More Eighteenth Century French Composers, Vol. XIV

By Daniel Zimmermann

Included are the lives and works of the following composers: Michel Blavet, Jean Baptiste Masse, Jean-Pierre Guignon, Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, Louis Archimbaud, Nicolas Chédeville, Michel Corrette, Jean-Baptiste Barrière, Jean-Baptiste Buterne, Charles Buterne, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Antoine Dauvergne, Jacques Duphly, Christophe Le Menu de Saint-Philbert, Pietro Denis, Claude-Bénigne Balbastre, François-André Danican Philidor, André Danican Philidor, Pierre-Montan Berton, Henri-Montan Berton, François Martin, Armand-Louis Couperin, Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, Jean-Baptiste Nôtre, Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Charpentier, Jacques-Marie Charpentier, François-Joseph Gossec, Jean-Baptiste Rey, Pierre Vachon, Joseph Pouteau de Forqueray, Guillaume Lasceux, Alexandro Marie Antoin Fridzeri, François Hippolyte Barthélemon, Honoré François Marie Langlé, Henri-Joseph Rigel, Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, Simon Le Duc, Pierre Le Duc, Jean-Baptiste Davaux, Nicolas-Jean Lefroid de Méreaux, Joseph-Nicolas Lefroid de Méreaux, Nicolas Séjan, Louis-Nicolas Séjan, Giuseppe Maria Gioacchino Cambini, Étienne-Joseph Floquet, Jean-Louis Duport, Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, and Johann Schobert.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Zimmermann
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005693527

Daniel Zimmermann

Daniel Zimmermann was born in Merrill, Wisconsin, and grew up in Hustisford, Wisconsin. He was graduated as valedictorian from Northwestern College, Watertown, Wisconsin. His valedictory concerned the ancient philosopher Plotinus. Special honors were third place in an Eta Sigma Phi Greek composition contest and the Doctor Ott award. He was also graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. After serving as pastor for several years, he became a free lance writer. Because of the outstanding success of his Spanish poetry in Mexico, his biography was included in Who's Who in the Midwest. He is also a former member of American Mensa. He is married to Merian, nee Ecot. The couple is residing in the Philippines. Daniel Zimmermann is the author of short stories and poetry. He also writes non-fiction, especially on literature, history, Christianity, and botany.

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Table of Contents

More Eighteenth Century French Composers, Vol. XIV

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

More Eighteenth Century French Composers, Vol. XIV

By Daniel Zimmermann

Copyright by Daniel Zimmermann

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Chapter 1

Composers Born before 1720

Michel Blavet (1700-1768)

Blavet was born in Besançon, a city in eastern France about ninety-four kilometers east of Dijon.

You might call him a jack of all musical trades, since he learned how to play many different instruments. But his specialty was the transverse flute. Because of his outstanding ability, he eventually became the principal flute player in the Musique du Roi, the private ensemble of King Louis XV.

He also enjoyed other positions during the course of his fairly long life. For example, he played in the Concert Spirituel, and he served as the steward of music of Louis, the Count of  Clermont.

He undoubtedly spent a lot of time at Versailles, but he died in Paris.

One of his flute concertos is extent, to wit, his Concerto in a minor for Flute, 2 Violins and BC. Likewise, one of his operas survives, a comic opera entitled Le jaloux corrigé. Both may be heard online.

Time has been kinder to his flute sonatas. We may enjoy twelve of them.

Older French sonatas were collections of dances more aptly called suites. Blavet gradually abandoned this type of sonata. His later sonatas often had only three or four movements, not dance movements but merely tempo designations. For example, one of his opus three flute sonatas had the following movements: Largo, Allegro, Andante Affettuoso, and Allegro.

Jean Baptiste Masse (c.1700-c.1757)

Masse played in the orchestra of the Comédie Française, a theater founded in 1680 by King Louis XIV. It was located in Paris.

Masse also worked for the French king as an Ordinaire de la Chambre du Roi, and as a member of Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi.

His specialty was the cello. He wrote five books of chamber sonatas, in two of which the preferred instrumentation was a pair of unaccompanied cellos. Similarly, he composed a suite of minuets for two cellos.

Jean-Pierre Guignon (1702-1774)

Guignon was born in Turin, which belonged to the Duke of Savoy at that time. While in his native city, Giovanni Battista Somis was his music teacher.

He moved to Paris. In 1730 he started working for Victor Amadeus I, the Prince of Carignano, who was living in Paris. Three years later, the queen gave him additional work in the Chapelle Royale. He retained this latter position till 1762, when he retired with a pension.

In 1741 he became a French citizen. He also received the title Royal Maître des Ménétiers, so that he henceforth supervised the singers and dancers of the kingdom.

He died at Versailles.

Since he played the violin, he composed violin concertos, and his chamber music usually called for one or two violins, though he also wrote a sonata for two cellos. In addition, he composed some flute music, such as a Sonata in A major for Flute and Basso Continuo.

There are online recordings of some of his violin music, including his version of Les Folies d’Espagne. Two violinists play this composition.

Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (1703-1755)

Royer was born in Turin, but moved to the French capital in his early twenties. By this time he had learned to play the harpsichord and the organ.

In 1734 he was entrusted with the musical education of the children of King Louis XV.

In 1748 he became director of