Visée, Robert de

(b ? c1655; d 1732–3). French guitarist, theorbo, lute and viol

player and composer. He was possibly a pupil of Corbetta. He is
first mentioned (as theorbist and guitarist) by Le Gallois in 1680,
and about that time became a chamber musician to Louis XIV. In
the dedication of his first guitar book (1682) he mentions that he
was often called upon by the king to amuse the dauphin, and the
diary of the Count of Dangeau from the year 1686 states that he
regularly played the guitar at the king’s bedside in the evenings.
Between 1694 and 1705 Visée frequently performed at the French
court, particularly at the evening gatherings of Mme de Maintenon,
with the flautists Descoteaux and Philibert, the harpsichordist Jean-
Baptiste Buterne and the viol player Antoine Forqueray. In 1709 he
was appointed to the post of singer in the royal chamber in
recognition of his service to the court, in which he had not until then
held a position. In 1719 he was formally appointed guitar teacher to
the king, although he had actually been the king’s instructor since
1695; his son François succeeded him in this post in 1721. A letter
of Jean Rousseau of 1688 indicates that Visée was a respected
musician at Versailles and that he also played the viol.
Visée’s two published guitar books contain a total of 12 suites as
well as several miscellaneous pieces. The longer suites generally
begin with the usual allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue
and end with lighter pieces such as the gavotte, minuet and
bourrée. In the shorter suites there is no consistent order of
movements. The Suite no.6 in C minor includes a beautiful
tombeau dedicated to Corbetta. Visée’s guitar compositions are
intended for a five-course instrument tuned a/a–d/d'–g/g–b/b–e'.
Exploiting the instrument’s resources to the fullest extent, they
constitute along with the later works of Corbetta the apex of the
French Baroque guitar literature. Visée’s works for Baroque lute
and theorbo comprise the same types of dance pieces as are
found in his guitar music and often duplicate the guitar works,
although it is difficult to determine for which instrument the original
versions were written. The fact that a substantial number of
theorbo works survives in manuscript sources shows the regard in
which Visée was held. Though they lack character pieces and
Italian influence, they reveal him as a fitting partner for his
colleagues Marin Marais and François Couperin. These pieces
also include various tombeaux as well as arrangements of pieces
by Lully, Marais, Forqueray and François Couperin.
WORKS
Edition: R. de Visée: Oeuvres complètes pour guitare, ed. R. Strizich (Paris,
1971)

Livre de guittarre dédié au roy (Paris, 1682/R)

Livre de pièces pour la guittarre (Paris, 1686/R)
Pièces de théorbe et de luth mises en partition dessus et basse (Paris,
1716)
Air, Que la bouteille a d’attraits, in Concerts parodiques, iv (Paris, 1732)
Various works, some from the foregoing publications, are in the following:
Recueil des pièces de guitarre, ed. J.B.L. de Castillon, Ghent, 1730, B-Bc;
Passacalles y obras de guitarra, ed. S. de Murcia, 1732, GB-Lbl; F-Pn (7
MSS)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
BenoitMC
La BordeE
C. Liddell: The Guitar, Theorbo and Lute Works of Robert de
Visée: a Study in his Process of Arranging (diss., Schola
Cantorum Basiliensis, 1976)
A. Dunn: Style and Development in the Theorbo Works of Robert
Visée: an Introductory Study (diss., U. of California, San
Diego, 1989)
B.L. Prud’homme: A Source Study and Thematic Catalogue of
Robert de Visée’s Theorbo Works (diss., U. of Colorado, 1992)
A. Miteran: ‘Manuscrit inédit de Robert de Visée’, Guitare, lv
(1995), 32–4
ROBERT STRIZICH/DAVID LEDBETTER