Les Folies d'Espagne

Marin Marais (1656 - 1728), solo gamba player in the "Royal Chamber Orchestra" and director of the opera orchestra at the court of Louis XIV, was highly successful as a composer mainly through his operas and his chamber music. The second of his five books of instruction for one or two gambas and b.c., "Second Livre de pièces de Viole", containing this variation piece "Les Folies d'Espagne", appeared in 1701. Marais studied composition with Lully, but developed richer harmonics than his teacher. In addition to this, both the solo part and the basso continuo in his folia variations are exceptionally lively and the piece is characterized by a wide tonal range and some wide and occassionally bizarre leaps.