Gilles - Requiem

Jean Gilles, born in Avignon in 1668, enrolled in the cathedral school in Aix-en-Provence. Under the tutelage of Guillaume Poitevin, who nurtured his unmistakable talents, he was introduced to the composer André Campra, eight years his senior. It is Campra who would play such an important part in the survival of his younger colleague’s Requiem by taking it to Paris and performing at the Concert Spirituel. In 1697, Gilles was appointed as master of music at the cathedral of Toulouse and seemed set for a successful career. Tragically, though, the ill health which had dogged him since childhood claimed him at the age of 37 in 1705.