Philidor (''Filidor'') or Danican Philidor was a family of musicians that served as court musicians to the French kings. The original name of the family was Danican (D'Anican) and was of Scottish origin (Duncan). Philidor was a later addition to the family name, given first to Michel the elder by Louis XIII because his oboe playing reminded the king of an Italian virtuoso oboist named Filidori. Both Michel the younger and Jean played in the Grande Écurie (literally, the Great Stable; figuratively, the Military Band) in Paris. Later members of the family were known as composers as well. One of them (François-André Danican Philidor) was a chess master. * Michel Danican Philidor the elder (1580–1651) ** Michel Danican Philidor the younger (c. 1610–1659) was a renowned oboist and, together with Jean Hotteterre, co-invented the oboe by modifying the shawm so that the bore was narrower and the reed could be held near the end by the player's lips **

Jean Danican Philidor Jean Danican (D'Anican) Philidor (c. 1620 – September 8, 1679) was a court musician at Versailles during the reign of Louis XIII, and a member of the prestigious Philidor family. The name Philidor was conferred upon Jean's elder brother, Michel D ...

(c. 1620–1679), the first whose name appears as ''Danican dit Philidor'', father of the next generation *

André Danican Philidor André Danican Philidor may refer to: * François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795), chess master and composer * André Danican Philidor the elder André Danican Philidor the elder rench: ''l'aîné''(, Versailles – 11 August 1730, Dreux) ...

(André I, "l'aîné") (c. 1652–1730), son of Jean, composer of the ''Marche française (Marche royale)'' (1679) **

François Danican Philidor François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King o ...

(c. 1680-1730), son of André l'aîné, half brother of Anne **

Anne Danican Philidor Anne Danican Philidor (11 April 1681 – 8 October 1728) was a French woodwind player and composer of the Philidor family. Born in Paris on 11 April 1681, his grandfather and father were also professional woodwind players in the king's service. An ...

(1681–1728), son of André, founder of a series of public concerts ** Michel Danican Philidor III (1683–1723), son of André ** François-André Danican Philidor (André II) (1726–1795), very late son of André; opera composer (notably ''Tom Jones''), and the strongest chess master in the 18th century. He is considered by many to be one of the strongest players in chess history. His name is renowned among all chess players and there are two important chess terms named for his innovations: *** the

Philidor defence The Philidor Defence (or Philidor's Defence) is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 d6 The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor, who advocated it as an alternative ...

, an opening *** the

Philidor position The Philidor position (or Philidor's position) is a chess endgame involving a drawing technique for the defending side in the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. This technique is known as the ''third defense'' due to the positioning of the d ...

, an endgame position *

Jacques Danican Philidor Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

(known as "le cadet", being the younger brother of Philidor the Elder) (1657–1708), son of Jean, composer of the ''Marche à quatre timbales pour le Carrousel de Monseigneur'' (1685) **

Pierre Danican Philidor Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

(1681–1731), son of Jacques le cadet, also a musician

References

* Rebecca Harris-Warrick and Julian Rushton. "Philidor." In ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

''. {{surname French-language surnames Show business families of France