Classical Music / Composers Datebook: November 10
François Couperin (10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733), was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand ("Couperin the Great"), to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.
He was also noted for his harpsichord and organ music, highly influential to Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
Life in Brief
Couperin was born in Paris. He was taught by his father, Charles Couperin, who died when François was about 10, and by Jacques Thomelin. In 1685 he became the organist at the church of Saint-Gervais, Paris, a post he inherited from his father and that he would pass on to his cousin, Nicolas Couperin, and other members of the family. In 1693 Couperin succeeded his teacher Thomelin as organist at the Chapelle Royale (Royal Chapel) with the title organiste du Roi, organist by appointment to Louis XIV.
In 1717 Couperin became court organist and composer, with the title ordinaire de la musique de la chambre du Roi. With his colleagues, Couperin gave a weekly concert, typically on Sunday. Many of these concerts were in the form of suites for violin, viol, oboe, bassoon and harpsichord (his expertise). In 1724, Couperin moved to the Rue Radziwill, close to the Académie Royale de Musique. There he stayed for the rest of his life. He died in Paris in 1733.
Works of Couperin
Couperin acknowledged his debt to the Italian composer Corelli, whose trio sonata form he introduced to France. Couperin's grand trio sonata was subtitled Le Parnasse, ou L'apothéose de Corelli ("Parnassus, or the Apotheosis of Corelli"). In it he blended the Italian and French styles of music in a set of pieces which he called Les goûts réunis ("Styles Reunited").
His most famous book, L'art de toucher le clavecin ("The Art of Harpsichord Playing", published in 1716), contains suggestions for fingerings, touch, ornamentation and other features of keyboard technique. Many of Couperin's keyboard pieces, likened to miniature tone poems, express a mood through key choices and adventurous harmonies. These features attracted Richard Strauss, who orchestrated some of them. Johannes Brahms's piano music was also influenced by the keyboard music of Couperin. Brahms performed Couperin's music in public and contributed to the first complete edition of Couperin's Pièces de clavecin by Friedrich Chrysander in the 1880s.
Video Credit:
Alexandre Tharaud plays Francois Couperin. Youtube, uploaded by Faces of Classical Music - 11. Accessed November 10, 2017.
Resources:
(c) 2009-2017. Tel Asiado. Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
François Couperin (10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733), was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand ("Couperin the Great"), to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family. He was also noted for his harpsichord and organ music, highly influential to Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
Life in Brief
Couperin was born in Paris. He was taught by his father, Charles Couperin, who died when François was about 10, and by Jacques Thomelin. In 1685 he became the organist at the church of Saint-Gervais, Paris, a post he inherited from his father and that he would pass on to his cousin, Nicolas Couperin, and other members of the family. In 1693 Couperin succeeded his teacher Thomelin as organist at the Chapelle Royale (Royal Chapel) with the title organiste du Roi, organist by appointment to Louis XIV.
In 1717 Couperin became court organist and composer, with the title ordinaire de la musique de la chambre du Roi. With his colleagues, Couperin gave a weekly concert, typically on Sunday. Many of these concerts were in the form of suites for violin, viol, oboe, bassoon and harpsichord (his expertise). In 1724, Couperin moved to the Rue Radziwill, close to the Académie Royale de Musique. There he stayed for the rest of his life. He died in Paris in 1733.
Works of Couperin
Couperin acknowledged his debt to the Italian composer Corelli, whose trio sonata form he introduced to France. Couperin's grand trio sonata was subtitled Le Parnasse, ou L'apothéose de Corelli ("Parnassus, or the Apotheosis of Corelli"). In it he blended the Italian and French styles of music in a set of pieces which he called Les goûts réunis ("Styles Reunited").
His most famous book, L'art de toucher le clavecin ("The Art of Harpsichord Playing", published in 1716), contains suggestions for fingerings, touch, ornamentation and other features of keyboard technique. Many of Couperin's keyboard pieces, likened to miniature tone poems, express a mood through key choices and adventurous harmonies. These features attracted Richard Strauss, who orchestrated some of them. Johannes Brahms's piano music was also influenced by the keyboard music of Couperin. Brahms performed Couperin's music in public and contributed to the first complete edition of Couperin's Pièces de clavecin by Friedrich Chrysander in the 1880s.
Video Credit:
Alexandre Tharaud plays Francois Couperin. Youtube, uploaded by Faces of Classical Music - 11. Accessed November 10, 2017.
Resources:
- Gillespie, John: Five Centuries of Keyboard Music: An historical survey of music for harpsichord and piano, New York NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1965.
- Free scores by François Couperin at the International Music Score Library Project
- Free scores by François Couperin in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- The Mutopia Project has compositions by François Couperin
- Sadie, Stanley, Ed. The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1994.
(c) 2009-2017. Tel Asiado. Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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