Charles Dieupart (~1667 – 1740) was a French
harpsichordist, violinist, and composer. Although he
was known as Charles to his contemporaries, his real
name may have been François. He was most probably born
in Paris, but spent much of his life in London, where
he settled sometime after 1702/1703. A prominent member
of the Drury Lane musical establishment, Dieupart was
active both as composer and performer and actively
participated in the musical life of the city. However,
after about 1712 he e...(+)
Charles Dieupart (~1667 – 1740) was a French
harpsichordist, violinist, and composer. Although he
was known as Charles to his contemporaries, his real
name may have been François. He was most probably born
in Paris, but spent much of his life in London, where
he settled sometime after 1702/1703. A prominent member
of the Drury Lane musical establishment, Dieupart was
active both as composer and performer and actively
participated in the musical life of the city. However,
after about 1712 he earned his income mostly by
teaching, and in his later years lived in poverty. He
is best remembered today for a collection of six
harpsichord suites which influenced Johann Sebastian
Bach's English Suites.
Details of Dieupart's early life and training are
sketchy, and the reason for his emigration to England
is unknown. The earliest document to refer to the
composer is his own Six Suittes de clavessin, published
in Amsterdam in 1701. He is next heard of on 11
February 1703 in London, when he performed Corelli's
music at Drury Lane with Gasparo Visconti. Dieupart
settled in London and eventually became an important
member of the Drury Lane musical establishment. He
collaborated with playwright Peter Anthony Motteux,
composer Thomas Clayton, and others; he also
participated in performances of music by Italian
composers such as Giovanni Bononcini and Domenico
Scarlatti.
In late 1707 Dieupart became involved in establishing
an operatic project at the Queen's Theatre in the
Haymarket, London. Although he evidently played a
significant part in the project, he was dropped by the
management after about a year, in late 1708. Dieupart
tried organizing a series of concerts at York Buildings
in 1711 and 1712, but ended up giving only a few. After
1712 he was mostly active as a teacher, although his
music was still performed in concerts until at least
1726, and he was apparently a regular member of the
Drury Lane orchestra. Dieupart's last known public
appearance was in 1724. According to music historian
John Hawkins, whose work is the most important source
on Dieupart's biography, the composer died at a very
advanced age and in poverty.
Dieupart's best-known work is Six Suittes de clavessin
(Amsterdam, 1701). As the title indicates, it contains
six harpsichord suites. All of them are in seven
movements, always with the sequence ouverture –
allemande – courante – sarabande – gavotte, a
menuet or a passepied, and a gigue as the final
movement. Some of the movements within a suite are
linked thematically. The music represents a highly
successful synthesis of French, Italian and English
styles, married with imaginative harmony. The same can
be said about most of Dieupart's other music, which has
been neglected in recent times. The suites were popular
even during the composer's lifetime: they were reissued
already in 1702, arranged for violin or recorder (voice
flute and fourth flute) and basso continuo, and then 13
of the movements were published in London in 1705 as
Select Lessons for the Harpsichord or Spinnett. Johann
Sebastian Bach copied all six suites sometime between
1709 and 1714, and was influenced by Dieupart's music,
particularly in the famous English Suites. Dieupart's
suites may have also inspired Nicolas Siret, whose
first book adopts the suite's initial opening as an
example.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Desmarets)
Although originally written for Harpsichord, I created
this arrangement of the Suite No.1 in A Major from Six
Suittes de Clavessin for String Quartet (2 Violins,
Viola & Cello).
PARTITION