Charpentier Beyond the Te Deum

Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote over 500 sacred works, but most people only know one.

His Te Deum in D major is literally the Eurovision theme song. That opening prelude

plays before every broadcast, heard by millions worldwide. But here's what

nobody tells you: this wasn't even his masterpiece. Charpentier's real crowning achievement

was the Missa Assumpta est Maria, composed around 1702 when he was working at Sainte-Chapelle

in Paris. Scholars consider it his most accomplished mass, yet it's barely

performed today. He also pioneered the French grand motet, writing for four

separate choirs at once in his Messe à quatre chœurs. His Leçons de Ténèbres for Holy Week combined