Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre

The young woman at the harpsichord was Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, one of a small group of female French composers of her era. Elisabeth was a child prodigy who made her first appearance at the court of Louis IV at the age of five. She lived in the entourage of Madame de Montespan until her marriage to the court clerk, Anton La Rue. This marriage ended in divorce; she subsequently married an organist, Marin de La Guerre. She continued to compose and perform her music until her death in 1729.

If you guessed that I learned about Madame de La Guerre during one of my trips to Paris, you would be wrong! I actually first heard of her last week at a dinner party that I attended as Edith's guest. The small group are all members of St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder, and these potlucks are a get-acquainted activity sponsored by the church. I had a perfectly delightful evening. Three of the group were university professors, one woman was an Episcopal priest, another, a psychologist. The conversation was lively...mostly about politics and religion. (I thought those were two subjects you didn't talk about??) True to Boulder's reputation, all of us were liberal Democrats and we debated why we backed either Hillary or Barrack. It was great fun!

My introduction to Madame de La Guerre, however, came from another dinner guest...Anna, who among other things is a professional musician. She plays the viola de gamba and is putting together a concert for later this year that will feature the music of Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre. Click here to enjoy a taste of Elisabeth's music direct from the court of Louis IV.