Jacques Duphly
Encyclopedia
Jacques Duphly was a French
harpsichord
ist and organist, and the composer of bright, lively, and attractive keyboard music.
, France, the son of Jacques-Agathe Duphly and Marie-Louise Boivin. As a boy, he studied the harpsichord and organ
, and was employed as organist at the cathedral in Évreux
.
His teacher was François d'Agincourt
.
On 11 September 1734 'le sieur Dufliq, organist of the cathedral of Évreux' applied for a position at the church at St. Eloi; the register goes on to make clear that he had been trained by Dagincourt at Rouen, went to Évreux (c. 1732) for what must have been his first appointment (he was only 19 when he resigned from it) and returned to his native parish. His tenure at St Eloi began inauspiciously since the old man he was replacing did not take kindly to this personnel decision, and locked the organ loft before he left and threw away the key, but the church quickly changed the locks. To St Eloi he added Notre Dame de la Ronde in 1740, his sister Marie-Anne-Agathe sometimes substituting for him when duties conflicted. He left both appointments in 1742 and moved to Paris. According to the clerk of St Eloi, it was affairs that drew him there, but other reports suggest that it was the realization that he would do better as a specialist of the harpsichord in Paris than as an organist in Rouen. Therefore in 1742 he settled in Paris, making his name as a harpsichordist, teacher and composer. He was praised for his light touch and a great ability to bring out the character of the pieces. In 1742, after the death of his father, Duphly moved to Paris
, where he became famous as a performer and teacher. He was considered by Pascal Taskin
, the harpsichord maker, to be one of the best teachers in Paris.
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
remarked (in 1754) that Duphly, a pupil of Dagincourt, plays the harpsichord only, in order, as he says, "not to spoil his hand with the organ. He lives in Paris, where he instructs the leading families." His reputation seems to have reached its peak in the 1750s and 60s. Marpurg's ‘Raccolta delle piu nuove composizioni di clavicembalo, ii’ (1757), contains a pair of rondeaux from Duphly's first book. In 1764 Walsh brought out an edition of his second book; in 1765 the 20-year-old Richard Fitzwilliam was studying with him. That year Pascal Taskin, the harpsichord maker, reckoned 'Dufly' among the best teachers in Paris, along with Armand-Louis Couperin, Balbastre and Le Grand. The article on fingering in Rousseau's Dictionnaire (1768) contains rules which the author presents 'with confidence, because I have them from M Duphli, excellent harpsichord teacher who possesses above all perfection in fingering' (though either Duphly or Rousseau overlooked the fact that these 'rules' were lifted word for word from Rameau's, in his Pieces de clavecin of 1724). The titles and dedications of Duphly pieces show him to have been a part of the inner circle of professional and aristocratic connoisseurs; yet he seems to have been unambitious and content with a simple and modest life of teaching and playing.
Rousseau asked him to contribute to his dictionary, for articles relating to the art of playing the harpsichord.
He apparently never married, and when he died, no heirs appeared; even his sister could not be located. He died on July 15, 1789, the day after the storming of the Bastille
, in an apartment in the Hôtel de Juigné, lonely, forgotten, with his library - and without a harpsichord. The mystery could possibly be clarified by this fact: in 1785, Antoine de Sartine
, ex-chief of Police, and ex-minister of the Navy, lived at the same address.
Duphly left his possessions to his servant, who was with him for 30 years. But his will and the inventory of his effects show that he had been living in modest comfort in his small apartment. His dedication of his last pieces to the Marchioness of Juigne, 21 years before, did not exempt him from paying 300 livres a year for rent.
Dagincourt may have been Duphly's teacher, but Rameau's harpsichord music served as Duphly's chief model. Rameau's shadow falls on themes (the courante La Boucon in book 1 begins like Rameau's E minor courante, transformed in metre) and on whole pieces (Les colombes in book 2 -- which D'Aquin must have meant when he said of Duphly's music: 'On connait les tourterelles, qui affectent le coeur' -- is almost a condensed paraphrase of La timide from Rameau's Pieces de clavecin en concerts, 1741). Scarlatti's fast 3/8 sonatas have their echo in La De Caze (book 2) and La De la Tour (book 3), and Dagincourt (or Couperin, whom Dagincourt imitated) can be felt in a rondeau in C (book 1) and La De Brissac (book 2), among other pieces.
