Robert de Visée


Robert de Visée was a lutenist, guitarist, theorbist and viol player at the court of the French kings Louis XIV and Louis XV, as well as a singer and composer for lute, theorbo and guitar.

Biography

Robert de Visée's place and date of birth are unknown. He probably knew Francesco Corbetta and would have been familiar with his music. claimed that he studied with Corbetta and this information has been repeated uncritically in later sources including Strizich and Ledbetter 2001. It is however unsupported by any documentary evidence. He is first mentioned in 1680, and at about that time became a chamber musician to Louis XIV, in which capacity he often performed at court. In 1709 he was appointed as a singer in the royal chamber, and in 1719 he was named 'Guitar Master of the King' to Louis XV, the ten-year-old great-grandson of Louis XIV who succeeded to the throne in 1715. Jean Rousseau reported in a letter of 1688 that Visée was a respected musician at Versailles, and also played the viol. The last payment in his name in state documents is dated 1732. It is to be assumed that he died about that time.
Visée published two books of guitar music which contain twelve suites between them, as well as a few separate pieces: Livre de guitare dédié au roi and Livre de pièces pour la guitare. He also published a collection of pieces for the theorbo and lute: Pièces de théorbe et de luth ; these are in staff notation rather than tablature and may also be performed as ensemble pieces. The contents of all three books are tabulated with incipits and concordances in. He composed many other pieces for theorbo and Baroque lute.
Complete index of de Visée's pieces for the guitar: