Jacquet de la Guerre: Works for Harpsichord

Description

Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665–1729) holds a distinguished place in music history as the first woman in France to publish music. Celebrated as a child prodigy and later acclaimed as a virtuoso harpsichordist, her output includes several vocal and instrumental works, among which are two books for the harpsichord published in 1687 and 1707. The earlier collection features four suites, while the 1707 book, though modest in contents, showcases Jacquet's mature assimilation of the Italian style popular among early eighteenth-century French composers and audiences.

Long believed lost, the 1687 collection has recently resurfaced in two extant copies, the latter of which contains several critical emendations, which this new Lyrebird Music edition incorporates. The prefatory material explores Jacquet de la Guerre's life, publications, and performance practice, while the commentary offers insights into the stylistic interpretation of individual pieces.