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At the end of the 18th century his musical genius was so much admired by students of Bach that they would declare: “Couperin is the French Bach”
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If it must be admitted that the public at large has not been particularly attentive to Couperin’s music since his death, it can be unequivocally stated that a “musicians’ Couperin” has existed in all periods, that he was considered by other musicians to have been one of the most inventive composers of his day, and that the profundity and force of his compositions have done much to enrich the history of music.
Paris: a capital
The concentration of power in the 17th century was a determining factor in the preeminence of Paris, the capital of France. The city was the seat of political power and served to represent the state’s authority. The church, on the other hand, symbolized religious authority and ideological values. Its purpose was to offer an interpretation of rhetoric which would clearly identify the sacred buildings within the city, and make its force of persuasion and the stability of its values visible to all. At the beginning of the century, the medieval church of Saint Gervais was remodeled. A rigid, three-tiered facade was added; this structure, which greatly changed its aspect, bore witness to the new social order—that of the age of Louis XIV—which determined the way in which the remodeling was carried out.
The church of Saint Gervais had possessed an organ since the 14th century, and even housed two in the 16th century. Couperin’s organ was built in 1601 and installed above the portal. It was then considered one of the finest in the realm. Charles Couperin was the organist of the church at that time. He was born in the small country town of Chaumes-en-Brie, and had been brought up to appreciate music by his father, himself a member of a musical family. The musical talent of Charles Couperin and his brothers Louis and François (the first of the Couperins to bear the name) was noticed by Chambonnières, Louis XIV’s harpsichordist, who brought them to Paris. Louis, the eldest brother, was thought to be one of the greatest harpsichord players of his day. He was active both as a composer and as his brothers’ teacher, and was also organist at the church of Saint Gervais and a member of La Musique du Roi. After his death in 1661, Charles Couperin took over the position of organist at Saint Gervais.
François Couperin, only son of Charles Couperin and Marie Guérin, was born in 1668. At the time of his birth, the family lived in the apartment provided by the parish for the Saint Gervais organist. The current address of this building is rue François Miron.
Little is known of François Couperin’s early years, but it is easy to imagine a sensitive child immersed from his earliest youth in the fervent musical culture of his father. François learned to play the harpsichord and organ from Charles Couperin, and probably decided early on to dedicate his life to music, as his father and uncles had done. François’ exceptional musical abilities were so evident at a tender age that the church wardens promised in a notarized document that he would succeed his father as organist as soon as he had finished his studies. Michel Richard de Lalande, who had just begun to achieve fame as an organist, accepted the position in the interim. Couperin received musical tuition from the composer and musician Jacques Denis Thomelin, who was the organist at the Chapelle Royale. He studied polyphony on plainchant themes, fugal ricercars by Frescobaldi, chaconnes and more light-hearted dances and song tunes with Thomelin. He was also initiated into the arts of improvisation and accompaniment, both of prime importance to musicians.
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