Jacques Duphly

Four volumes of exquisitely-wrought harpsichord pieces secure Jacques Duphly’s posthumous claim to fame; but during his lifetime he was widely hailed as one of Paris’ most influential keyboard practitioners—both as teacher and performer. Born in Rouen in 1715, he made his name as an organist before relocating to the French capital in 1742, where he devoted himself single-mindedly to the harpsichord. Published between 1744 and 1768, the Pièces de clavecin (Keyboard pieces) span close to a quarter century of creativity, witnessing profound changes in musical language. They embrace both the high Baroque idiom of François Couperin and the newly-emerging Classical style—not perhaps surprisingly: Duphly was contemporary with J.S. Bach as well as Haydn and Mozart. Stylised dances and affectionate character pieces underpin an output noted for its idiomatic precision and winning sensibility. A recluse in later life, Duphly’s death in 1789 followed hot on the heels of the storming of the Bastille and the unleashing of the French Revolution.