(b ?London, c 1690; d Islington, 23 Sept 1723). English composer and harpsichordist of French descent. A pupil of Pepusch, he played in London concerts from 1711, and was also a church organist. He gained widespread fame as a harpsichordist through his virtuoso arrangements of operatic arias (especially Handel's), many of which were published; he also wrote solo sonatas and concertos. The ornamentation in his work gives insight into the performing practice of his day.
The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.