Appendix A: Major French Clavecinistes

(Unless otherwise specified, it should be assumed the composer lived in Paris or its environs.)

Alphabetical

Chronological by Period of Principal Activity

François d’Agincour (1684-1758); born & lived most of his life in Rouen, student of Le Bègue, in Paris 1701-1706, held post of “Organiste de la Chapelle du Roi” for the Oct.-Dec. quarter beginning in 1714

Jacques Champion de Chambonnières

Jean-Henry d’Anglebert (1629-1691); born in Bar-le-Duc, in Paris by 1659, claveciniste de la Chambre du Roi from c. 1662

Louis Couperin

Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier (1734-1794); born in Abbeville, at Académie des Beaux-Arts de Lyon 1763-83, organist at Notre-Dame de Paris 1783-93 (i.e., during the French Revolution)

Nicolas Le Bègue

Claude-Bénigne Balbastre (1724-1799); born in Dijon, studied under Claude Rameau (brother of Jean-Philippe). had an organist post in St. Étienne in 1743, in Paris by 1750 where he studied under Pierre Février & lived until his death

Jean-Louis Geoffroy

Jean-Baptiste Barrière (1707-1747); a viol player & then a ‘cellist, & wrote mostly for that instrument

Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre

Josse-François-Joseph Benaut (c. 1743-1794); born in Wevelgem, Belgium, in Paris from 1771, guillotined on 13 July 1794

Jean-Henry d’Anglebert

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755); born in Thionville (Lorraine), moved to Metz as a child, then to Perpignan in 1713, & to Paris in 1724

Louis-Nicolas Clérambault

Bernard de Bury (1720-1785); born & died in Versailles

François (ou Charles?) Dieupart

Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (c. 1601/1611-1672)

Louis Marchand

Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676-1749); born in Rouen, in Paris by 1737

Gaspard Le Roux

Michel Corrette (1707-1795); traveled to London

Nicolas Siret

Armand-Louis Couperin (1727-1789); cousin of François

François Couperin

François Couperin, «Le Grand» (1668-1733); “Organiste de la Chapelle du Roi” for the Jan.-Mar. quarter, 1693-1730, & claveciniste de la Chambre du Roi, 1694-1730

Jean-François Dandrieu

Louis Couperin (1626-1661); born in Chaumes-en-Brie, in Paris by 1651, uncle of François

Jean-Philippe Rameau; 18-year gap between 1st & 2nd works

Marc Roger Normand Couperin (1663-1734); cousin of François, born in Turin, educated in France, & later organiste et claveciniste at the court of Savoy in Turin

François d’Agincour

Jean-François Dandrieu (1682-1738); organiste de la Chapelle Royale for 1 quarter of the year from 1721; took over organ post @ St. Merri from Le Bègue in 1700

Marc Roger Normand Couperin

Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772); pupil of Louis Marchand; organist @ the Ste Chapelle from 1706, & @ Notre-Dame from 1755

Jacques Duphly or Du Phly

Charles Demars (1702-1774); lived mostly in Brittany, organist in Vannes from 1728

Louis-Antoine Dornel

François (or Charles?) Dieupart (1667?-1740?); in London at least by 1704, probably by 1700, until his death [point of reference: Handel arrived in London in 1713]

Michel Corrette

Louis-Antoine Dornel (1685-1765); probably taught organ by Le Bègue; took over organ position of François d’Agincourt when the latter left Paris to return to Rouen

Durocher

Dufour (?-1786); little is known about him; he published a book of 42 pièces in 1772 that contains both dance-rhythm & character pieces and a sarabande non-mesuré

Pierre Février

Jacques Duphly (1715-1789); born & lived in Rouen during his early professional years as organist (His sister was also an organist; they shared 1 post); student of d’Agincourt; resigned & moved to Paris in 1742 & died there; worked there as a harpsichord teacher, considered the best of his time; had no aristocratic patron or official position; completely free-lance, perhaps the first ever

Louis-Claude Daquin

Durocher (?-?); little is known about him, but his score is available online

Charles Demars

Jean-Frédéric [Johann Friedrich] Edelmann (1749-1794); born in Strasbourg, in Paris 1774-1789, returned to Strasbourg, governor of the Bas-Rhin département, guillotined in Paris on 17 July 1794 b/c of alleged Jacobin connections

