Biography
Antoine Forqueray emerged as a leading French master of the bass viol and ranked among the performers most favored by King Louis XIV. His compositions, marked by technical rigor and originality, rank among the earliest substantial contributions written specifically for the instrument.
Born in Paris during 1672, he received his first instruction on the basse de violon from his father Michel, a noted violinist and master of dance. By the age of ten his skill had already reached an exceptional level, prompting King Louis XIV to summon the boy to perform at court. The monarch’s admiration led to arrangements for Forqueray to study the bass viol under the court’s own violists, an apprenticeship that lasted roughly six years. In 1689 he received the title Musician ordinaire de la chambre du roy, a post that required daily performances before the king and distinguished visitors as well as instruction for the youngest members of the royal household. Contemporary observer Jean-Benjamin Francois de la Borde later declared that by age twenty Forqueray stood as the foremost violist then active.
In 1697 Forqueray wed harpsichordist Henriette-Angelique Houssu, daughter of an organist. Two years later she gave birth to their son Jean-Baptiste, who would himself achieve prominence as a musician. Although the couple appeared together in performance at first, Forqueray’s volatile temperament created persistent friction, resulting in repeated brief separations that culminated in the dissolution of the marriage in 1710. Relations with his son proved similarly strained, as paternal envy of the youth’s extraordinary technical gifts intensified the discord. Nevertheless, demand for his services as a violist remained constant throughout his active years. Following retirement in 1730 he settled on a rural property at Mantes-la-Jolie, where he continued to draw his full royal stipend and maintained an opulent household until his death in 1745.
Forqueray sought to match the virtuosic standards of leading Italian violinists, an aspiration evident in the demanding character of his own works. The bulk of his surviving pieces appeared posthumously in 1747 when his son issued the collection Pieces de viole.
Born in Paris during 1672, he received his first instruction on the basse de violon from his father Michel, a noted violinist and master of dance. By the age of ten his skill had already reached an exceptional level, prompting King Louis XIV to summon the boy to perform at court. The monarch’s admiration led to arrangements for Forqueray to study the bass viol under the court’s own violists, an apprenticeship that lasted roughly six years. In 1689 he received the title Musician ordinaire de la chambre du roy, a post that required daily performances before the king and distinguished visitors as well as instruction for the youngest members of the royal household. Contemporary observer Jean-Benjamin Francois de la Borde later declared that by age twenty Forqueray stood as the foremost violist then active.
In 1697 Forqueray wed harpsichordist Henriette-Angelique Houssu, daughter of an organist. Two years later she gave birth to their son Jean-Baptiste, who would himself achieve prominence as a musician. Although the couple appeared together in performance at first, Forqueray’s volatile temperament created persistent friction, resulting in repeated brief separations that culminated in the dissolution of the marriage in 1710. Relations with his son proved similarly strained, as paternal envy of the youth’s extraordinary technical gifts intensified the discord. Nevertheless, demand for his services as a violist remained constant throughout his active years. Following retirement in 1730 he settled on a rural property at Mantes-la-Jolie, where he continued to draw his full royal stipend and maintained an opulent household until his death in 1745.
Forqueray sought to match the virtuosic standards of leading Italian violinists, an aspiration evident in the demanding character of his own works. The bulk of his surviving pieces appeared posthumously in 1747 when his son issued the collection Pieces de viole.