Le Mercure Galant

Charlotte Spruit, Sergio Bucheli, Jonathan Manson

Linn Records

"Spruit's overall approach is immediately on display in the Westhoff Suite for solo violin, with not only lavish ornamentation and over-dotting bar subtle use of spiccato and pizzicato adding colour and variety (listen to the Allemande in particular) to an already generous palette."

"All in all, a fine debut from an artist whose technique and musicality are matched by a broader artistic imagination."

Gramophone, 2025

In 1682, the illustrious violinist and composer Johann Paul von Westhoff, en route from London to Italy, stopped in Versailles to perform two of his works for violin before Louis XIV and his court. His dazzling performances not only captivated the King but also earned his compositions a coveted spot in Le Mercure galant, a prominent magazine reporting the vibrant cultural life of the French court, featuring poetry, gossip, reviews, and most notably music.

The refined musical tastes of Louis XIV set the tone for society. Among his favourites was the prodigious Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, whose violin sonatas, as reported by Le Mercure galant, astonished the King. Declaring them ‘like nothing he had ever heard before’, the King praised her originality and genius. Equally compelling is Robert de Visée, the King’s cherished lute player, whose compositions (initially for solo lute) were ingeniously adapted with a separate dessus (upper) line, transforming them into versatile pieces that could be enjoyed by anyone.

Le Mercure galant predominantly published songs, which could be sung or played at home by anyone who loved music. This album includes two of these stunning arias: Michel Lambert’s ‘Le repos, l’ombre, le silence’ and Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s ‘Sans frayeur dans ce bois’, with virtuoso improvisations and divisions for the violin.

Our album Le Mercure Galant recreates the intimate atmosphere of a seventeenth-century Parisian salon, where the city’s elite gathered to enjoy the latest musical treasures, this time brought to life by the violin, viola da gamba and lute.