Book 3 mixes solos and two sonata-like groups with violin accompaniment; the latter are singularly unimaginative in their use of the violin, which seems to have been more a hindrance than a resource. Two solo groups in F minor and D are excellent, however. The first consists of a sombre rondeau in bass-viol range called La Forqueray after the late virtuoso of that instrument, a brilliant chaconne of 285 bars, and a savage tirade entitled Medée and marked 'vivement et fort'. In the 12 years between books 3 and 4 fashion passed Duphly by: book 4 contains but six half-hearted essays in Alberti-bass
style.
Only fifty-two works by Duphly are known, most of which were published during his lifetime in the four volumes of harpsichord music mentioned above. The titles of the work refer to well-known protectors of art (e.g. La Victoire, la de Sartine
) or other composers (e.g. La Forqueray
). His late music contains elements typical of the early classical movement - e.g. the use of Alberti bass, quite dissimilar to Jean-Philippe Rameau
or François Couperin
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist and organist, and the composer of bright, lively, and attractive keyboard music.
Biography
He was born in RouenRouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, France, the son of Jacques-Agathe Duphly and Marie-Louise Boivin. As a boy, he studied the harpsichord and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, and was employed as organist at the cathedral in Évreux
Évreux Cathedral
Évreux Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and national monument of France, in Évreux, Normandy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Évreux.- Building description :...
.
His teacher was François d'Agincourt
François d'Agincourt
François d'Agincourt was a French harpsichordist, organist, and composer. He spent most of his life in Rouen, his native city, where he worked as organist of the Rouen Cathedral and of three smaller churches. Highly regarded during his lifetime, d'Agincourt was one of the organists of the royal...
.
On 11 September 1734 'le sieur Dufliq, organist of the cathedral of Évreux' applied for a position at the church at St. Eloi; the register goes on to make clear that he had been trained by Dagincourt at Rouen, went to Évreux (c. 1732) for what must have been his first appointment (he was only 19 when he resigned from it) and returned to his native parish. His tenure at St Eloi began inauspiciously since the old man he was replacing did not take kindly to this personnel decision, and locked the organ loft before he left and threw away the key, but the church quickly changed the locks. To St Eloi he added Notre Dame de la Ronde in 1740, his sister Marie-Anne-Agathe sometimes substituting for him when duties conflicted. He left both appointments in 1742 and moved to Paris. According to the clerk of St Eloi, it was affairs that drew him there, but other reports suggest that it was the realization that he would do better as a specialist of the harpsichord in Paris than as an organist in Rouen. Therefore in 1742 he settled in Paris, making his name as a harpsichordist, teacher and composer. He was praised for his light touch and a great ability to bring out the character of the pieces. In 1742, after the death of his father, Duphly moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he became famous as a performer and teacher. He was considered by Pascal Taskin
Pascal Taskin
----Pascal Joseph Taskin was a French harpsichord and piano maker. Born in Theux, near Liège, he lived most of his life in Paris.- Biography :...
, the harpsichord maker, to be one of the best teachers in Paris.
Music
He started publishing books of original harpsichord music in 1744. His popularity continued to increase into the 1760s, and he published more volumes of harpsichord music. His four harpsichord collections (1744–68) are modelled chiefly on Rameau's. Book 3 (1758) includes a long, brilliant chaconne and a savage tirade, La Médée. In all, he published four volumes of harpsichord music (1744, 1748, 1756 and 1768). Book 4 of his harpsichord music contains the enchanting (and still regularly played today) rondeau, 'La Pothouin'.Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg was a German music critic, music-theorist and composer. He was friendly and active with many figures of the Enlightenment of the 18th century.-Life:...
remarked (in 1754) that Duphly, a pupil of Dagincourt, plays the harpsichord only, in order, as he says, "not to spoil his hand with the organ. He lives in Paris, where he instructs the leading families." His reputation seems to have reached its peak in the 1750s and 60s. Marpurg's ‘Raccolta delle piu nuove composizioni di clavicembalo, ii’ (1757), contains a pair of rondeaux from Duphly's first book. In 1764 Walsh brought out an edition of his second book; in 1765 the 20-year-old Richard Fitzwilliam was studying with him. That year Pascal Taskin, the harpsichord maker, reckoned 'Dufly' among the best teachers in Paris, along with Armand-Louis Couperin, Balbastre and Le Grand. The article on fingering in Rousseau's Dictionnaire (1768) contains rules which the author presents 'with confidence, because I have them from M Duphli, excellent harpsichord teacher who possesses above all perfection in fingering' (though either Duphly or Rousseau overlooked the fact that these 'rules' were lifted word for word from Rameau's, in his Pieces de clavecin of 1724). The titles and dedications of Duphly pieces show him to have been a part of the inner circle of professional and aristocratic connoisseurs; yet he seems to have been unambitious and content with a simple and modest life of teaching and playing.
