Marc

Marc, Franz, 1880-1916, German painter. Influenced by August Macke, he developed a rich, chromatic symbolism. He depicted a mystical world of animals, especially horses, employing devices of distortion to express the animals' own awareness of their lives. Marc's pictorial conception of nature became increasingly abstract, resulting in the formation of colorful, crystalline patterns. Together with Kandinsky and Klee, Marc was a leader of the Blaue Reiter group. He was killed in World War I. Characteristic examples of his art are the Gazelle (Mus. of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I.) and Blue Horses (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minn.).

marc: see brandy.

Chagall, Marc, 1887-1985, Russian painter. In 1907, Chagall left his native Vitebsk for St. Petersburg, where he studied under L. N. Bakst. In Paris (1910) he began to assimilate cubist characteristics into his expressionistic style. He is considered a forerunner of surrealism. Encouraged by Bolshevik proclamations forbidding antisemitism and making Jews citizens, Chagall returned to Russia where he became head of Vitebsk's People's Art College. But when Russia's persecution of Jews began again, Chagall returned (1922) to France, where he spent most of his life (he also lived in New York). His frequently repeated subject matter was drawn from Russian Jewish life and folklore; he was particularly fond of flower and animal symbols. His major early works included murals for the Jewish State Theater (now in the Tretyakov Mus., Moscow). Among his other well-known works are I and the Village (1911; Mus. of Modern Art, New York City) and The Rabbi of Vitebsk (Art Inst., Chicago). He designed the sets and costumes for Stravinsky's ballet Firebird (1945). Chagall's twelve stained-glass windows, symbolizing the tribes of Israel, were exhibited in Paris and New York City before being installed (1962) in the Hadassah-Hebrew Univ. Medical Center synagogue in Jerusalem. His two vast murals for New York's Metropolitan Opera House, treating symbolically the sources and the triumph of music, were installed in 1966. Much of Chagall's work is rendered with an extraordinary formal inventiveness and a deceptive fairy-tale naïveté. Chagall illustrated numerous books, including Gogol's Dead Souls, La Fontaine's Fables, and Illustrations for the Bible (1956). A museum of his work opened in Nice in 1973. His name is also spelled Shagall.

Bloch, Marc, 1886-1944, French historian and an authority on medieval feudalism. He taught at the Univ. of Strasbourg from 1919, became professor at the Sorbonne in 1936, and was cofounder of the journal Annales. Bloch did much to promote the study of economic history. As a Jew, he was subject to German restrictions during World War II. He joined the French Resistance in Lyon in 1942, helping to publish the newspaper Franc-Tireur, a name adopted by the Resistance forces in the region. His activities led to his execution by the Germans. His Strange Defeat (tr. 1949) describes wartime France. Among Bloch's major works are The Historian's Craft (tr. 1953) and French Rural History (tr. 1966). His Feudal Society (tr. 1961) is a brilliant synthesis of the subject.

Connelly, Marc (Marcus Cook Connelly), 1890-1981, American dramatist, b. McKeesport, Pa. He is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning play The Green Pastures (1930), a fantasy of biblical history presented in terms of the religious life of Southern blacks; it was based on Roark Bradford's book Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun (1928). Connelly also collaborated with George S. Kaufman on the plays Dulcy (1921), To the Ladies (1922), Merton of the Movies (1922), and Beggar on Horseback (1924). He published his first novel, A Souvenir from Quam in 1965; it satirizes spy stories.

Shagall, Marc: see Chagall, Marc.

Anthony, Marc: see Antony.

(born April 25, 1769, Hacqueville, France—died Dec. 12, 1849, London, Eng.) French-born British engineer and inventor. He perfected a method for making ships' blocks (pulleys) by mechanical means rather than by hand; the system of 43 machines, run by 10 men, produced blocks superior in quality and consistency to those previously handmade by more than 100 men. This installation was an early example of completely mechanized production (see mechanization). In 1818 he patented the tunneling shield, a device that made safe tunneling through water-bearing strata possible. In 1825 operations began for building the Brunel-designed tunnel under the River Thames, an unprecedented feat completed in 1842. He was the father of I.K. Brunel.

