Carolus Hacquart was undoubtedly the most important composer in the Netherlands during the late 17th century. Probably born in Bruges around 1643, he spent his entire career in the Netherlands: initially at Rotterdam where he was active as an independent musician and as a teacher among the burghers of the city, then at Amsterdam and finally at the Hague, where he hoped (but failed) to gain a court appointment. Hacquart was a great synthesiser: he incorporated popular characteristics into the aristocratic sonata and combined the sonata da chiesa and the sonata da camera by introducing dances and elements derived from the suite. He blended the Italian influence, which can be noted in the free melodic development of his solo passages, with the English influence apparent in his dense ensemble writing that alternates with concertante sections. His polyphonic writing, too, recalls English consorts – unless it is to be seen as an echo of Flemish polyphony.