Jacques Duphly - Biography

Biography

Duphly was born in Rouen, France, the son of Jacques-Agathe Duphly and Marie-Louise Boivin. As a boy, he studied the harpsichord and organ, and was employed as organist at the cathedral in Évreux.

His teacher was François d'Agincourt.

On 11 September 1734 'le sieur Dufliq, organist of the cathedral of Évreux' applied for a position at the church at St. Eloi; the register goes on to make clear that he had been trained by Dagincourt at Rouen, went to Évreux (c. 1732) for what must have been his first appointment (he was only 19 when he resigned from it) and returned to his native parish. His tenure at St Eloi began inauspiciously since the old man he was replacing did not take kindly to this personnel decision, and locked the organ loft before he left and threw away the key, but the church quickly changed the locks. To St Eloi he added Notre Dame de la Ronde in 1740, his sister Marie-Anne-Agathe sometimes substituting for him when duties conflicted. He left both appointments in 1742 and moved to Paris. According to the clerk of St Eloi, it was affairs that drew him there, but other reports suggest that it was the realization that he would do better as a specialist of the harpsichord in Paris than as an organist in Rouen. Therefore in 1742 he settled in Paris, making his name as a harpsichordist, teacher and composer. He was praised for his light touch and a great ability to bring out the character of the pieces. In 1742, after the death of his father, Duphly moved to Paris, where he became famous as a performer and teacher. He was considered by Pascal Taskin, the harpsichord maker, to be one of the best teachers in Paris.