François Couperin

Synopsis

A renowned French composer, harpsichordist and organist, Couperin's earliest training was under his father, Charles. He also studied with Jacques-Denis Thomelin, organist du roi (of the King). Couperin became organist at St. Gervais, Paris in 1685­a post he held until his death. Couperin was a highly influential composer. He introduced the Italian trio sonata to France, a musical form he borrowed from the great composer Corelli. He made use of many significant baroque compositional techniques such as the basso continuo, in which the upper (melody) and bass voices are most important. His works reflect the gallant style of ornamentation which he explains in his book, L' Art der toucher le clavecin (The Art of Playing the Keyboard). This book on keyboard fingering and touch achieved a high degree of popularity and strongly influenced J.S. Bach.

• François came from a family of musicians. His stature within this family is reflected in the title by which he is now known ­Couperin le Grand.
• He succeeded his teacher, Thomelin, as organist of Louis the XIV in 1693. Every Sunday he would perform private concerts for the King.
• He married Marie-Anne Ansault on April 26, 1689. They were the parents of two sons and two daughters, one of which became the first female clavenist to the King.

For details, see the François Couperin article on Wikipedia.

List of Organ Works

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Opus	Title	Year
Op. ??	Mass for the Convents	year
Op. ??	Mass for the Parishes	year
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Background and General Perspectives on Performing François Couperin Organ Works

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Registration and Organs

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See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page

Fingering and Pedaling

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Articulation and Phrasing

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Ornamentation

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Tempo and Meter

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Scores and Editions

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Recordings

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Free Online

François Couperin. Messe des paroisses, performed by Robert Descombes

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Other Resources

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Notes

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