A new recording, unique in the catalog, of the first (and only surviving) book of keyboard works by Charles De Mars (1702-1774).

Compared to many other composers of his time, we know very little about the life of de Mars (also known as Demars). It is therefore all the more surprising that this collection contains all of his surviving music. He was born the son of a wax merchant in Sézanne, a small town on the border between the French regions of Brie and Champagne. Several of his relatives were musicians, particularly organists, like his two brothers.

In fact, more than twelve members of the De Mars / Tourneur dynasty can be traced as organists throughout France. It is curious, however, that none of their compositions have survived, although they, like Charles de Mars, must have written music for their offices. The harmonies of the four suites in De Mars' volume, which was published in 1735, have a Handelian touch and could therefore have been written in the style of the older composer's Eight Great Suites for harpsichord. Many features of the volume make it a unique work in the French harpsichord tradition.

De Mars dispenses with descriptive titles for individual movements and occasionally instructs the performer to play with "notes égales", i.e. expressly not in the inégale style that we associate with French keyboard composers of the time.

As a specialist in this field of unknown 17th and 18th century keyboard repertoire, who already has an impressive catalog of albums on Brilliant Classics, Simone Pierini has researched the life and work of De Mars himself and written an authoritative booklet essay for his new recording of the Pièces de Clavecin. The Fanfare reviewer of his 3-CD album of piano sonatas by Hélène de Montgeroult described it as "a significant addition to the catalog" and remarked that Pierini plays "with enormous energy and conviction".

- The Pièces de clavecin by Charles de Mars (1707-1774) are part of the rich tradition of French baroque harpsichord music. Although de Mars, a composer who largely stood in the shadow of greats such as François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau, he nevertheless left his mark on the genre with his unmistakable style, which is characterized by elegant ornamentation and a refined sense of harmony.

- De Mars' harpsichord works are imbued with the galant aesthetic and combine the ornate Baroque style with the more expressive and accessible characteristics of the early Classical period. His music often contains dance forms such as the allemande, courante and sarabande, which were of central importance to the French clavecinists.

- One of the hallmarks of his Pièces de clavecin is his innovative use of ornaments, known as agréments, which lend the melodies a shimmering quality. These works also reflect de Mars' ability to evoke character and mood, making them miniature portraits of the 18th century French musical ethos.

- Played by Simone Pierini on a harpsichord by Giulio Fratini after M. Mietke, 2014. Pierini was born in Rome in 1996 and began studying music at the age of eight. At the age of 18, he completed his piano studies at the S. Cecilia Conservatory in Rome with distinction. He then became interested in historically informed piano playing and attended master classes with Alexei Lubimov, Andreas Staier, Tobias Koch and Stefano Fiuzzi. Subsequently, his interest in historical keyboard instruments in general continued to grow and he began to study harpsichord and basso continuo with teachers such as Andrea Coen and Giovanni Togni. His recordings of music by Cherubini and the complete piano sonatas of Hélène de Montgeroult were very well received by the press. Classic FM nominated him as one of the 30 best musicians under 30 in 2024.