Learn more about Brunel, Sir Marc (Isambard) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Feb. 8, 1880, Munich, Ger.—killed in action March 4, 1916, near Verdun, France) German painter. His early works were academic, but exposure to Impressionism and Jugendstil lightened his style, and in 1911, with Vasily Kandinsky and other abstract painters, he became a founding member of the Blaue Reiter group. He believed that spiritual essence is best revealed through abstraction and was passionately interested in the art of “primitive” peoples, children, and the mentally ill. His own work consisted primarily of animal studies, since he believed nonhuman forms of life to be the most expressive manifestation of the vital force of nature.

Learn more about Marc, Franz with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 6, 1886, Lyon, France—died June 16, 1944, near Lyon) French historian. He served in the French infantry in World War I. From 1919 he taught medieval history at the University of Strasbourg, where he cofounded the important periodical Annales d'histoire économique et sociale. He taught economic history at the Sorbonne from 1936. During World War II he joined the French Resistance and was captured and killed by the Germans. Among his major works are The Royal Touch (1924), French Rural History (1931), and Feudal Society (1939). As the founder of the Annales school of historiography, with its wide-ranging, interdisciplinary approach, Bloch exerted a huge influence on the study of history.

Learn more about Bloch, Marc (Léopold Benjamin) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 13, 1890, McKeesport, Pa., U.S.—died Dec. 21, 1980, New York, N.Y.) U.S. playwright, screenwriter, and director. He covered theatrical news as a journalist in Pittsburgh and New York City. He collaborated with George S. Kaufman on the play Dulcy (1921), which they followed with the comedies To the Ladies (1922) and Beggar on Horseback (1924) and the librettos for the musicals Helen of Troy, New York (1923) and Be Yourself (1924). Connelly went on to write Green Pastures (1930, Pulitzer Prize; film, 1936), his best-known work, and The Farmer Takes a Wife (1934; film, 1935).

Learn more about Connelly, Marc(us Cook) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 7, 1887, Vitebsk, Belorussia, Russian Empire—died March 28, 1985, Saint-Paul, Alpes-Maritimes, France) Belarusan French painter, printmaker, and designer. After studying painting in St. Petersburg, he moved to Paris in 1910. During the next four years he mixed with the avant-garde there and created what is often considered his best work in the style he would explore for the next 60 years. Often the principal figure in his fantastical works is the painter himself, and memories of Jewish life and folklore in Belarus and themes from the Bible are main sources of imagery. The often whimsical figurative elements in his works are frequently depicted upside down and distributed on the canvas in an arbitrary fashion. In the 1920s he launched a career in printmaking, producing hundreds of etchings for special editions of books. In 1941 he left for New York City, where he designed sets and costumes for Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird. He later produced stained-glass windows and murals for public buildings in Jerusalem, Paris, and the U.S.

Learn more about Chagall, Marc with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 6, 1886, Lyon, France—died June 16, 1944, near Lyon) French historian. He served in the French infantry in World War I. From 1919 he taught medieval history at the University of Strasbourg, where he cofounded the important periodical Annales d'histoire économique et sociale. He taught economic history at the Sorbonne from 1936. During World War II he joined the French Resistance and was captured and killed by the Germans. Among his major works are The Royal Touch (1924), French Rural History (1931), and Feudal Society (1939). As the founder of the Annales school of historiography, with its wide-ranging, interdisciplinary approach, Bloch exerted a huge influence on the study of history.

Learn more about Bloch, Marc (Léopold Benjamin) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Latin Marcus Antonius

(born circa 83—died August, 30 BC) Roman general. After military service (57–54), he joined the staff of his relative Julius Caesar. He helped Caesar drive Pompey from Italy in 49 and in 44 was made co-consul. After Caesar's assassination, Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) initially opposed Antony but later formed the Second Triumvirate with Antony and Lepidus. Antony helped defeat republican forces at Philippi and took control of Rome's eastern provinces. On a mission to Egypt to question Cleopatra about her loyalty, he became her lover (41–40). He returned to Italy in 40 to settle differences with Octavian, whereupon he received command of the eastern provinces. To strengthen his position, he agreed to marry Octavian's sister Octavia. When relations with Octavian again collapsed, he headed for Syria and sent for Cleopatra for aid. Octavian sent Octavia to him, and, when Antony ordered her back to Rome, a fatal breach opened. The Triumvirate ended in 32, leaving Antony little support in Rome. He divorced Octavia, and Octavian declared war on Cleopatra. Antony lost the Battle of Actium, and he and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, pursued by Octavian. When resistance became futile, they committed suicide.

