Charles Dieupart

Although the referenced name for this composer remains unclear, it is known that Dieupart played the harpsichord and violin. For the most part his activities took place in London though he was definitively French. He composed "Six Suites" which were dedicated to the daughter of the Earl of Rochester; they are characterized by a set number of movements presented in a fixed order. This is a lucid German influence but the dances within the suites are French. He published two versions of the suites, one with a figured bass and the other for solo harpsichord. Dieupart participated in performances at Drury Lane ("Britain's Happiness," "Pyrrhus and Demetrius") by playing the harpsichord, and by providing arrangements and recitatives. Besides stage works and suites, Dieupart also composed songs and sinfonia. Bach and Walter both esteemed the music of Dieupart and Bach's first English Suite contains similarities with Dieupart's "A major gigue". ~ Keith Johnson