Jacques Paisible (ca. 16561721), also known as James Peasable or James Paisible, was a French baroque composer and recorder virtuoso who lived and worked in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

for about forty years. Paisible arrived in London from France in September 1673, one of the four

oboists 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 pr ...

among the musicians accompanying

Robert Cambert Robert Cambert (c. 1628–1677) was a French composer principally of opera. His opera '' Pomone'' was the first actual opera in French. Biography Under Mazarin Born in Paris c. 1628, he studied music under Chambonnières. His first position was ...

. He married

Moll Davis Mary "Moll" Davis (c. 1648 – 1708), also spelt Davies or Davys, was a courtesan and mistress of King Charles II of England. She was an actress and entertainer before and during her role as royal mistress. Early life Mary Davis was born in ...

, singer and mistress of Charles II, in 1686. He made his living playing the

bass violin Bass violin is the modern term for various 16th- and 17th-century bass instruments of the violin (i.e. ''viola da braccio'') family. They were the direct ancestor of the modern cello. Bass violins were usually somewhat larger than the modern cel ...

and composing theater music. He developed a reputation as a first-rate performer on the recorder. Most of his surviving compositions use the recorder in various combinations. His music has been characterized as "craftsmanlike and idiomatic, with no virtuoso pretensions

Paisible was a contemporary of

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest En ...

(1659–1695), one of England's great composers, and long outlived him in years, if not in reputation.

Works (selection)

* “''Rare en tout”'', Comédie-Ballet (1677) * “''The Humor of Sir Falstaff”'' (1700) * “''King Edward III”'' (ca 1700) * “''Love’s Stratagem”'' (1701) * “''She Wou'd & She Wou'd not”'' * “''The Complete Flute-Master”'' (1695) * Six Sonatas for flute ecorderOp. 1 (1702) * “''Mr. Isaak's New Dances Master for her Majesty's Birthday”'' (1704) * “''Six Setts of Aires”'' for 2 flutes ecordersand B.C. Op. 2 (1720)

References

*''Fanfare'' (Tom Moore) March–April 2001

External links

* French recorder players French classical musicians French male classical composers French Baroque composers 1650s births 1721 deaths 18th-century classical composers 18th-century French composers 18th-century French male musicians 17th-century male musicians {{France-composer-stub