Scan 25
Groves Dictionary Of Music And Musicians,vol.5 L-m, 1900
30 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1and the concert-going public. She composed from this time her most notable works: new harpsichord pieces, published 1707; sonatas in three parts about 1695, of which the manuscript copies are in the Brossard Collection; sonatas for violin and bass, of which six were printed in 1707; and finally cantatas. Of these the first two books are dated 1708 and 1711. The third, belonging to the time after 1715, is dedicated to the Elector of Bavaria, who appears to have appreciated Mme de La Guerre and for whom, according to Brossard, she also wrote a pastoral, 'La Musette, ou les Bergers de Suresne', published anonymously in 1713. She assisted at that time at the Théâtre de la Foire, and there occurs in Le Sage's 'La Ceinture de Vénus' a comic duet of hers which had a great success. Among vocal religious works of hers is a 'Te Deum' for full choir, sung in the chapel of the Louvre in 1721 to celebrate the recovery of Louis XV.
3She lived in L'Île Saint-Louis, at the corner of the Rue Regrattière, at least after 1704, the date of her husband's death. There she gave periodical concerts, which were much sought after and which ceased in 1716-17. Her skill as a harpsichordist, together with her compositions and her remarkable talent for improvisation, made her attractive to all. Later she lived in the Rue des Prouvaires, parish of Saint-Eustache, in which church she was buried on 28 June 1729, having died the previous day.
5Her contemporaries have not belittled her; her fame was great, even outside her own country. Her opera and also her pastoral, 'Les Bergers de Suresne', if it really is by her, do not show a great deal of personality. One finds the pure style of Lully, with a gracious melodic vein, utilized not without spirit. But her keyboard pieces give evidence of subtle harmonic sentiment and refinement. They rank, without doubt, with the harpsichord compositions of the school of Chambonnières. Her sonatas, on the other hand, must stand among the best of those which the imitation of Corelli produced in France quite at the end of the 17th century. The sustained interest which presents their well-ordered development and their often original modulations puts them by the side of Couperin's sonatas. Her cantatas were among the first to be published in France, where this form, imitated, like the sonata, from Italy, had in the 18th century an enormous vogue. A dozen of them (the two first books) are written to words by the poet Houdar de La Motte, and their subjects are taken from the Bible. The three others are secular. For the most part they present, with brilliant symphonic interludes, airs of graceful form and varied expression, always closely allied to the texts which the author chose. The duet of 'Raccommodement de Pierrot et de Nicole', composed for the Théâtre de la Foire, which was published at the end of the 3rd volume, has a pleasant vis comica.
6BIBL.—BRENET, MICHEL, 'Quatre Femmes musiciennes' ('L'Art', Oct. 1894).
8LIST OF WORKS
9'Céphale et Procris, tragédie mise en musique par Mademoiselle de La Guerre' (Paris, Ballard, 1694).
10'Pièces de clavecin qui peuvent se jouer sur le violon, composées par Mademoiselle de La Guerre et gravées par H. de Baussem' (Paris, 1707), contains 2 suites, 14 pieces in all.
11'Sonates pour le violon et pour le clavecin composées par Mademoiselle de La Guerre, et gravées par H. de Baussem' (Paris, 1707), contains 6 sonatas.
12'Air sérieux de Melle de la Guerre. Aux vains attraits d'une nouvelle ardeur' (Collection of 'Airs sérieux et à boire', Paris, April 1710).
13'Cantates françaises, sur des sujets tirez de l'Écriture; à voix seule, et basse continue; partie avec symphonie, et partie sans symphonie, Par Mademoiselle de La Guerre. Livre Premier, contenant Esther, Le Passage de la Mer Rouge, Jacob et Rachel, Jonas, Suzanne et les vieillards, Judith' (Paris, 1708).
14The same title, except: 'à I. II voix et basse continue', and 'Par Mademoiselle Jacquet de La Guerre. Livre Second, contenant Adam, Le Temple rebasti, Le Déluge, Joseph, Jephthé, Samson' (Paris, 1711).
15'Sémélé, l'Île de Délos, le Sommeil d'Ulisse, Cantates françaises, auquelles on a joint le Raccommodement comique; Pièces mises en musique par Mademoiselle Jacquet de La Guerre gravées par H. de Baussem' (Paris).
16'La Musette, ou les Bergers de Suresne, Divertissement pastoral, chanté devant S. A. E. de Bavière, à Suresne. Présenté par le Sieur D. L. T. le douzième May, 1713' (Paris, 1713). Brossard believes that this pastoral, published without the name of the author, is by Mme de La Guerre.
18MANUSCRIPT WORKS
19Paris, Bibl. Nat. (1) Brossard Collection, 'Sonates en trio de Mlle de La Guerre'. (2) The MS dedicated by Mme de La Guerre to the king of the libretto of her opera-ballet 'Les Jeux à l'honneur de la victoire'.
21MODERN REPRINTS
22Two pianoforte pieces: 'Sarabande' in D and 'Gigue' in G, edited by Paul Brunold.
24LAGUERRE, Jean¹ (b. ? London, c. 1700; d. London, 1748).
25Anglo-French tenor singer. He was the son of Louis Laguerre, the artist who painted the greater part of Verrio's large picture in St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, 'The Labours of Hercules' in chiaroscuro at Hampton Court, the staircase at Wilton, etc., and is immortalized by Pope in the line
26Where sprawl the saints of Verrio and Laguerre.
27This painter went to England in 1683 and died in 1721, his son Jean having, as it is supposed, been born about 1700. The lad was instructed by his father for his own profession, and had already shown some ability; but, having a talent for music, he took to the stage, where he met with fair success. He sang at concerts in 1723-25. It may have been he who, under the name of "Mr. Legar"², played the part of
28¹ Commonly called Jack.
29² "Mr. Legar" sang with Leveridge and Mrs. Chambers on St. Cecilia's Day 1723 at Lincoln's Inn Fields.
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