Michel de Montéclair

Michel de Montéclair (baptized Dec. 4, 1667, Andelot, Fr.—died Sept. 22, 1737, Aumont, near Paris) was a French composer of operatic and instrumental works in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Montéclair was a chorister at Langres and later entered noble service. Settling in Paris in 1687, he played double bass at the Paris Opéra from 1699 to 1737 and was, in fact, one of the earliest players of that instrument in its modern form. His first opera-ballet, Les Fêtes de l’été, was produced in 1716. His best known opera, or tragédie-lyrique, Jephté (1732), was banned by the Archbishop of Paris because of its biblical subject. It has a grandeur reminiscent of Lully and is known to have influenced Rameau. Other works include 20 French and 4 Italian cantatas (four books, 1709–28), a requiem, chamber music, and songs.

Montéclair’s five theoretical and pedagogic treatises contain valuable information on contemporary ornamentation and performance practices.