Belle van Zuylen (=Isabelle de Charrière)
(b. Zuylen castle, near Utrecht, Oct 20, 1740; d. Colombier, Switzerland, Dec 26, 1805)
Dutch writer and composer Belle van Zuylen, was born into a noble family. Her letters and short novels are a great source for information about her life. In 1764, she expressed a wish to study composition with Rameau, unfortunately he died the same year and she only started studying with Niccolò Zingarelli in 1785.
Works:
Her surviving compositions comprise six menuetten for string quartet, nine piano sonatas and ten airs and romances, all have been published by Donemus Publishing Company in Amsterdam edited by Prof. Dr. M. Flothuis. Nederlandse Muziek Instituut has some of her
manuscripts available as well.
Donemus
sheet music
Public Library in Amsterdam
sheet music
Further reading:
Isabelle de Charrière and Constant d’Hermenches There Are No Letters Like Yours: The Correspondence of Isabelle de Charrière and Constant d’Hermenches (Bison Books, 2002).
Other:
Podcast about Belle van Zuylen (Dutch)
