Jean-Marie Leclair

Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764), called "the Elder" to distinguish him from his younger brother, was a court musician remembered for an effective synthesis of his own Parisian musical heritage with the Italian sonata style brought into vogue by Corelli, thereby establishing the French style of Baroque violin playing. His melodic structures show both the singing lines of the Italian violin school and the more detached sound of Lully's ballet music and French viol music. Except for one opera, his surviving works consist of sets of sonatas and concertos, and a few suites featuring the violin.