Josse Boutmy
Encyclopedia
Josse Boutmy was a composer, organist and harpsichord
ist of the Austrian Netherlands
who established himself in Brussels
. Born into a musical family, his grandfather, father, brother and sons were all musicians, also called the Boutmy Dynasty.
(1744-1777). Boutmy married a woman named Katrina from Westphalia
.
Although Boutmy was a court organist and famous in his day, he was reduced at the age of eighty to appeals for charity and petitioned the court for retirement. He died without receiving a pension, leaving his wife and twelve children, who also petitioned the court for charity.
His style incorporates multiple European influences: French (Rameau
, Duphly
), Italian (Domenico Scarlatti
), German (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
) and his harpsichord books mix dance pieces belonging to the suite
form, character pieces and sonata elements, as did another Brussels musician of the same period, Joseph-Hector Fiocco
.
Argentine harpsichordist Mario Raskin
discovered the lost first book of Boutmy harpsichord pieces in a friend's collection. He later recorded it for the label Follia Madrigal.
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 of the Austrian Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
who established himself in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Born into a musical family, his grandfather, father, brother and sons were all musicians, also called the Boutmy Dynasty.
Background
He worked with the Prince of Thurn and Taxis (1736) and at the chapel royal of BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(1744-1777). Boutmy married a woman named Katrina from Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
.
Although Boutmy was a court organist and famous in his day, he was reduced at the age of eighty to appeals for charity and petitioned the court for retirement. He died without receiving a pension, leaving his wife and twelve children, who also petitioned the court for charity.
Works
Boutmy composed three collections of pieces for the harpsichord:- First book (1738)
- Second book (1738)
- Third book, dedicated to governor Charles of LorrainePrince Charles Alexander of LorrainePrince Charles Alexander of Lorraine was a Lorraine-born Austrian soldier.-Background:Charles was the son of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans...
(c. 1749)
His style incorporates multiple European influences: French (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...
, Duphly
Jacques Duphly
Jacques Duphly was a French harpsichordist and organist, and the composer of bright, lively, and attractive keyboard music.- Biography :...
), Italian (Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti
Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
), German (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
right|250pxCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach...
) and his harpsichord books mix dance pieces belonging to the suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
form, character pieces and sonata elements, as did another Brussels musician of the same period, Joseph-Hector Fiocco
Joseph-Hector Fiocco
Joseph-Hector Fiocco , born in Brussels, was a Flemish composer and violinist of the high and late Baroque period....
.
Argentine harpsichordist Mario Raskin
Mario Raskin
Mario Raskin is an Argentine harpsichordist. He was born in Buenos Aires and lives in Paris, France.-Background:Raskin was born in Buenos Aires, and studied music at the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires. He developed an interest in the harpsichord and chose it early in his studies as his...
discovered the lost first book of Boutmy harpsichord pieces in a friend's collection. He later recorded it for the label Follia Madrigal.