François Couperin , known as “the Large one” (Paris November 10th 1668 - Paris September 11th 1733) was one of the principal French type-setters of the time “baroque”. It owes its fame mainly with its work of Clavecin, most important and one of most remarkable of all the French school.

Its life

Originating in Thatch-in-Brie, the Couperin belong to one of the most families of French musicians Des. Like many his/her colleagues, François Couperin is quite naturally intended, as of its birth, with a musical career. The father of François Couperin, Charles (1639 - 1679), was the youngest brother of Louis Couperin and had succeeded to him like holder of the organ of the Parisian church of Saint-Gervais. He was also professor of harpsichord of the duchess of Orleans.

François learned the music near his father before even from reading and writing. He did not make general studies and its writings are of a style and an orthography which leave much to be desired. Orphan early, it was already sufficiently gifted so that one ensures to him the “survival” of his father to the organ of Gervais Saint - i.e. transmission of the load of holder - by temporarily entrusting it to Michel-Richard Delalande until the boy had the necessary age and experiment.

He improved near Jacques Thomelin, organist of Saint-Jacob Butchery and, especially, one of the 4 holders of the organ of the Royal Chapelle. It is certainly via Delalande and Buterne that it entered to the service of Louis XIV.

Its qualities of musicians highly made it appreciate of the sovereign, and it was named one of the four organists (by district) of the Royal Vault. Couperin, which was not a man of intrigues, lived only for its art, and did not obtain a station that its gifts should have ensured him: that of harpsichordist of the king. It is the son of Jean-Henri d' Anglebert, poor musician, who preserved the survival of the load when his/her father died.

Of fragile health and character little society man, Couperin as for him carried out an honest career of musician and professor, however appreciated the large ones who saw him only one rival: Commercial Louis. Few events of its personal life deserve to be noted, if it is not the disappearance of one of its sons which left the paternal residence without almost never returning there. As for his/her two daughters they were themselves of the accomplished musicians. Towards the end of its life, it gave up its various loads gradually, in particular with the Royal Chapelle and its platform with the organ of Saint-Gervais.

Couperin is above all, with Jean-Philippe Rameau, the large Master of the harpsichord in France at the XVIIIe century, as well by the quantity of the parts as by their quality. Its work includes/understands 27 orders in 4 books: the first are still attached, in a very free way, after traditional (but can comprise a significant number of parts: up to 22 for the second order). Any reference to the dance tunes disappears starting from the second collection and Couperin works out a style which is very personal for him, fact of a discrete poetry, an elegiac atmosphere and a technique which is never let dominate by virtuosity or the effects.

In spite of the last years to hold the organ of Saint-Gervais and Royal Vault, Couperin - as many his/her colleagues organists - left for this instrument only two masses, early works, which constitute nevertheless one of the tops of the traditional French repertory.

