Jean-Marie Leclair was discovered stabbed to death on 23 October 1764 in his home located within a perilous district of northern Paris near the old Temple. A foundational figure of the French violin school, this composer and performer spent his final years under the patronage of the Duke of Gramont, contributing music to private theatrical productions.
Early Career and Training
Born in Lyon in 1697, Leclair left his home city to pursue formal training in dance and violin performance in Turin. By 1723, he established himself in Paris, where he participated in the Concert Spirituel, an influential semi-public series of musical performances. His personal life during this period included his 1716 marriage to Marie-Rose Casthanie, a dancer who died around 1728.
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In 1733, Louis XV appointed Leclair as the Director of Music of the Chapel and the Apartments. He dedicated his third collection of violin sonatas to the monarch but resigned his position in 1736 following a dispute with Jean-Pierre Guignon regarding the administration of the King's music. Following this, he entered the service of the Princess of Orange, dividing his time between her court in Leeuwarden and duties in The Hague as a private maestro di cappella.
Composition and Theatrical Output
Leclair integrated various European national styles into his compositions, which included numerous sonatas, concertos, and suites. His only opera, Scylla et Glaucus, premiered in 1746. While working for the Duke of Gramont at Puteaux starting in 1740, he composed stage works such as the 1749 divertissement for the comedy Les dangers des épreuves and the 1750 entrée Apollon et Climène. Many of his stage scores and ballets were subsequently lost.
Final Years and Unsolved Death
Following the dissolution of his second marriage—to the engraver Louise Roussel, who had printed his works from Opus 2 onward—Leclair resided alone in the Marais district. His violent death remains a subject of historical uncertainty. Investigators have debated whether his former spouse sought financial gain or if his disgruntled nephew, the violinist Guillaume-François Vial, committed the crime. He was interred at the Church of Saint-Laurent in Paris.
Fast facts
- Born: 1697, Lyon
- Died: 23 October 1764, Paris
- Citizenship: France
- Notable Opera: Scylla et Glaucus
- Spouse: Louise Roussel
- Burial Site: Church of Saint-Laurent, Paris
Questions readers ask
What instruments did Leclair play?
He was a professional violinist and also worked as a dancer and ballet master.
Who prepared Leclair's music for publication?
His second wife, Louise Roussel, an engraver who managed the printing of his scores from Opus 2 through his later works.
Achievements
- Notable work: Scylla et Glaucus
- Instruments: violin
- Genres: classical music