Learn more about Antony, Mark with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Feb. 8, 1880, Munich, Ger.—killed in action March 4, 1916, near Verdun, France) German painter. His early works were academic, but exposure to Impressionism and Jugendstil lightened his style, and in 1911, with Vasily Kandinsky and other abstract painters, he became a founding member of the Blaue Reiter group. He believed that spiritual essence is best revealed through abstraction and was passionately interested in the art of “primitive” peoples, children, and the mentally ill. His own work consisted primarily of animal studies, since he believed nonhuman forms of life to be the most expressive manifestation of the vital force of nature.

Learn more about Marc, Franz with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born July 7, 1887, Vitebsk, Belorussia, Russian Empire—died March 28, 1985, Saint-Paul, Alpes-Maritimes, France) Belarusan French painter, printmaker, and designer. After studying painting in St. Petersburg, he moved to Paris in 1910. During the next four years he mixed with the avant-garde there and created what is often considered his best work in the style he would explore for the next 60 years. Often the principal figure in his fantastical works is the painter himself, and memories of Jewish life and folklore in Belarus and themes from the Bible are main sources of imagery. The often whimsical figurative elements in his works are frequently depicted upside down and distributed on the canvas in an arbitrary fashion. In the 1920s he launched a career in printmaking, producing hundreds of etchings for special editions of books. In 1941 he left for New York City, where he designed sets and costumes for Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird. He later produced stained-glass windows and murals for public buildings in Jerusalem, Paris, and the U.S.

Learn more about Chagall, Marc with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born April 25, 1769, Hacqueville, France—died Dec. 12, 1849, London, Eng.) French-born British engineer and inventor. He perfected a method for making ships' blocks (pulleys) by mechanical means rather than by hand; the system of 43 machines, run by 10 men, produced blocks superior in quality and consistency to those previously handmade by more than 100 men. This installation was an early example of completely mechanized production (see mechanization). In 1818 he patented the tunneling shield, a device that made safe tunneling through water-bearing strata possible. In 1825 operations began for building the Brunel-designed tunnel under the River Thames, an unprecedented feat completed in 1842. He was the father of I.K. Brunel.

Learn more about Brunel, Sir Marc (Isambard) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643 - February 24, 1704) was a French composer of the Baroque era.

He was a prolific and versatile composer, producing music of the highest quality in several genres. His mastery in the composition of sacred vocal music was recognized and acknowledged by his contemporaries.

Life

Charpentier was born in or near Paris, the son of a master scribe who had very good connections to influential families in the Parlement of Paris. Marc-Antoine received a very good education, perhaps with the help of the Jesuits, and registered for law school in Paris when he was eighteen. He was in Rome, probably between 1667 and 1669, and studied with Giacomo Carissimi. A certain legend claims that Charpentier initially traveled to Rome to study painting before he was discovered by Carissimi. This story is undocumented and possibly untrue. Regardless, he acquired a solid knowledge of the contemporary Italian practice that he brought to France upon his return.

Most likely he worked for Marie de Lorraine, duchesse de Guise on his return to France, as her house composer, until her death in 1688. During this time he composed a considerable quantity of dramatic secular vocal works, as well as Psalm settings, hymns, a Magnificat setting, a mass, and motets, which he called stories and canticum.

Beginning around 1672, he worked with Molière, after Molière's falling out with Jean-Baptiste Lully. During the 1680s Charpentier served as maître de musique at the Jesuits' Paris church of St. Louis. In addition, Charpentier served as the music teacher to Philippe, Duke of Chartres. Charpentier was appointed maître de musique à la Sainte Chapelle in 1698, a post he held until his death in 1704. One of his most famous compositions during his tenure was the Mass "Assumpta Est Maria" (H.11).

Music, style and influence

His compositions include oratorios, masses, operas, and numerous smaller pieces that are difficult to categorize. Many of his smaller works for one or two voices and instruments resemble the Italian cantata of the time, and share most features except for the name: Charpentier calls them air sérieux or air à boire if they are in French, but cantata if they are in Italian.

Modern significance

The prelude to his Te Deum, H. 146, a rondeau, is well-known as the signature tune for the European Broadcasting Union, heard in the opening credits of the Vienna New Year's Concert, the Eurovision Song Contest and other Eurovision events. This theme was also the intro to the Olympiad films of Bud Greenspan.

