Élisabeth Jacquet (1665-1729) was born in a well-to-do family of musicians and instrument makers in Paris. She spent her early years as a child prodigy at the court of Louis XIV. Subsequently, she established herself as one of the most important concert artists and teachers of
music in Paris, and became one of the most important French composers
alongside Jean-Baptiste Lully. Excellent composer and harpsichordist, she was the daughter of organist and maître de clavecin Claude Jacquet.
De la Guerre, in addition to being one of the most important women composers before 1800, is one of the leading composers of the reign of Louis XIV; as a 10-year-old prodigy, she could already read the most difficult music from sheet, accompany herself on the harpsichord, and transpose in any key she was told. She was given room to develop her musical talent by influential people such as the Madame de Montespan and Madame de Maintenon. This allowed her to be at court and become one of the most important French composers alongside Jean-Baptiste Lully. Many of her compositions De la Guerre dedicated to Louis XIV. During her lifetime, de la Guerre was a celebrity, and her salon concerts and public recitals were praised in magazines. De la Guerre composed in various genres: opera, ballet, cantatas.
In 1684 Élisabeth Jacquet married the organist Martin de la Guerre, from a distinguished dynasty of musicians, and the next year had a small opera-ballet performed in the apartments of the Dauphin. In 1687 she published her first collection of harpsichord works (followed by a second collection in 1707) and in 1694 her opera Céphale et Procris was performed - the first opera written by a woman in France, but due to the complex libretto it was not very successful. She therefore abandoned dramatic music and focused on composing sonatas, a new and popular emerging genre. While De la Guerre was faithful to the Lully tradition, she was also sensitive to the Italian style of Corelli, which developed in France around 1700.
Her sonatas are considered triumphs of the genre. This is due to her development of the role for violin and the way she blended French traditions with Italian innovations. After her death, her genius in compositions, her creativity in vocal and instrumental music, and her variety of genres have been acknowledged. Her life and career success show that she was given a rare opportunity to succeed as a woman composer, and show that she took full advantage of it.
We have four trio sonatas by Jacquet de la Guerre, which were probably composed not too long before 1695. Note the expressive opening movements, as well as the incisive rhythms and the fugal sections of the fast movements. The French aesthetic is honored in the dances featured in some of the sonatas. The Trio Sonata No 2 in B-flat Major is played by Adriane Post and Boel Gidholm, violins; Lisa Terry, viola da gamba; Naomi Gregory, harpsichord; and Deborah Fox, theorbo.
Women Composers Index