4625Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: III. La bergere Celimene1:5426Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: IV. Iris aux bords de Seine1:0427Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: V. J’aime un brun depuis un jour0:3128Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: VI. Lisette aime son berger1:3329Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: VII. Aimable solitude1:1930Premier recueil de brunettes, Suite no. 1: VIII. Berger prens soin de mon troupeau1:1131Le dépit généreux: Dieux justes! Dieux vengeurs!1:4132Le dépit généreux: Arbres épais, sombre feüillage!3:1633Le dépit généreux: Cherirai‐je toujours une fatale flame?0:5834Le dépit généreux: Douce tranquilité, paisible indifference2:4235Le dépit généreux: Mais ciel quel changement!0:4136Le dépit généreux: Je sens finir mes peines3:4637Recueil d’airs sérieux et à boire (Excerpts): Adieu, mes innocents troupeaux2:00
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Michel Pignolet de Montéclair head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 14 | 70.2th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 4 | 78.1th |
| Studio albums | 4 | 82.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 7 | 82.6th |
| Recording span (years) | -255 | 2.3th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Awards & honours
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f4a9ca9c-0a86-4d76-9217-687c6e490fefdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f4a9ca9c-0a86-4d76-9217-687c6e490fefcore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q487175genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q487175seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Pignolet_de_Mont%C3%A9clairbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Pignolet_de_Mont%C3%A9clair
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q487175 · MusicBrainz: f4a9ca9c-0a86-4d76-9217-687c6e490fef
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