Francois Couperin

He was also known as 'Couperin le Grand' i.e. the Great, to distinguish him from the other talented members of the Couperin family, due to his immense virtuosity on the organ and the harpsichord.

Couperin was first taught by his father and 1685 became organist at Saint Gervais, Paris, a post he transmitted to his cousin Nicolas Couperin.

For many years Couperin was organist at the church of Saint Gervais, Paris. In 1717, Couperin became the court organist and composer, and gave weekly 'concerts' for King Louis XIV. Many of these "concerts", as the titles read, were in the form of suites for Violin, Viol, Oboe, Bassoon, and Harpsichord of which he was a virtuoso player.

His four volumes of harpsichord music contain over 230 individual pieces, which can be solo harpsichord or performed as small chamber works: these greatly influenced J.S. Bach and then much later Richard Strauss and Maurice Ravel, re;"Le tombeau de Couperin."

His most famous book, L'Art de toucher le clavecin (published 1716), contained executions for fingerings, touch, ornamentation and other features of keyboard technique. It is said to have had great influence on Bach.

Many of Couperin's keyboard pieces have evocative picturesque titles and express a mood through key choices, adventurous harmonies and (resolved) discords. These features attracted Richard Strauss, who orchestrated some of them.

Couperin acknowledged his debt to Corelli, whose trio sonata form Couperin introduced to French music. The title of Couperin's grand trio sonata, by which it is best known, is 'The Apotheosis of Corelli' ('l'Apothéose de Corelli'). He tried to mix italian and french styles in a set of pieces he gave the title les Goûts réunis (the united tastes).

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