Born in Blois, Boësset (1586-1643) was one of Louis 13th's favourite musicians. He was music tutor for the children of the Musique de la Chambre du Roi (1613) , then for the Queen (1615). He inherited the post of Superintendent of the King's music in 1622 from his father-in-law Guédron, whom he consequently outshone. He helped produce court ballets for 30 years including La Délivrance de Renaud (1617), Le Ballet de la Reyne représentant le Soleil (1621), Le Ballet des Dandins (1626), Le Grand Bal de la douairière de Billebahaut (1626) and Le Ballet de la Félicité (1639). He also wrote nine books of 4-5 part airs de cour and five books of airs with lute tablature, as well as other collections of airs. Boësset moved Guédron style melodramatic ballets de cour towards ballets à entrées where the narrative was no longer an instrinsic part of the plot. His airs de cour reflect a shift from the start of the century to Lambert's style. From 1632 onwards he sought to add a French touch to the Italian style, opening up the genre, making declamation more refined and heartfelt. His final polyphonic compositions feature a continuo.