Charpentier's works

Charpentier's compositions were catalogued by Hugh Wiley Hitchcock in his Les Oeuvres de Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Catalogue Raisonné, (Paris: Picard, 1982); references to works are often accompanied by their H (for Hitchcock) number.

Operas

• Les amours d'Acis et Galatée, Lost, 1678?
• Les arts florissants, H. 487, 1685-6
• La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, H. 488; 1686-7
• Le jugement de Paris, (1690)
• Philomele, Lost, 1690
• Médée, H. 491; 1693

Biblical tragedies

• Celse Martyr, Music lost; P. Bretonneau's libretto published in 1687.
• David et Jonathas, H. 490, 1688. (Libretto by P. Bretonneau.)

Pastorales

• Petite Pastorale Eglogue de Bergers, H. 479; mid-1670s?
• Actéon, H. 481; 1684
• Il faut rire et chanter: Dispute de Bergers, H. 484; 1685
• La Fête de Ruel, H. 485; 1685
• La Couronne de Fleurs, H. 486; 1685
• Le Retour de Printemps, Lost.
• Cupido perfido dentr'al mio cor

Pastoraletta

• Amor Vince Ogni Cosa, H. 492

Incidental Theater Music

• Les Facheux, 1672. Music lost, drama by Molière.
• La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas, H. 494; 1672 (Drama by Molière.)
• Le Médecin malgré lui, music lost, date uncertain. (Drama by Molière)
• L'Inconnu, music lost; 1675 (Drama by Donneau de Visé and Thomas Corneille)
• Circé, H. 496; 1675. (Drama by Thomas Corneille; divertissements by Donneau de Visé.)
• Overture du prologue de l'Inconnu, H. 499; 1679?
• Andromède, H. 504; 1682 (Drama by Pierre Corneille)
• Vénus et Adonis, H. 507; 1685. (Drama by Donneau de Visé.)

Comédies-Ballet

• Le Mariage forcé (1672)
• Le Malade imaginaire (1672)
• Le Sicilien (1679)

Ballets

• Polyeucte, H. 498; 1679.

Divertissements

• Les Plaisirs de Versailles, H. 480; 1682
• Idylle sur le Retour de la Sante du Roi, H. 489; 1686-7

Interludes (Intermèdes)

• Le Triomphe des Dames (1676)
• La Pierre Philosophale (1681)
• Endymion (1681)
• Dialogues d'Angélique et de Médor (1685)

Sonatas

• Sonates à huit

Sacred Music

• Messe, (H. 1)
• Extremum Dei Judicium (H. 401)
• Messe de Minuit pour Noël (H. 9, c. 1690)
• Missa Assumpta est Maria (H. 11, 1698-1702)
• Litanies de la vierge (H. 83, 1683-1685)
• Te Deum (H. 146, c. 1690)
• Dixit Dominus (H. 204)
• In nativitatem Domini canticum (H. 416)
• Noëls (3) (H. 531 c. 1680)
• Noëls pour les instruments (H. 534, c. 1690)
• Precatio pro fillio regis(Offertory) (H. 166)
• Panis quem ego dabo(Elevation) (H. 275)

Media

Bibliography

Biography

• Cessac, Catherine. Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Translated from the French ed. (Paris 1988) by E. Thomas Glasow. Portland (Oregon): Amadeus Press, 1995.
• Ranum, Patricia. Portraits Around Marc-Antoine Charpentier Baltimore: Dux Femina Facti, 2004. ISBN 0-9660997-3-7.

Music History and Theory

• Anthony, James R. French Baroque Music: From Beaujoyeulx to Rameau. Revised and expanded edition. Portland (Oregon): Amadeus Press, 1997.
• Hitchcock, H.W. Les Oeuvres de Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Catalogue Raisonné. Paris: Picard, 1982.
• Thomas, Downing A. Aesthetics of Opera in the Ancien Régime, 1647-1785. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press, 2002.
• Tunley, David. The Eighteenth-Century French Cantata. 2nd edition. Oxford (UK): Clarendon Press Oxford University Press, 1997.

External links

• Charpentier, musicien du Baroque, a site in memory of the 300th anniversary of the composer's death
• 1643: Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Birth Year
• Speculations about the validity of a recently discovered portrait of M.A. Charpentier
• Te Deum's Prelude in houndbite.com