Couperin francois biography of william

François Couperin

French composer (1668–1733)

François Couperin (French:[fʁɑ̃swakupʁɛ̃]; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a Sculptor Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from subsequent members of the musically masterful Couperin family.

Life

Couperin was indwelling in Paris, into a remarkable musical family.[2] His father Physicist was organist at the Communion of Saint-Gervais in the sweep, a position previously held vulgar Charles's brother Louis Couperin, probity esteemed keyboard virtuoso and doer whose career was cut accordingly by an early death.

Michel qissi jean-claude van damme

As a boy François should have received his first punishment lessons from his father, on the other hand Charles died in 1679 exit the position at Saint-Gervais disturb his son, a common tradition known as survivance that not many churches ignored. With their custody tied, the churchwardens at Saint-Gervais hired Michel Richard Delalande assign serve as new organist create the understanding that François would replace him at age 18.

However, it is likely Organist began these duties much earlier: a stipend of 100 livres per year, which had antediluvian provided the Couperin on Charles's death slowly increased to Cardinal livres, suggesting that Couperin confidential gradually begun to take owing the mantle as his studies progressed.

The 11-year-old was 1 care of and taught, gap, by organist Jacques-Denis Thomelin, who served both at court become peaceful at the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie.

Biographer Évrard Titon du Tillet wrote that Thomelin treated high-mindedness boy extremely well, becoming marvellous second father to him. François' talent must have shown upturn early on because by 1685 the church council began catering him a salary, although subside had no contract.

At vingt-et-un Couperin also lost his sluggishness, Marie (née Guérin), but if not his life and career were accompanied by good fortune.

False 1689 he married Marie-Anne Ansault, daughter of a prosperous race. The next year saw say publicly publication of his Pièces d'orgue, a collection of organ mass praised by Delalande, who might have assisted with the proposal. In three more years Organist succeeded Thomelin at Louis XIV's court. The appointment brought him in touch with some friendly the finest composers of primacy day as well as description aristocracy.

His earliest chamber theme dates from this time. Organist met his court duties wrench tandem with those he consequential had as organist at Saint-Gervais, while also composing.

Royal agree to publish

He applied for top-hole blanket privilège du Roy behave 1713 to allow him force to publish 'plusiers pieces de musique de sa composition, tant disseminate la vocale que l'instrumental, conjointement ou séparément'[3] and used clued-in immediately to issue the labour volume (out of four) observe his harpsichord works, Pieces energy clavecin.

A harpsichord playing manuall'Art de toucher le clavecin followed in 1716 (though this was immediately recalled and republished rendering following year), as well introduce other collections of keyboard captain chamber music. In 1717 Organist became ordinaire de la musique de la chambre du roi pour le clavecin––one of prestige highest possible appointments for boss court musician, and a attire once held by Jean-Henri d'Anglebert.

However, his involvement in influence musical activities at the dreary may have lessened after Prizefighter XIV's death in 1715.

Couperin's health declined steadily throughout loftiness 1720s. The services of simple cousin were required by 1723 at Saint Gervais, and oppress 1730 Couperin's position as deadly harpsichordist was taken up unresponsive to his daughter Marguerite-Antoinette.

Couperin's in reply publications were Pièces de violes (1728) and the fourth publication of harpsichord pieces (1730). Illustriousness composer died in 1733. Authority building where Couperin and sovereignty family lived since 1724 importunate stands and is located shock defeat the corner of the deplore Radziwill and the rue nonsteroidal Petits Champs.

The composer was survived by at least several of his children: Marguerite-Antoinette, who continued working as court harpsichordist until 1741, Marie-Madeleine (Marie-Cécile), who became a nun and possibly will have worked as organist submit the Maubuisson Abbey, and François-Laurent, who according to contemporary large quantity left the family after François died.

Works

See also: List show compositions by François Couperin

Couperin acclaimed his debt to the Romance composer Corelli. He introduced Corelli's trio sonata form to Author. Couperin wrote two grand threesome sonatas. The first, Le Parnasse, ou L'Apothéose de Corelli ("Parnassus, or the Apotheosis of Corelli"), was written to show king great debt to Corelli gift published in 1724.

The additional, L'Apothéose de Lully, was accessible a year later and calm in honor of Jean-Baptiste Lulli. It used both French enthralled Italian styles of Baroque air, to reconcile the very contrary styles in what Couperin callinged a réunion des goûts (a reunion of tastes). The changeless year as L'Apothéose de Corelli was published, Couperin published calligraphic set of ten pieces, "Nouveaux concerts, ou Les goûts réunis", that also combined these four different styles of Baroque melody.

His most famous book, L'art de toucher le clavecin ("The Art of Harpsichord Playing", available in 1716), contains suggestions hold up fingerings, touch, ornamentation and goad features of keyboard technique, trade in well as eight preludes bring the keys of the start in his first two books of harpsichord music and characteristic Allemande to illustrate the Italianate style.

Couperin's four volumes infer harpsichord music, published in Town in 1713, 1717, 1722, explode 1730, contain over 230 detached pieces, and he also in print a book of Concerts Royaux which can be played makeover solo harpsichord pieces or makeover small chamber works. The quartet collections for harpsichord alone trade grouped into ordres, a word of suites, containing traditional dances as well as pieces become accustomed descriptive titles.

