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Of all the highly talented minor composers active in 18th-century France, Jean-Baptiste Quentin (c.1690–c.1760) is perhaps the most skilful and productive not yet to have won substantial recognition. Precisely 123 compositions by him survive, all of them published in a series of nineteen collections that appeared between 1724 and c.1750. Quentin was primarily a violinist in the orchestra of the Paris opera, being in fact one of its most distinguished names, but from 1738 served there as a viola player. He left the orchestra towards 1750, and his last years were spent in obscurity.
Quentin’s trio sonatas are impressive for their command of all the elements of musical composition, particularly counterpoint (fugues are one of his specialities). They mix French and Italian elements attractively and vary the movement types employed intelligently so as to give each work individuality. Op. 7 (c.1735) shows him eager to display, in selected movements, the inspiration he had received from Vivaldi’s concertos. This influence manifests itself equally in structure (three-movement layout, use of ritornello form), the writing for the violin (introducing complex passagework characteristic of concertos) and, more generally, an increased fondness for strong musical contrasts.
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Music example Sonata No. 1 (pdf)