Marin Marais (31 May 1656 – 15 August 1728) was a prominent French composer and virtuoso of the bass viol. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully and learned viol playing from Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe. Marais became a musician at the royal court of Versailles in 1676, rising to the position of ordinaire de la chambre du roi for the viol, a role he held for nearly fifty years. He is known for his influential contributions to French Baroque music and was the father of composer Roland Marais.