Works

Instrumental works

  • for the harpsichord:
Main uncontested of the harpsichord, François Couperin folds the “Suite of dances” to its poetic sensitivity, while deviating more and more, with the wire of its 4 collections, of the traditional structure “German - Courante - Sarabande - Gigue”. It does not use besides the name of “continuation” but that d'" order " , imitated by several of his/her colleagues and admirors.
    • First book (1713) : Orders 1 to 5
      • 1st order , ground m/sol M: Allemande the majestic one; First current; Second current; Saraband the majestic one; Gavotte; Milordine, gigue; Minuet (and double); Silvains; Bees; Nanète; Sentimens, saraband; The pastorelle one; Nonètes (blondes, the brown ones); The bourbonnoise, gavotte; Manon; The enchanter; Flowered, or tender Nanette; Pleasures of German St in Laÿe
      • 2nd order , D m/ré M: Allemande the hard one; First current; Second current; Saraband the prude; Antonine; Gavote; Minuet; The Canaries (with double); Passepied; Rigadoon; Charoloise; The Diane; Brass band for the suitte of the Diane; Terpsicore; Florentine; Garnier; Babet; Happy ideas; The Mimi; The diligent one; The flateuse one; The voluptuous one; The butterflies
      • 3rd order , C m/do M: Dark, German; First current; Second current; The lugubrious one, saraband; Gavotte; Minuet; Pélerines; Laurentines; Espagnolète; Regrets; Fish stews of Provence; The favorite one, chaconne; The lutine
      • 4th order , F M: The walk of the gray-vêtus; Baccanales; The pateline; The réveil-matin
      • 5th order , M/la m: The logiviére, allemande; First current; Second current; The dangerous one, saraband; Gigue; Tender Fanchon; The badine; The bandoline; Flora; Angelica; Villers; The Vendangeuses; Agrémens; The ondes
    • Second book (1716-17) : Orders 6 to 12
      • 6th order , if M: Harvesters; Thetender ones; The chirp; Bersan; Mistérieuses baricades; Sheep-folds, rondo; Gossip; The midge
      • 7th order , ground M/sol m: Ménetou; Small ages: The MUSE being born, the childish one, the teenager, delights; The Basque; Chazé; The amusemens
      • 8th order , if m: Raphaéle; Allemande Ausoniéne; current; Second current; Saraband the single one; Gavotte; Rondo; Gigue; Passacaille; Monéte
      • 9th order , M/la m: Allemande with two harpsichords; The refreshing one; Charms; The Princess of Direction; The olimpique one; Insinuating; The tempting one; Bavolet-flotant; Small-mourning, or three widows; Minuet
      • 10th order , D M/ré m: Triumphing; Mézangére; Gabriéle; Nointéle; The fringante; The Amazon; The trifles
      • 11th order , C m/do M: The castelane; The etincelante, or the bontems; Graces-naturéles; Zénobie; Records of large and old Mxnxstrxndxsx 5 actes
      • 12th order , semi M/mi m: Binoculars; The respondent, movement of current; The gallant one; The coribante; Vauvré; The ropemaking machine; The boulonoise; Atalante
    • Third book (1722) : Orders 13 to 19
      • 13th order , if m: The lilies naissans; The rozeaux ones; Engaging; The madnesses françoises, or dominos; The heart pains
      • 14th order , D M/ré m: Nightingale-in-love; Double of the nightingale; Linote-startled; Plaintive fauvétes; The nightingale-winner; Julliet; The chime of Cithére; The petit-rien
      • 15th order , the m/la M: The regent, or Minerve; The dodo, or love with the cradle; Evaporated; Muséte de Choisi; Muséte de Taverni; Soft and prickly one; Flowered orchards; The Princess of Chabeüil, or the MUSE of Monaco
      • 16th order , ground M/sol m: Incomparable graces, or Conti; The himenamour; Vestals; The pleasant Therese; The funny one of body; The inattentive one; Létiville
      • 17th order , semi m: The superb one, or Forqueray; Small windmills; Stamps; Current; Small the chrémiéres of Bagnolet
      • 18th order , F m/fa M: Allemande Verneüil; Verneüilléte; Monique sister; The turbulent one; The atendrissante; The tic-fake-shock, or maillotins; The gaillard-boiteux
      • 19th order , D m/ré M: Churchgoers and Calotines, or the part with tretous; Calotines; The ingénuë; The artist; Collapse Ixcxbxnxs; The MUSE-Palantine; The enjouée
    • Fourth book (1728) : Orders 20 to 27
      • 20th order , ground M/sol m: The Marie Princess; The boufonne; Chérubins, or pleasant Lazure; Croûilli, or Couperinéte; Madelon fine; Soft Janneton; Sezile; The tambourins
      • 21e order , semi m: The queen of the hearts; Leaping; Couperin; The clean-flanked one; The small one grip-without rire
      • 22e order , D M/ré m: The trophy; The point of the day, allemande; The eel; The trip; Cross minuets; Turns of passe-passe
      • 23e order , F M: The daring one; Knitting machines; The arlequine; Gondoles of Délos; Satires, chèvre-pieds
      • 24e order , the m/la M: Old lords, serious saraband; Young lords; Dars-homicides; Garlands; Let us brinborions; The divineone, or the loves airspeed indicators; Beautiful Javotte, another time the infante; The amphibian, movement of passacaille
      • 25e order , semi M/do M/do m: The visionary; The misterieuse one; Monflambert; The MUSE victorious; The shades errantes
      • 26e order , F m: The convalescent; Gavote; The Sophie; The thorny one; The pantomime
      • 27e order , if m: Exquisite, German; Poppies; The Chinese; Saillie
    • a didactic work the Art of touching the harpsichord (1716) also containing eight preludes and allemande
Allemande, minor D; First prelude, major C; Second prelude, minor D; Third prelude, minor ground; Fourth prelude, minor F; Fifth prelude, the major one; Sixth prelude, so minor; Seventh prelude, if major; Eighth prelude, semi minor
  • for the organ: two mass S (1690)
Consistent parts of organ in two masses: `with the ordinary use of the parishes'; `clean for the general assemblies of Freemasons of monk and nuns' (Paris, 1690)
  • sonatas in trio (about 1690)
    • the Virgin
    • Steinkerque
    • the Visionary
    • Astrée

  • sonata in quartet (about 1695): Superb the

  • the Nations (1726): these parts in trio include/understand a sonade (sic) and a continuation

    • the Frenchwoman (with the Virgin begin)
    • Spanish the (with the Visionary begin)
    • Imperial the
    • Piedmontese the (with Astrée begin)

  • “Apotheoses”, continuations in trio (1724)

    • the Parnassus or the apotheosis of Corelli
    • Concert in the form of apotheosis to the memory of incomparable Mr. de Lully

  • Concert royal (1714) N° 1 to 4

  • New Concerts or joined together Tastes (1724) N° 5 to 14

  • Pièces of viols (1728) 2 continuations

Religious vocal works

  • Lessons of darkness (1714)
  • a score of motets
  • Rises, Magnificat, etc

Profane vocal works

  • a dozen airs to one, two or three votes.

Treaty

  • the Art of touching the harpsichord
Text and partitions available on Mutopia Project: here, original version on www.bnf.fr

See too

External bonds

The Art of touching the harpsichord Free downloading of the work on the Gallica site of the National library of France
Iconography Free downloading of still images digitized on the Gallica site of the National library of France
  • Werner Icking Music Files Many free partitions of rights of Couperin

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