François Couperin

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Synopsis

Francois Couperin (1668-1733), was a renowned French composer, harpsichordist and organist. His earliest training was under his father, Charles. Francois Couperin 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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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[1]

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

François Couperin. Messe pour les couvents, performed by Robert Descombes

Pay to Listen

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Other Resources

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Notes

  1. This footnote was entered in the "Registration and Organs" section

This space is for automatic insertion of footnotes. To enter a footnote from anywhere in the article, start by typing the tag <ref> and then enter the text, and type the tag </ref> to end the footnote. The footnote will then appear in this "Notes" section automatically.