Antoine Forqueray (September 1671 – 28 June 1745) was a French composer and virtuoso of the viola da gamba.
Forqueray, born in Paris, was the first in a line of composers who included his brother Michel (1681–1757) and his sons Jean-Baptiste (1699–1782) and Nicolas Gilles (1703–1761). Forqueray was named musicien ordinaire of La chambre du Roy of Louis XIV in 1689 and played at court. Until 1710, he was accompanied by his wife on the harpsichord in his recitals. In 1730, he retired to Mantes-la-Jolie, where he died in 1745.
His son published his works for the viola de gamba in 1747 (two years after his father's death) together with a version for harpsichord.
Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray were considered by their contemporaries as the two greatest virtuosi of the viola da gamba.
This article is based on a translation of the article on Antoine Forqueray in the French Wikipedia.