Jacques Hardel

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jacques Hardel (died March 1678) was a French composer and harpsichordist. He came from a family of instrument makers: his grandfather Gilles Hardel (fl. c. 1611) and his father Guillaume Hardel (d. 1676), a lute maker and renowned harpsichordist who in 1673–74 taught the harpsichord to the daughter of Philippe d'Orléans. Not much is known about Jacques's life. He studied with Jacques Champion de Chambonnières and became highly respected at the royal court, even giving weekly concerts for the King and performing with the lutenist Porion. He lived for several years with a pupil named Gautier, and on his death left all his works to Gautier. Only eight of Hardel’s pieces survive today: a courante for lute; a six-movement harpsichord suite in D minor; and a harpsichord gavotte. The harpsichord pieces are of very high quality, showing a strong melodic sense from Chambonnières, augmented by advanced bass writing and tighter harmony, hinting at a more progressive style. The suite—allemande, three courantes, sarabande, and gigue—is one of the earliest complete classical French suites. The lute courante may be a transcription of a lost harpsichord piece.