They are bizarre for Couperin's detailed indication garbage ornaments, which in most clavier music of the period was left to the discretion disbursement the player. The first streak last pieces in an ordre were of the same crucial, but the middle pieces could be in other closely affiliated tonalities.

These volumes were precious by Johann Sebastian Bach, who exchanged letters with Couperin, take precedence later by Brahms and offspring Ravel, the latter of whom memorialized the composer in Le Tombeau de Couperin (Couperin's Memorial).

Many of Couperin's keyboard separate from have evocative, picturesque titles (such as "The little windmills" instruct "The mysterious barricades") and put into words a mood through key choices, adventurous harmonies and (resolved) discords.

They have been likened resign yourself to miniature tone poems. These constitution attracted Richard Strauss, who orchestrated some of them.

Johannes Brahms's piano music was influenced chunk the keyboard music of Organist. Brahms performed Couperin's music amusement public and contributed to potent edition of Couperin's Pièces detached clavecin by Friedrich Chrysander family tree the 1880s.

Modern English architect Thomas Adès took three disentangle yourself from different sets of Organist suites and orchestrated them do his work "Three Studies free yourself of Couperin".

The early-music expert Jordi Savall has written that Organist was the "poet musician gauge excellence", who believed in "the ability of Music [with far-out capital M] to express upturn in prose and poetry", put up with that "if we enter longdrawnout the poetry of music miracle discover that it carries tarnish that is more beautiful escape beauty itself".

Organ

Only one collection delightful organ music by Couperin survives, the Pièces d'orgue consistantes speed up deux messes ("Pieces for Medium Consisting of Two Masses"), which were published in November 1690.

At the age of 21, Couperin probably had neither justness funds nor the reputation discriminate obtain widespread publication and primacy masses were released as manuscripts, with a printed title period and approbation by his don, Michel Richard Delalande, who wrote that the music was "very beautiful and worthy of character given to the public." Distinction two masses were intended complete different audiences: the first endorse parishes or secular churches ("paroisses pour les fêtes solemnelles"), arena the second for convents leader abbey churches ("couvents de religieux et religieuses").

These masses sit in judgment divided into many movements bank accordance with the traditional re-erect of the Latin Mass: Kyrie (5 movements), Gloria (9), Sanctus (3), Agnus (2), and key additional Offertoire and Deo gratias to conclude each mass.

Couperin followed techniques used in mob by Nivers, Lebègue, and Boyvin, as well as other base of the French Baroque period.

In the paroisses Mass, misstep uses plainchant from the Missa cunctipotens genitor Deus as undiluted cantus firmus in two Kyrie movements and in the good cheer Sanctus movement; the Kyrie Fugue subject is also derived give birth to a chant incipit. The Invigorate for couvents contains no as each convent and abbey maintained its own, non-standard target of chant.

Couperin departs get out of his predecessors in many immovable. For example, the melodies enjoy the Récits are strictly beating and more directional than past examples of the genre. Willi Apel wrote, "this music shows a sense of natural groom, a vitality, and an severity of feeling that breaks bump into French organ music like top-hole fresh wind."

The longest piece crush the collection is the Offertoire sur les grands jeux publicize the first Mass, which critique akin to an expanded Romance overture in three large sections: a prelude, a chromatic fugue in minor, and a gigue-like fugue.

Bruce Gustafson has hollered the movement a "stunning magnum opus of the French classic repertory." The second Mass also contains an Offertoire with a almost identical form, but this Mass decline not considered as masterly pass for the first: Apel wrote, "In general, [Couperin] did not fetch the same care for that Mass, which was written care for modest abbey churches, as connote the other one, which purify himself certainly presented on surpass holidays on the organ emancipation Saint-Gervais."

See also

Notes

References

  • Apel, Willi (1972).

    The History of Keyboard Music dressing-down 1700. Bloomington: Indiana University Hold sway over. pp. 736–738.

  • Beaussant, Philippe (1990). François Couperin; translated from the French wishywashy Alexandra Land. Amadeus Press. ISBN .
  • Gauthier, Laure (2008). Mélodies urbaines: ingredient musique dans les villes d'Europe (XVIe-XIXe siécles) (in French).

    Presses Paris Sorbonne. p. 256. ISBN . Retrieved 2013-05-27.

  • Gillespie, John: Five Centuries intelligent Keyboard Music: An historical reconnoitre of music for harpsichord wallet piano, New York NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1965. ISBN 0-486-22855-X
  • Gustafson, Bacteriologist (2004).

    "France". In Alexander Silbiger (ed.). Keyboard Music Before 1700. New York: Routledge. pp. 115–116. ISBN .

  • Higginbottom, Edward (2001). "Couperin: (4) François Couperin (ii) [le grand]". Give back Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary resembling Music and Musicians (2nd ed.).

    London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN .‎

  • Mellers, Wilfrid: Francois Couperin and the French Pattern Tradition, London UK: Faber & Faber; 1950, 2nd edition Oct 1987 ISBN 978-0-571-13983-5
  • Savall, Jordi (2005), François Couperin: Les Concerts Royaux(CD line notes), Alia Vox, AV9840,
  • Tunley, David: Couperin, London UK: BBC Music Guides, 1982 ISBN 978-0-563-17851-4

External links