Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy (1633-1694) - Suite en Fa majeur

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Composer: Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy (1633-1694)
Work: Suite en Fa majeur des 'Livre des pieces de clavessin de tous les tons naturels et transposéz'
Performers: Aurelien Dеlagе (clavecin)

Painting: Italian school - Portrait of a harpsichordist (c.1700)
HD image: https://flic.kr/p/2rD6qNk
Map: Nicolas Sanson (1600-1667) - Comté de Roussilon ou sont les Veguerie de Perpignan (1660)
HD image: https://flic.kr/p/2rzxXFz

Further info: https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/us...
Listen free: No available

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Jean-Nicolas Geoffroy
(Vitry-le-François?, 1633, Perpignan, 11 March 1694)

French composer, organist and writer. Almost nothing is known about his life before 1690. The only reliable information about him is given on the title-page of his harpsichord book and in a few archival documents at Perpignan. He is generally believed to have been a pupil of the composer and organist Nicolas Lebègue. He served as the titular organist of the church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet in Paris, likely holding this prestigious position until around 1690. At some point then he moved from Paris to the southern city of Perpignan where he became the organist at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in a post he held until his death. The reason for his departure from a prominent Parisian post for the provincial city of Perpignan is unknown, especially considering the prestige of his previous position. His surviving music, though limited in volume, is highly regarded for its systematic and harmonically progressive nature. A single collection of his harpsichord pieces survives in manuscript form, titled 'Livre des pièces de clavecin de tous les tons naturels et transposéz'. This collection contains 255 pieces and is considered, alongside the works of François Couperin and Jean-François Dandrieu, one of the most important contributions to French Baroque harpsichord music. According to some scholars, it is the largest collection of 17th-century French harpsichord music. The collection is unique for European music of the late 17th century because the pieces are systematically organized, exploring all major and minor keys. His music is noted for its extreme chromaticism and striking exploration of the expressive possibilities of harmonic variation.