Louis Couperin learned from Chambonnières, considered the founder of French harpsichord music, to view the harpsichord as an extension of the lute and to incorporate lute techniques into his harpsichord music.
Instruments
The harpsichord used for this recording is a Flemish-French type single manual harpsichord with 8'+4' registers, designed to emulate instruments favored in the 17th century.
Interpretation
For the piece 'Les Carillons de Paris,' the performer used a harpsichord with a special function to prevent the damper from being applied, creating a continuous bell-like sound, despite this feature not being historically present on harpsichords.
Compositional Technique
Seventeenth-century French suites, unlike later suites, were in a 'buffet style' where performers could choose and arrange various pieces in the same key as they wished.
Composer Biography
The Couperin family, including Louis Couperin featured on this album, served as organists at the church of Saint-Gervais in Paris for approximately 170 years.
Performer Biography
Naoki Ueo, the harpsichordist on this album, studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt and Anneke Uittenbosch in the Netherlands, and also studied fortepiano with Stanley Hoogland.
Composition History
The works on this recording are attributed to Louis Couperin, the elder of three brothers, though original manuscripts only identify the composer as 'Mr Couperin'.
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