Rousseau asked him to contribute to his dictionary, for articles relating to the art of playing the harpsichord.
Evaluation
D'Aquin wrote that 'in general his pieces are sweet and amiable: they take after their father'. Although this represents a curious judgment of his music, which is often flashy and energetic, it may reflect a nature that allowed him to drift gently from view to a point of obscurity where it became necessary to inquire in the Journal general de la France (27 November 1788) 'what has become of M Duphlis, former harpsichord teacher in Paris, where he was in 1767. If he no longer exists, one would like to know his heirs, to whom there is something to communicate.He apparently never married, and when he died, no heirs appeared; even his sister could not be located. He died on July 15, 1789, the day after the storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...
, in an apartment in the Hôtel de Juigné, lonely, forgotten, with his library - and without a harpsichord. The mystery could possibly be clarified by this fact: in 1785, Antoine de Sartine
Antoine de Sartine
Antoine Raymond Jean Gualbert Gabriel de Sartine, comte d'Alby was a French statesman who served as Lieutenant General of Police of Paris during the reign of Louis XV and as Secretary of State for the Navy under King Louis XVI.-Origins:Antoine de Sartine was born in Barcelona in 1729, the son of...
, ex-chief of Police, and ex-minister of the Navy, lived at the same address.
Duphly left his possessions to his servant, who was with him for 30 years. But his will and the inventory of his effects show that he had been living in modest comfort in his small apartment. His dedication of his last pieces to the Marchioness of Juigne, 21 years before, did not exempt him from paying 300 livres a year for rent.
Dagincourt may have been Duphly's teacher, but Rameau's harpsichord music served as Duphly's chief model. Rameau's shadow falls on themes (the courante La Boucon in book 1 begins like Rameau's E minor courante, transformed in metre) and on whole pieces (Les colombes in book 2 -- which D'Aquin must have meant when he said of Duphly's music: 'On connait les tourterelles, qui affectent le coeur' -- is almost a condensed paraphrase of La timide from Rameau's Pieces de clavecin en concerts, 1741). Scarlatti's fast 3/8 sonatas have their echo in La De Caze (book 2) and La De la Tour (book 3), and Dagincourt (or Couperin, whom Dagincourt imitated) can be felt in a rondeau in C (book 1) and La De Brissac (book 2), among other pieces.
Book 3 mixes solos and two sonata-like groups with violin accompaniment; the latter are singularly unimaginative in their use of the violin, which seems to have been more a hindrance than a resource. Two solo groups in F minor and D are excellent, however. The first consists of a sombre rondeau in bass-viol range called La Forqueray after the late virtuoso of that instrument, a brilliant chaconne of 285 bars, and a savage tirade entitled Medée and marked 'vivement et fort'. In the 12 years between books 3 and 4 fashion passed Duphly by: book 4 contains but six half-hearted essays in Alberti-bass
Alberti bass
Alberti bass is a particular kind of accompaniment in music, often used in the Classical era, and sometimes the Romantic era. It was named after Domenico Alberti , who used it extensively, although he was not the first to use it....
style.
Only fifty-two works by Duphly are known, most of which were published during his lifetime in the four volumes of harpsichord music mentioned above. The titles of the work refer to well-known protectors of art (e.g. La Victoire, la de Sartine
Antoine de Sartine
Antoine Raymond Jean Gualbert Gabriel de Sartine, comte d'Alby was a French statesman who served as Lieutenant General of Police of Paris during the reign of Louis XV and as Secretary of State for the Navy under King Louis XVI.-Origins:Antoine de Sartine was born in Barcelona in 1729, the son of...
) or other composers (e.g. La Forqueray
Antoine Forqueray
Antoine Forqueray was a French composer and virtuoso of the viola da gamba.Forqueray, born in Paris, was the first in a line of composers who included his brother Michel and his sons Jean-Baptiste and Nicolas Gilles...
). His late music contains elements typical of the early classical movement - e.g. the use of Alberti bass, quite dissimilar to Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
or François Couperin
François Couperin
François Couperin was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.-Life:Couperin was born in Paris...
.
External links
- Pièces pour clavecin Complete scores (Book I, II, III and IV) freely downloadable (modern edition), Discography.