François Couperin

François Couperin (* November 10, 1668 in Paris, † September 11, 1733 ibid ), also called " Le Grand ", was a French organist and composer. He is regarded as the most important representative of the French organist, harpsichordist and composer Couperin family and was as court composer to Louis XIV, the most important musical personalities in France between Lully and Rameau.

Life

The first music lessons from his father was François Couperin Charles and his eponymous uncle François. He also learned the work of his other uncle Louis Couperin know. From 1685 to 1723, he was - like most members of his family - the organist at the church of Saint- Gervais in Paris. After the early death of his brothers Louis and Charles he was still too young for the office which had transitional taken over by the distinguished organist Michel -Richard Delalande.

1693 Couperin obtained the post of organist at the Royal Chapel at Versailles. When Lully died in 1687 and Louis XIV became seriously ill, the musical taste of the king and his court changed. Louis 's second wife, Madame de Maintenon, drew his attention to the more cautious church and chamber music. At the official prelude contest for one of the three positions as organist to play and compositions Couperin prevailed over seven other candidates; However, the king had him (as usual) three days in the dark.

François Couperin's office was very complex: He was a teacher at Versailles the royal family, had orchestra and organist for three months per year and remained active in the church of Saint- Gervais. As Ludwig him yet appointed court composer of sacred music, which meant a considerable amount of time: the musically gifted king wanted each piece only once in the festivities, the concerts and the daily ceremony in the chapel to hear.

While Lalande as " maître " of the orchestra in the style of Lully composed the great choral and instrumental works, Couperin wrote mostly motets and psalms in the style of chamber music (maximum three -part pieces with one or two singers, organ / harpsichord and a bass viol ).

Louis XIV saw life faith and church as an important pillar of its power and its legitimation ( " divine "). Accordingly, he used it in the form of music and also appreciated Couperin fairs, of which the fair " à l' usage ordinaire of paroisses pour les fêtes solemnelles " is the best known.

In addition to the organ Couperin was also a gifted harpsichordist, soon became " maître de clavecin du Duc de Bourgogne " called and teachers of princes and princesses. From 1714 he went almost every Sunday to Versailles, where the royal afternoon chamber concerts with his "Concerts royaux " took place. The ensemble was usually only small: Harpsichord ( usually Couperin ), violin, bass, viola, oboe and bassoon. These small concerts, which were composed exclusively for the king, had an amusing and graceful, charming way that the now 75 -year-old Louis XIV in high esteem. In them Couperin sought to combine the playful Italian and the more serious French taste, as he has written about his "Concerts royaux " itself.

When Louis died in 1715, Couperin was indeed new patrons at the court, but it was under the interim regent Cardinal Fleury in Versailles very quiet. The Cardinal did not think much of representation and festivals and reduced it to a minimum. Thus, François Couperin was again able to concentrate on his position as organist in St- Gervais, until he gave it for health reasons in 1723. In addition, he carried on giving lessons for members of the royal family, including the Polish princess Maria Leszczyńska, wife of Louis XV.

Works

In the center of his works are over 240 richly decorated harpsichord works, which he summed up as 27 suites. The individual records of these " Ordres " he has provided with headings that are intended to indicate the character of the piece. In addition, he composed motets, chansons, two organ masses, trio sonatas and the programmatic chamber music Apothéose de Corelli and Apothéose de Lully. His only theoretical work is " L'art de toucher le clavecin ".

Literature (selection )

• Eta Harich - Schneider: Tender World: François Couperin in his time. Berlin, 1939
• M. Reimann: Studies on the history of forms of French piano suite with special reference to Couperin Ordres. Regensburg 1940
• Philippe Beaussant: François Couperin, Übs Alexandra country. Portland: Amadeus Press, 1990, ISBN 0-931340-27-6
• H.-R. Picard: The representation of emotions in music of the Baroque as a semantic process: Demonstrates and demonstrated with examples from the Pièces de clavecin by François Couperin. Constance 1986