Very little is known about Charpentier's life (1643-1704). The main source of information is an obscure rival composer named de Brossard. According to de Brossard, Charpentier was originally from Paris but studied music in Rome under the composer Carissimi. In 1696 he beat out de Brossard for the post of choirmaster at the Sainte Chapelle Cathedral in Paris, where he remained until his death in 1704. As Goebels writes in the album liner notes, there are several reasons for Charpentier's neglect as a composer. First, he has traditionally been relegated to that band of other composers who were "Lully's imitators". Secondly, his music is "not easy listening, being neither instantly memorable nor readily digestible. Rather it is highly demanding and not always accessible to every listener from the outset." However, it is related that even de Brossard paid tribute to him, praising him as the "most profound and learned of modern composers."