Giroust revived the motet in France during the pre-Revolutionary days and also wrote numerous patriotic songs during the First Republic. He held positions with Orleans Cathedral and Saints-Innocent in Paris (master of music). His "Missa brevis" was performed at the coronation of Louis XVI but even with this acclaim he did not find himself without some financial straights. The `grands motets' were his compositional forte and in his "Analyse des motets de M. Giroust" he discussed the reasons for re-arranging music for the old texts. The treatise was primarily a set of textual translations. "Super flumina Babylonis," like most of his motets, contained descriptive musical passages; most of his works did not contain consistent key scenarios. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi