(E-les-a-bet’ Klod Zha-ka’ de la Gâr) 1665–1729
French composer and harpsichordist

Jacquet de la Guerre was a child prodigy. The daughter of an organ builder, she was described by the Mercure Galant in 1678 as la merveille de notre siècle (‘the marvel of our century’). After performing for Louis XIV, she was taken to live at Versailles, where her education was supervised by his mistress Madame de Montespan. She married the organist Marin de la Guerre and continued to perform and compose throughout her life. Jacquet de la Guerre’s earliest published work was a collection of sparkling harpsichord pieces (1687). Two years earlier she had written the ballet Les jeux à l’honneur de la victoire (‘Games of Honour and Victory’), dedicated to the king. Her other large-scale dramatic work, the five-act opera Céphale et Procris, received its premiere in 1694. A second set of harpsichord pieces was published in 1707 and her other music includes songs, violin sonatas, trio sonata and three volumes of cantatas.

Recommended Recording:
Sonatas, Trio Sonatas, Camerata Moderna (MDG)

Introduction | Late Baroque | Classical
Personalities | Reinhard Keiser | Late Baroque | Classical