, first half of the 19th century. Nivers was born into a prosperous Parisian family: his father was a
fermier générale (tax collector) for the bishop. Little is known of his early years or his musical training; only that he may have received a degree from the
University of Paris. In the early 1650s, Nivers became organist of
Saint-Sulpice, a post he retained until 1702. In 1668 the composer married; he had one son. Nivers's subsequent career was illustrious. On 19 June 1678 he was appointed one of the four organists of the
Chapelle Royale—an ensemble who performed sacred music for
Louis XIV, the others being
Nicolas Lebègue,
Jacques Thomelin and
Jean-Baptiste Buterne. Nivers resigned late in life, in 1708, and was succeeded by
Louis Marchand. This prestigious appointment was followed by another in 1681, when he succeeded
Henri Dumont as master of music to the queen,
Maria Theresa of Spain. Finally, in 1686 Nivers was in charge of the music at the
Maison Royale de Saint-Louis in
Saint-Cyr-l'École—a convent school for young ladies who were poor but of noble birth. Nivers apparently had difficulties with the founder of the school,
Madame de Maintenon, but retained the post until his death. His colleagues at St Cyr were
Jean-Baptiste Moreau, who had worked there since the school's inception, and possibly
Louis-Nicolas Clérambault, who may have helped Nivers from about 1710 until the latter's death in 1714. Clérambault succeeded Nivers both at St Sulpice and St Cyr. During his lifetime, Nivers was highly regarded not only as organist and composer but also as a music theorist. His treatise on composition (
Traité de la composition de musique, 1667) was well known outside France and endured into the 18th century. His work in the field of
Gregorian chant resulted in influential editions of liturgical music (including an edition of
Missa cunctipotens genitor Deus, which most French organ composers used as a model for their mass settings) and helped the Catholic
Counter-Reformation. ==Work==