A facade grey washed-out 1960s, in the face of the quadrilateral Richelieu. It is behind these walls, known to scholars under the name of the site Louvois, that hide the “musical treasures” from the national Library of France. In the middle of hundreds of thousands of scores stored in the 140,000 manuscripts. Of which 40.000 before the Nineteenth century! Of the corpus related to, or in the form of leaflets flying of inestimable value, of which Mathias Auclair – director of the music department of the BnF – has agreed to show us as exceptional gems. Selected pieces.

• Bach: Cantate BWV 116

It is the only complete autograph of the cantor of Leipzig held by the BnF. Difficult to contain his admiration for the traits sharp that dot the eight pages of parchment. Composed in 1724, the sacred cantata, the text of which (“Du FriedefĂĽrst, Herr Jesu Christ”, “You, Lord Jesus Christ, the prince of peace”) seems to be almost indecipherable, bears the mark of …

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