( b Paris, 5 Sept 1734; d there, 22 July 1794). French composer and writer on music. He had a political and financial career at the French court and was a pupil of Rameau. A violinist and pioneer in the study of old music, he composed c 40 stage works (mostly opéras comiques) and many songs, arias etc. His writings include the important Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne (1780). He designed a clavecin chromatique with 21 notes to the octave - which encourages his confusion with Jean-Baptiste de La Borde (1730-77), a scientist who designed a clavecin électrique .

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.