The organ transcriptions presented here are no accidental occurrence. Du Mont himself was the instigator, as he clearly states in the preface to his Meslanges, printed in 1657:
‘In addition to the aforementioned pieces, there are several preludes in the style of allemandes for two parts, for the bass and treble viol. These can be played alone or with basso continuo, if desired.’ These preludes will also be useful for religious ladies who play the organ in a duet style: I have marked those suitable for the organ, and they only need to transcribe them to make them easier to play.’
However, it was tempting not to limit oneself to this instruction, and this collection contains all 20 preludes.
In 1661, Du Mont published a booklet containing a ‘Third Part Added to the Preludes des Meslanges for a Treble or Bass Viol’. He specifies: “to create greater harmony”. These preludes in trio form have been transcribed here.
The Cantica sacra collection, published in 1652, contains five independent instrumental pieces. These pieces, written for three or four viols and basso continuo, open the work. Olivier Miquel
Henri Du Mont was born in 1610 in the Diocese of Liège. He studied music in Maastricht and became an organist there at the age of 19. Political unrest in the region undoubtedly convinced Du Mont to try his luck in Paris. He arrived in 1638 during the reign of Louis XIII and, by 1643, had become the organist at the Church of Saint-Paul in the Marais district (a church that was destroyed during the French Revolution). He held this position until his death in 1684.
