Pronouncing his Latin “à la française”, as was the style in the days of the Sun King, Jean-François Novelli explores a repertoire running from the middle to the end of the reign of Louis XIV. Charpentier of course, Louis Couperin (uncle to François, “le Grand”), André Campra among others: the flower of contemporary composers. Most of these works were not written specifically for baritenor, or the median male vocal range, but rather for haute-contre or bass, which were respectively more sparkling and more sonorous. Here they are redistributed, but with a few transpositions, including some which had been suggested by the composers themselves, who knew well that producers would generally just deploy the singers that they had to hand. The accompaniment is provided by two violins, two violas da gamba, theorbo, harpsichord and positive organ, although not necessarily all of them at the same time. Between motets, the musicians brighten up the album with a few pure instrumental pieces from Henry du Mont and Pierre Bouteiller.