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier

Pierre Février (1696-1760); born in Abbéville (Picardie); in Paris from 1720 where he held a series of organ posts incl. @ the Ste-Chapelle; cousin of Charles Noblet; teacher of Balbastre

Bernard de Bury

Antoine Forqueray (c. 1671-1745); Arranged from Suites for viola da gamba by his son, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Forqueray (1699-1782), also a gamba player, whose wife (m. 1741) was celebrated harpsichordist Marie-Rose Dubois (1717-after 1782)

Jean-Baptiste Barrière

Pierre-Claude Fouquet (1694/5-1772); in 1758, took over as Organiste de la Chapelle Royale from François d’Agincour & took post @ Notre-Dame

Célestin Harst

Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy (1633-1694); birthplace unknown, student of Le Bègue, career in Paris; last 4 years in Perpignan

Joseph Nicolas Pancrace Royer

Jean-Adam Guilain [Johann Adam Wilhelm Friensberg] (1680-1739) ; born in Germany, in Paris from 1702 until his death

Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Forqueray

Célestin Harst (1698-1778); born in Sélestat (Alsace), a Roman Catholic priest, prior of Ebersmunster Abbey

Jean-Adam Guilain

Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729); kept her maiden name & was sometimes referred to by it even after marrying Marin de la Guerre, who was an organist

Philippe-François Véras

Pierre-Jean Lambert (?-?)

Pierre-Jean Lambert

Nicolas Le Bègue (1631-1702); born in Laon, in Paris by 1656, organist @ St. Merri, & Organiste de la Chapelle Royale for the Oct.-Dec. quarter from 1678

Pierre-Claude Fouquet

Gaspard Le Roux (1660-1707); birthplace unknown, active in Paris

Armand-Louis Couperin

Joseph Marchand (?-?); little is known about him

Christophe Moyreau

Louis Marchand (1669-1732); born in Lyon, active in Nevers & Auxerre before settling in Paris by 1689

Claude-Bénigne Balbastre (10-year gap between 1st & 2nd books

Christophe Moyreau (1700-1774); in Orléans from 1732

Charles Noblet

Charles Noblet (1715-1769) born in Abbéville (Picardie); in Paris from 1737; from 1739 claveciniste of the Opéra royal (neither the location nor the building , the Palais Garnier, we know today; it was a rectangular hall in the Palais royal, which had been Richelieu’s home, across from the Louvre on today’s rue de Rivoli); cousin of Pierre Février

Jean-Baptiste Parent

Jean-Baptiste Parent (?-?); little is known about him

Joseph Marchand

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764); born in Dijon, in Italy for a brief time in 1701, then in Avignon & Clermont-Ferrand, & in Paris by 1706

Simon Simon

Joseph Nicolas Pancrace Royer (1705-1755); born in Turin where he studied with Marc Roger Normand Couperin, in Paris by 1725; director of the Opéra royal from 1754 until his death

Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier

Simon Simon (c. 1735-c. 1780); little is known about him

Dufour

Nicolas Siret (1663-1754); lived his entire life in Troyes, but knew François Couperin well

Josse-François Joseph Benaut

Jean-François Tapray (1737/8-1810/19); born in Nomeny (Lorraine), lived in Dole & Besançon, in Paris 1783-1786, died in Fontainebleau

Jean-François Tapray

Philippe-François Véras (?-?); lived his entire life, about which little is known, in Lille (Picardie)

Jean-François Édelman

Of these, only François Couperin wrote primarily music for the harpsichord, part of the reason, along with the number of pièces, the innovations he brought to the genre, and his reputation as a performer, for his being called “le Grand.”

Other organists are known to have also written pièces de clavecin, because there are references to them in documents, but they were apparently never published and no manuscripts have yet turned up containing them. This does not mean that they will not ultimately be discovered. Others, like Dufour’s, await printed modern editions or facsimile publication.

