Jean-François Dandrieu, also spelled
D'Andrieu (c. 1682 - 1738) was a French Baroque
composer, harpsichordist and organist. He was born in
Paris into a family of artists and musicians. A gifted
and precocious child, he gave his first public
performances when he was 5 years old, playing the
harpsichord for King Louis XIV of France, and his
court. These concerts marked the beginning of
Dandrieu's very successful career as harpsichordist and
organist. He was a student of Jean-Bapti...(+)
Jean-François Dandrieu, also spelled
D'Andrieu (c. 1682 - 1738) was a French Baroque
composer, harpsichordist and organist. He was born in
Paris into a family of artists and musicians. A gifted
and precocious child, he gave his first public
performances when he was 5 years old, playing the
harpsichord for King Louis XIV of France, and his
court. These concerts marked the beginning of
Dandrieu's very successful career as harpsichordist and
organist. He was a student of Jean-Baptiste Moreau. In
1700, aged 18, he started playing the organ at the
Saint-Merri church in Paris (a post previously occupied
by Nicolas Lebegue) and became its titular organist in
1705. At some point in 1706 he was a member of the
panel of judges who examined Jean-Philippe Rameau's
skills to appoint him organist of the Sainte-Madeleine
en la Cite church (incidentally, a post Rameau
declined). In 1721 he was appointed one of the four
organists of the Chapelle royale of France. In 1733, he
succeeded his uncle, the organist and priest Pierre
Dandrieu (1664 - 1733) to become the organist of the
(now destroyed) church of St Barthelemy in the Ile de
la Cite, a post he combined with duties at Saint-Merri
(also known as Saint-Mederic). He died in Paris in
1738, and was succeeded at the organ of St Barthelemy
by his sister, Jeanne-Francoise.
A volume of organ noels, which revised and enlarged a
similar book published by his uncle, Pierre Dandrieu in
1714 (rev. in the 1720s). This was published
posthumously by sister, Jeanne-Francoise, in 1759.
Dandrieu also published an academic treatise on
accompaniment (Principes de l'accompagnement) in 1718,
which now serves as an important source of information
on the musical practice of the era.
Dandrieu's harpsichord writing is reminiscent of that
of Francois Couperin, but with more effective use of
counterpoint, which reminds the listener of German
Baroque music. The strict traditional suite "A la
Froberger" is abandoned in his works, many dance
movements replaced with the so-called pieces de
caractere, pieces with descriptive titles that were
common in French music of the 18th century. Dandrieu's
harpsichord oeuvre is, after those of Francois Couperin
and Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy, the most important in terms
of sheer quantity of pieces.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Francois_Dandrieu).
Although originally written for Organ. I created this
Arrangement of the "Offertoire" from "Premier livre de
pieces d'Orgue" for String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola &
Cello).
