Le Sieur de Machy

Monsieur de Machy ( bl. end of the 17th century ), also known as Le Sieur de Machy or Demachy, was a French composer, viol player and instrumental teachers.

He studied with Nicolas Hotman. At least since 1692 he lived in Paris. Machy described himself as the first composers to print works for the viola da gamba. This is so far not quite right, as already in 1642 Nicolas Metrus collection Fantaisies pour les Violles had appeared; these and other, however, were written for the viol consort, while Machys Pièces de Violle (1685 ) showed a preference for the polyphonic game in the tradition of Hotman, André Maugars and M. de Sainte -Colombe on the solo viola da gamba. The eight surviving from Machy suites are printed to a half in musical notation, the other half in tablature. Preceded by them is a technical introduction, which is of high musikgeschichtlichem value because it lists the most important ornaments and describes the manner of their execution.

Unlike his contemporaries Machy was set conservatively. He emphatically opposed new playing techniques, as the Sainte- Colombe- school ( Marais, Le Sieur Danoville, Jean Rousseau ) began. His view of the thumb of the left hand could be pointing as also positioned opposite the middle finger as the lute, theorbo and guitar against both the sparked in Rousseau and Danoville in protest. Both written in the main polemical writings in which the view that the thumb should lie only against the forefinger, played only a minor role. Machy responded in turn with a polemic that is lost; was retained Rousseau Réponse de Monsieur Rousseau à la lettre d'un de ses amis (1688 ), citing the Machys font in excerpts.