Biography
French/Belgian organist and harpsichordist Du Mont produced works spanning masses, motets, allemandes, songs, preludes, and additional organ compositions. As a late contemporary of Lalande—whose earliest efforts overlapped with Du Mont’s final output—Lully, and Robert, he drew frequent comparisons both then and later. The grand motets created by these three figures established the royal template that later motet composers followed. In 1660, his skill and background secured the post of organist to Queen Marie-Thérèse, after which the bulk of his output took shape. The stylistic range matched the variety of genres he tackled. Shorter forms revealed his particular strength, allowing intimate melodic lines to unfold over a sustained bass; he claimed credit for bringing the basso continuo into French music. In works scored for orchestra, especially the grand motets, he attained a degree of part independence that surpassed the achievements of Robert and Lully. Several motets incorporated dialogues among characters representing God, angels, and sinners, a technique that foreshadowed the oratorio’s later emergence.