Appendix B: Clavecinistes’ Compositional Output

Composer

# of Books w/ dates

# of suites

Total # of pieces

Notes

d’Agincour

1: 1733

4 Ordres

43 (+ 2 if doubles counted separately)

Ordres by key signature, mostly character/genre pieces, dance rhythm occasionally named

d’Anglebert

1: 1689 (reissued 1704)

4

66

Incl. several transcriptions for harpsichord of works by Jean-Baptiste Lully, & also incl. 8 fugues for organ; + c. 35 pièces found in manuscripts, incl. transcriptions of works written for lute

Balbastre

2: 1749; 1759

0

27 (+ ?); 17

Pièces presented as collections, not suites; 1749 Livre contenant des pièces de différent genre d’orgue et de clavecin has 27 pièces specifically for clavecin, incl. 6 Scarlatti-type sonatas; some others may be suitable for either instrument

Barrière

1: c. 1740/7

6 sonatas w/ 3-5 (mostly 4) mvmts

6 separate printed @ end

Some sonata movements have dance rhythm names and are airs that could perhaps be played independently, scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Beauvarlet-Charpentier

1: c. 1770, Op. 1

2

16

Nearly all character/genre pieces

Benaut

1: 1773

0; only sonatas

0

Specified “pour le clavecin ou le pianoforte”

Boismortier

1: 1736

4

18

Primarily a composer of music for winds, esp. flute (his instrument)

Bury

1: 1736

4

21

All character/genre pièces exc. concluding Chaconne

Chambonnières

2: 1670, c. 1672?

0

61 published;

142 total

Pièces presented as collections, arranged by key signature; many in manuscripts

Clérambault

1: 1704

2

16 + 1

1 single separately published pièce

Corrette

1: 1734, Op. 12

4

30

Premier Livre; no 2nd ever pub.; mostly character/genre pièces

Couperin, Armand-Louis

1: 1751

0

28

Pièces presented as a collection, not suites

Couperin, François

4: 1707, 1716/17, 1723, 1727 (pub. 1730)

27 Ordres

234

Incl. the 9 pièces of L’Art de Toucher…, a few for 2 harpsichords; also wrote solo harpsichord versions of the 4 Concerts Royaux, Les [4] Nations, & Les [2] Apothéoses

Couperin, Louis

0; all pièces are in manuscripts

0

138: 134 in Bauyn manuscript + 4 in Parville

A few pièces published individually in group publications; none arranged in suites

Couperin, Marc Roger Normand

1: c. 1695

0

57

Pièces presented as a collection, not suites

Dandrieu

3: 1718-24, 1728, 1734

0

150

Pièces presented as collections, not suites

Daquin

1: 1735

4;

labeled

Livres

28

Pièces presented as collections, not suites

His Noëls for organ are also indicated as suitable for harpsichord performance

Demars

1: 1735

4

22

No character/genre pièces, unusual for this late date

Dieupart

1: [1701]

6

42

Published without a date; date determined from a Nov. 1701 advertisement; re-issued 1704 w/ score arr. by composer for performance by flute or violin & continuo by viola da gamba or archlute

Dornel

1: 1731

5

34 + 1

Last pièce is 8-mvmt “Concert Calotin” arranged for keyboard; scores available online

Dufour

1: 1772

?

42

No further information; scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Duphly

4: 1744, 1748, 1756, 1768

0

46, some in Bk 4 w/ 2 or more parts for other add’l instruments

Pièces presented as a collection, not suites

Durocher

1:1733

1

10

Incl. 1 prélude non-mesuré & several pieces w/ “variation(s)”

Edelmann

7: 1775, Opp. 1, 2, & 8, 1777, Op. 5, 1778, Op. 6, 1779, Op. 7, 1782, Op. 10

0; only sonatas

0

28 sonatas total; most Opp. were dedicated to his female pupils, suggesting they were written for harpsichord b/c the nobility had not yet begun to acquire pianofortes. A few mvmts are character/genre pièces or have dance rhythm names not generally found in sonatas, further evidence that the harpsichord was the intended instrument. Mozart was familiar with his works, and played some when he was in Paris in 1777; they bring those of WAM (1756-1791) to mind.

