Guillaume-Louis Pecour: A Biographical Essay

Abstract

Pecour is known for his dance compositions which were published by Feuillet at the beginning of the eighteenth century; they are precise and rare works, indispensable for our knowledge of French Opera from Lully to Rameau. As far as Pecour's life is concerned, however despite mention by writers as famous as La Bruyere and Madame de Sevigne this has aroused little interest among historians. No biographical study has yet been devoted to him and the few details that are available can only be found in dictionary entries: Jal's Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d'histoire and MarieFranmoise Christout's article in I'Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo. 2 These useful entries are incomplete and can now be supplemented by the discovery of numerous unpublished documents which throw light on the life of one of the most illustrious dancers in the early history of ballet. According to Jal who was able to consult parish registers before they were destroyed by the Commune in 1871, Guillaume-Louis Pecour was born in Paris on August 10th, 1653. That date will require revision since a notary's record written on the day Pecour was buried (April 13th, 1729) and, therefore, very soon after his death, fixes his age at 76.3 Pecour must then have been born before April 13th, 1653. Although Pecour's birth certificate has never been found, that of his younger brother Louis-Alexandre was transcribed by Beffara,4 and allows us to check the information provided by Jal. The mothers' names of the two brothers are different. Pecour's is given as Marie Voisin while (according to Beffara's transcription) the mother of the younger brother was Marie Raisin. Both sources give the same father's name Jacques confirmed by other sources.5 Louis-Alexandre Pecour's birth certificate, dated October 10th, 1656, gives other details. At this time, the family lived in Paris, rue des Petits Champs, not far from Saint Eustache where LouisAlexandre's baptism was performed. Jacques appears on the document as a King's messenger ('courier du Cabinet du roi');