
In the 17th century composers borrowed the great opera tunes and substituted religious texts for the librettos. By taking an aria or a well-known chorus and adding uplifting words, they discovered an effective way of spreading the faith. The Abbot Pellegrin was a master of this art; he composed new words for several of the works of Lully, sung in this concert by the Irish Chamber Choir of Paris. They will also perform a number of his motets, as well as the “Te Deum” of Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy.