# Henri-Joseph Rigel



## clavichorder

I ran into Rigel at the library. He's a classical era composer, sounds sturm and drang, a German who worked in Paris. His music seems well put together, and there is a certain way which he does his orchestration and counterpoint that makes him sound "anxious" to my ears. But I found him worth knowing about. Apparently he got something from another composer who I was not to aware of, Francois Joseph Gossec, but I listened to Gossec and found him a little too gallant for my liking(first impression), though he did write the famous Gavotte(Gossec, not Rigel) that everyone knows.


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## clavichorder

After having listened to him some more, I'm finding him quite a humorous composer. I haven't giggled so much at music since I first discovered Rameau. There is a line between humorous and quirky, and strange and dull, and I find Rigel to be well on the former side.


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## clavichorder

This symphony is on my CD, it is not my favorite one, but it gives you a sense of how quirky this composer is 




My favorites are 8 in g minor and 7 in d major.


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## clavichorder

I also have this one on my CD, but again, not my favorite one.


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## clavichorder

Has anyone explored this strange composer yet?


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## clavichorder

I am listening to String Quartets by Henri Joseph Rigel on the second half of the disc. For those who have never seen me post about this composer, you ought to know that he is a very interesting classical era composer who composed out of Paris primarily. His symphonies can best be described as frantic and humorous, yet somehow graceful. The quartets are a little less frantic and humorous, but it still shows.

The later quartets on the disc have a surprising Mozartian grace and style to their phrasing, and outside of the first movements, there are many baroque parallels, likely getting a lot of inspiration from Rameau(some of the 3/4 or 6/8 pieces really give this impression, though the sonata form 1st mvts. are more in line with later Haydn or Mozart. The big difference in which a critical person may say Rigel falls short, is the less extended material as one might find in Mozart and some Haydn. The 1st -3rd quartets can't be compared in this way even with regards to phrasing, though they have their own charm. But if you really want to show somebody an interesting obscure find from that period(provided they don't generally hate classicism(though the baroque influence in the other mvts. might help), the last three are a great bet!

http://www.allmusic.com/performance/...0-mq0000960565

I most highly recommend the Quartetto no. 5 in E minor, all mvts for the reasons I mentioned above.


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