Mlle Bocquet facts for kids

Mlle Bocquet (whose first name might have been Anne or Marguerite) was a talented French musician and composer who lived in the 1600s. She played the lute, a stringed instrument popular back then, and wrote her own music. She was also known for hosting a special kind of gathering called a Salon.

Who Was Mlle Bocquet?

Mlle Bocquet was a French woman from the early 17th century. We don't know her exact birth year, but we know she was active after 1661. She was a skilled lutenist, meaning she played the lute, which is like an old guitar. She was also a composer, creating her own musical pieces.

Her Famous Salon

From 1653 to 1659, Mlle Bocquet hosted a special event called a Salon. She ran this Salon with another famous woman named Mlle de Scudéry. Salons were popular in France during this time. They were like fancy get-togethers where important people, especially writers, artists, and thinkers, would meet to talk about ideas, share their work, and enjoy music.

Mlle Bocquet was connected to important groups like the Académie française. This was a very important French organization that focused on the French language and literature. Being in contact with its members shows how respected and well-known she was in her time.

Mlle Bocquet's Music

Mlle Bocquet was known for her unique musical compositions. She wrote music that explored many different sounds and notes on the lute. She created pieces called preludes for almost every musical key. This was quite advanced for her time!

Some of her music can still be found today. A special old book of music, called a Manuscript, named F-Pn Vm.7 6214, is kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (the National Library of France). This manuscript contains many of her lute preludes. Her music also appears in other old manuscripts from France, Germany, and England that were written in the second half of the 17th century.

Learning More About Mlle Bocquet

If you want to learn more about Mlle Bocquet and her music, here are some books and articles that mention her:

• M. Rollin and A. Souris wrote a book called Ouvres des Bocquet in Paris in 1972.
• Stéphanie Félicité comtesse de Genlis wrote her Mémoires inédits (unpublished memories) in Paris and London in 1825.
• A. Ahmadzadeh wrote an article about Mlle Bocquet on the Iranmusicology website in 2022.