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French composer, teacher and organist. Jean-Francois Tapray was born in Nomeny, France (it is believed) in 1738. His father was Jan Taperet, who was also a well regarded teacher and organist in France. Jan Taperet had six children, four of which were organists and teachers. These were his sons Jean-Baptiste, Claude-Antoinette and Henri-Philibert. The latter son played for the Royal Family at Versailles in 1755 and was the best-known Tapray organist. It is only from a newspaper article written about him that we have a mention of his brother Jean-Francois writing an organ concerto at age 18 in 1757, thus giving us the only information on his probable year of birth.
Jean-Francois studied music and organ in his early years and performed around France until 1765, when he became organist at Besancon Cathedral. He had begun composing around 1758, issuing that year a set of six concerti for organ or harpsichord, with strings. Tapray spent the summers of 1767 and 1768 in Paris, no doubt looking for advancement. He eventually (in 1772) settled in Paris, becoming the \'maitre de clavecin\' and organist at the Ecole Royale Militaire. The chapel there was attached to the Ordres Royaux Militaires et Hospitaliers de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jerusalem in 1779, and Jean-Francois retained this name in his primary title for the rest of his life. He resigned from this post in 1786 due to poor health.
(Gary Smith and Dennis Pajot)
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