François Couperin (1668–1733)
Known as “le Grand”, organist of Saint-Gervais and musician to Louis XIV, François Couperin is the master of French harpsichord music, author of four books of pieces with poetic titles.
François Couperin was born in Paris in 1668 into a dynasty of musicians. Very young he inherited the organ loft of the church of Saint-Gervais, which his family held for more than a century and a half, and in 1693 he became one of the organists of Louis XIV’s Chapelle Royale.
He published four books of Pièces de clavecin (1713, 1717, 1722 and 1730), totalling 27 “ordres” — suites in which traditional dances sit alongside portraits and scenes with evocative titles: Les Barricades mystérieuses, Le Tic-Toc-Choc, Les Moissonneurs, Le Rossignol en amour.
In 1716 he published L’Art de toucher le clavecin, a method dealing with fingering, hand position and the execution of ornaments. It argues for a supple, elegant touch and for fingerings that favour legato.
Couperin also sought to unite French and Italian tastes, as his Concerts royaux and his tributes to Lully and Corelli show. His sacred music, such as the Leçons de ténèbres, is deeply intense.
Bach admired him, and two centuries later Ravel paid homage with Le Tombeau de Couperin. At the piano, his pieces teach refinement of touch, the art of ornaments and the shaping of interwoven voices.