Jean-Baptiste Morin

Who was Jean-Baptiste Morin?

Jean-Baptiste Morin was a French composer and the Ordinaire de la Musique to Philippe, Duke of Orléans before and perhaps during his regency. From 1719 to 1731 Morin was Maître de musique of Louise Adélaïde d'Orléans, daughter of the Duke, at the royal abbey of Chelles, near Paris.

Morin was born in Orléans. He penned numerous works, including most famously a set of cantatas. These provided a fusion of a French with the Italian style then popular at the Regent's court. Morin noted in the preface to the 1706 edition his efforts "to retain the sweetness of the French style of melody, but with greater variety in the accompaniments, and employing those tempos and modulations characteristic of the Italian cantata." Morin dedicated the volume to his royal sponsor.

He published also two famous books of Motets and a Processional for Chelles.

His divertissement La Chasse du cerf provides the hunting call motif that Haydn later employed in his Symphony no. 73. Morin died in Paris in 1745.