1752—Sainte-Croix, Switzerland

The town council draws up a contract with 5 Jaccard brothers to play “saquebutes, hautbois and bassons for the singing of Psalms on every Sunday and annual feast days” for the sum of 90 Florins per year. Two years later, Pierre Jaccard, father of the 5 Jaccard brothers, establishes the Jaccard Family Charitable Fund, the founding document of which says, “In order to augment the funds, I counsel my children to continue to play their sackbuts [saquebutes] and other musical instruments in the church and to apply those wages annually to increase the capital of said Society.” The children scrupulously observe their father’s council, making regular deposits in the “Charitable Fund” until the year 1762 (Burdet, Canton Vaud; special thanks to Jerry-Louis Jaccard, translator).