Jean-Benjamin de Laborde's Trois Recueils de Chansons, featured on this album, were published starting in 1763 and became fashionable in both salons and cabarets.
Composer Biography
Jean-Benjamin de Laborde, the composer of many songs on this album, was taught violin by Antoine Dauvergne and composition by Jean-Philippe Rameau.
Historical Context
Jean-Benjamin de Laborde served as Premier Valet de la Chambre du Roy, a high-ranking position that placed him in close proximity to King Louis XV.
Historical Context
Jean-Benjamin de Laborde's residence, which housed an immense library of 25,000 works, was burned down during the French Revolution.
Recording & Production
This recording features a historic single-action harp attributed to Georges Blaicher (ca. 1820), restored in 2014 by Beat Wolf.
Cultural Impact
Marie-Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the French Revolution, greatly appreciated Jean-Benjamin de Laborde's chansons and sang them in the gardens of the Trianon.
Instruments
The very first published repertoire for the pedal harp, known today as 'single action harp', appeared in Paris just one year before Jean-Benjamin de Laborde's Recueil de Chansons.
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