Description
Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy began his career as a Jesuit’s novice in 1621 and was appointed Directeur de la musique of the Jesuits of Paris in 1660, a position he held until his death in 1675. We know two of his music books, in which one can find almost all of the pieces needed for the parish’s offices:
- – Musica sacra ad vesperas, Paris: Robert III Ballard, 1659, held in Toulouse (Médiathèque d’agglomération), superius partbook only;
- – Musica sacra ad varias Ecclesiæ preces… pars altera, idem: 1661, Paris (Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève) and in Toulouse (superius only).
The antiphons “O” are published in his second book. Maybe another book was published in 1650 but it cannot be ascertained yet.
Like Moulinié’s and Du Mont’s, Geoffroy’s music uses alternations between soloists (text written in italic) and choir (text written in roman), accompaniment of the superius by the other voices or with organ only, and added viols and violins parts .
