Born in
Boulbon near
Arles, Guillaume Poitevin was to son Roc Poitevin, a merchant who owned a
butcher shop. He was trained as a
boy soprano in the choir of
Church of St. Trophime, Arles. He was singing at that church when
Louis XIV visited Arles in 1660. Poitevin was also a
wind instrument player who was gifted at playing the
serpent, an early instrument in the
brass family. His skills on this instrument earned his a position at the
Aix Cathedral where he began working on November 17, 1663. He devoted himself to religious life, receiving the
tonsure on March 8, 1665. He was ordained as a priest on April 2, 1672 and was made a
prebendary at the Aix Cathedral on May 14, 1677. Poitevin worked as the
maître de chapelle of the Aix Cathedral intermittently during his years of service at that church. He was a gifted teacher, and many of his pupil's in cathedral's choir went on to successful careers as musicians. He was first appointed to the post of maître de chapelle on April 23, 1667 and remained in that role until July 1680 when he requested reassignment. After nearly five years of absence from that post, he returned the role in January 1685 and continued to serve in that capacity until May 1693 when he reached his thirty year service mark and the regulations of the church mandated he must retire. His pupil
Jean Gilles succeeded him at this time. Gilles was in turn succeeded by another of Poitevan's pupils, Jacques Cabassole. Poitevin returned to the post of maître de chapelle for a third time in that role in May 1698 at the request of. This time, he remained the maître de chapelle until his sudden death at the Aix Cathedral on January 26, 1706 at the age of 59. Other musicians who were trained by him included
André Campra, François Estienne, Claude Mathieu Pelegrin, Laurent Belissen, and Antoine Blanchard. == Discography ==