Te Deum (Charpentier)

Te Deum
by Marc-Antoine Charpentier
KeyD major
CatalogueH.146
TextTe Deum
LanguageLatin
Composed1692 (1692)
Scoring
  • soloists
  • choir
  • orchestra

Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed six Te Deum settings, but only four of them have survived (H.145, H.146, H.147, H.148). Largely because of the great popularity of its prelude, the best known is the Te Deum in D major, H.146, written as a grand motet for soloists, choir, and instrumental accompaniment probably between 1688 and 1698, during Charpentier's stay at the Jesuit Church of Saint-Louis in Paris, where he held the position of musical director.

It is thought that the composition was performed to mark the victory celebrations and the Battle of Steinkirk in August, 1692.