Dornel: Six Suittes en Trio

Little is known about the French composer Louis-Antoine Dornel, who occupied several posts in Paris as an organist and as maître de musique. The few works that survive from Dornel’s entire output testify to a seemingly talented and inventive composer eager to try the latest musical fashions. The Six Suittes en Trio consist of a number of dances all written in the same key and intended to be performed as a unit. The music is remarkably varied, from the majestic opening sections of the Ouvertures and the intensely expressive Préludes to the fast and light Rigodons.