Biography
Raised under the guardianship of the Count of Rochechouart, Guillemain took up musical studies at an early age and received direct instruction from Somis. This background allowed him to journey to Italy, secure a place among the highest-paid court musicians, and appear repeatedly in performances for the French king and queen. He avoided the Concert Spirituel, likely because of discomfort with large crowds. Every work he produced was instrumental, eventually amounting to no fewer than eighteen opus numbers. His affinity for the violin appears in the technical demands and virtuosic requirements placed on the player. The range of forms he explored—sonatas, symphonies, concertinos, dances, harpsichord sonatas with violin accompaniment, and additional dance pieces—reveals a thorough command of sonata-allegro structure. His scores further display a sharp separation of primary and secondary themes, frequent key modulation, galant traits within the symphonic idiom, graceful melodic lines, and exemplary instances of the French instrumental suite.