Boismortier: Les Suites de Clavecin / Trois Suites Pour Flute

Featuring

Mireille Lagacé
Luc Urbain
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier

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Recording & Production

The Henri Hemsch harpsichord used in this recording is one of the only instruments in the world with all its original parts intact.

Critical Reception

Despite his popularity during his lifetime, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was considered a minor composer for a long time, with 19th-century musicologists largely responsible for this view.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was known for composing 'simple, very easy music' for a wide audience, which was performed on various instruments like flutes, violins, oboes, musettes, and hurdy-gurdies.

Instruments

The Henri Hemsch harpsichord, restored in 1970, is praised for its rich tone in the low register, warm middle register, and clear high notes, making it one of the finest harpsichords in existence.

Composition History

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was granted a royal privilege in 1722 to engrave, print, and sell his music in Paris, where he published his first works.

Composer Biography

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, a French composer, was born in Thionville, Lorraine, in 1689, and his father was a former sergeant who later opened a confectionery shop.

Instruments

The harpsichord used in this recording is a Henri Hemsch instrument from 1754, typical of 18th-century French harpsichords, with a sixty-note double keyboard.