François Couperin: Keyboard Music, Vol. 3

Featuring

Angela Hewitt
François Couperin

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Performer Biography

Angela Hewitt is an award-winning pianist known for her recordings of Bach and other composers, and she established the Trasimeno Music Festival in Italy.

Historical Context

The Treizième Ordre is supposedly concerned with Philippe d'Orléans, nephew of Louis XIV and Regent of France, who was known for hosting scandalous masked balls.

Composer's Artistic Vision

François Couperin, the composer, explicitly requested that interpreters follow all his indications in the score, especially regarding ornaments, and not add or subtract them arbitrarily.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Couperin believed that while the harpsichord was brilliant, he was grateful to those who could make the instrument expressive through art and taste, as it could not swell or diminish sound.

Compositional Technique

Couperin's Treizième Ordre includes a miniature theme and variations called Les Folies françoises, ou les Dominos, which uses the same Folia bass as Les Folies d'Espagne.

Interpretation

Angela Hewitt, the performer on this album, chose pieces from Couperin's Pièces de Clavecin that she believes are most suitable for performance on a modern piano.