Février

2: 1734, c. 1740

6

31

2 stes open w/ fugues, a rare instance of this in the entire literature; mostly character/genre, w/ a few dance rhythm pièces; some experimentation w/ rhythms, incl. some syncopation, & some charming, captivating melodies different from others’; some original & unusual mood/style indications for execution

Forqueray, Antoine/Jean-Baptiste-Antoine

1: 1747

5

33

Pièces de Viole Composées Par Mr Forqueray Le Père Mises en Pièces de Clavecin Par Mr Forqueray Le Fils; pub. the same year & by the same printer as the Pièces de Viole themselves, also ed. by J-B-AF; 3 pièces are original; works are mostly in the middle & lower registers of the keyboard, unusual for the genre

Fouquet

3: 1749, 1751 (2)

0

35

Pièces presented as collections, not suites, mixture of dance rhythm & character/genre pièces; scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Geoffroy

0; all pièces are in manuscripts, most in a single one, not autograph, in the BNF, Rés. 475, dated c. 1690

19, + numerous pièces in sets by key signature

217 + 38 transpo-sitions

pièces grouped by key signature; systematically explore all major & minor keys, incl. some in which no other claveciniste wrote

Guilain

1: 1739

0

26

Pièces presented as a collection, not suites

Harst

1: 1745

0

?

Pièces presented as a collection, not suites

Jacquet de la Guerre

2: 1684, 1707.

0

43

Pièces grouped by key signature; 1707 book labeled “Qui peuvent se jouer sur le viollon” and also incl. sonatas w/ violin that could also be purchased separately; mostly dance rhythm w/ a couple character/genre pièces

Lambert

1: 1749

0

14

Mixture of dance rhythm & character/genre pièces, scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Le Bègue

2: 1677, 1687

13

102

Some additional pièces in manuscript form and in books of music primarily for organ

Le Roux

1: 1705

7

42

Arranged by key signature; last 6 pièces for 2 harpsichords, but preface says all are more effective if played on 2; also wrote separate high & low parts for playing all the pièces en concert with other instruments

Marchand, Joseph

1: 1768

0

16

Italian rhythm/tempo names; scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Marchand, Louis

2: 1699, 1702

2

17 + 3

3 separate pièces; many other works lost

Moyreau

6: 1753

0; labeled Oeuvres (= Op.)

209

Pièces presented as collections, not suites; titles are more diverse than those of any other composer, & incl. “ouverture,” 4 “concertos,” 4 “sonates”, & 6 “symphonies” (Bk 6), all w/ multiple mvmts, most often 3; most character/genre pieces have masculine gender titles; 1 pièce is for organ & harpsichord together; scores (Bks 1-5) available online

Noblet

1: 1756

2

13

All but 1 are character/genre pièces, most relatively long w/ lush, rich harmonies, a meager but brilliant output; also incl. 3 3-mvmt sonatas w/ violin

Parent

1: 1762

0

16

Mostly character/genre pièces; scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Rameau

3: 1706, 1724, 1728

0

44, + 2

Pièces presented as collections, not suites; 2 pièces published independently; 4 of the 1741 Pièces de clavecin en concert are for solo harpsichord; also a 1735 solo harpsichord version of the orchestral music of Les Indes galantes; all these (except 1 pièce published separately that had not yet been discovered in 1978) are included in Gilbert’s edition

Royer

1: 1746

0

13

Pièces presented as a collection, not suites

Simon

3: 1761, 1770 (2)

0

25

Some pièces w/ violin, Bks 2 & 3 are sonatas & “concertos” w/ violin; scores not available as ed. or facsimile

Siret

2: 1707?, 1719

6

49

Book 1 dedicated to François Couperin

Tapray

5: 1773, Op. 4, 1780, Op. 11, 1784, Op. 17, 1785, Op. 22, 17??, Op. 28

0; only sonatas

0

16 sonatas total, all but 6 (Op. 25, below) specified “pour le clavecin ou le pianoforte,” + 21 w/ violin(s) “ad libitum“: Opp. 1 & 2 (1770), Op. 16 (1784), Op. 14 (1788), & Op. 25 (1789) , & Op. 29 (1899) 1 sonata for pianoforte 4-hands

Véras

1: 1740

4 Ordres

22

All character/genre pièces, scores not available as ed. or facsimile; 2nd book mentioned, but no copy yet found

For part five (of five parts), click here.