Philidor (''Filidor'') or Danican Philidor was a family of musicians that served as court musicians to the French kings. The original name of the family was Danican (D'Anican) and was of Scottish origin (Duncan). Philidor was a later addition to the family name, given first to Michel the elder by Louis XIII because his oboe playing reminded the king of an Italian virtuoso oboist named Filidori. Both Michel the younger and Jean played in the

Grande Écurie Grande means "wikt:large, large" or "great (disambiguation), great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places *Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany *Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas *Gran ...

(literally, the Great Stable; figuratively, the Military Band) in Paris. Later members of the family were known as composers as well. One of them (François-André Danican Philidor) was a chess master. * Michel Danican Philidor the elder (1580–1651) ** Michel Danican Philidor the younger (c. 1610–1659) was a renowned

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

and, together with

Jean Hotteterre Jean Hotteterre (1677–1720) was a French composer and musician of the Hotteterre family. Hotteterre worked at the family workshop on the Rue de Harlay, Paris until his death at the court of Louis XIV of France. He and his brothers Jacques-Mar ...

, co-invented the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

by modifying the

shawm The shawm () is a conical bore, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 12th century to the present day. It achieved its peak of popularity during the medieval and Renaissance periods, after which it was gradually eclipsed by th ...

so that the bore was narrower and the reed could be held near the end by the player's lips **

Jean Danican Philidor Jean Danican (D'Anican) Philidor (c. 1620 – September 8, 1679) was a court musician at Versailles during the reign of Louis XIII, and a member of the prestigious Philidor family. The name Philidor was conferred upon Jean's elder brother, Michel ...

(c. 1620–1679), the first whose name appears as ''Danican dit Philidor'', father of the next generation * André Danican Philidor (André I, "l'aîné") (c. 1652–1730), son of Jean, composer of the ''Marche française (Marche royale)'' (1679) ** François Danican Philidor (c. 1680-1730), son of André l'aîné, half brother of Anne **

Anne Danican Philidor Anne Danican Philidor (11 April 1681 – 8 October 1728) was a French woodwind player and composer of the Philidor family. Born in Paris on 11 April 1681, his grandfather and father were also professional woodwind players in the king's service. A ...

(1681–1728), son of André, founder of a series of public concerts ** Michel Danican Philidor III (1683–1723), son of André **

François-André Danican Philidor François-André Danican Philidor (7 September 1726 – 31 August 1795), often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the ''opéra comique''. ...

(André II) (1726–1795), very late son of André; opera composer (notably ''Tom Jones''), and the strongest chess master in the 18th century. He is considered by many to be one of the strongest players in chess history. His name is renowned among all chess players and there are two important chess terms named for his innovations: *** the

Philidor defence The Philidor Defence (or Philidor's Defence) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 d6 The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternative ...

, an opening *** the

Philidor position The Philidor position (or Philidor's position) is a chess endgame involving a drawing technique for the defending side in the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. This technique is known as the ''third defense'' due to the positioning of the d ...

, an endgame position * Jacques Danican Philidor (known as "le cadet", being the younger brother of Philidor the Elder) (1657–1708), son of Jean, composer of the ''Marche à quatre timbales pour le Carrousel de Monseigneur'' (1685) ** Pierre Danican Philidor (1681–1731), son of Jacques le cadet, also a musician

References

* Rebecca Harris-Warrick and Julian Rushton. "Philidor." In '' Grove Music Online''. {{surname French-language surnames Show business families of France