François Couperin

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Biography

Couperin was born in Paris. He was taught by his father, Charles Couperin, who died when François was 10, and by Jacques Thomelin. In 1685 he became the organist at the church of Saint-Gervais, Paris, a post he inherited from his father and that he would pass on to his cousin, Nicolas Couperin. Other members of the family would hold the same position in later years. In 1693 Couperin succeeded his teacher Thomelin as organist at the Chapelle Royale (Royal Chapel) with the title organiste du Roi, organist by appointment to the King. This was the Sun King, Louis XIV.

In 1717 Couperin became court organist and composer, with the title ordinaire de la musique de la chambre du Roi. With his colleagues, Couperin gave a weekly concert, typically on Sunday. Many of these concerts were in the form of suites for violin, viol, oboe, bassoon and harpsichord, on which he was a virtuoso player.

Couperin died in Paris in 1733.

 

References

    * Willi Apel: The History of Keyboard Music to 1700, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1972, p. 736-738.
    * Bruce Gustafson: "France" in Keyboard Music Before 1700, ed. Alexander Silbiger, New York: Routledge, 2004, p. 115-116.
    * Edward Higginbottom. "Couperin: (4) François Couperin (ii) [le grand]", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 30 November 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
    * John Gillespie: Five Centuries of Keyboard Music: An historical survey of music for harpsichord and piano, New York NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1965. ISBN 0-486-22855-X
    * Philippe Beaussant: François Couperin, translated from the French by Alexandra Land, Portland OR: Amadeus Press, 1990. ISBN 0-931340-27-6
    * Wilfrid Mellers: "Francois Couperin and the French Classical Tradition", London UK:Faber & Faber; 2nd edition (October 1987) ISBN-13: 978-0571139835