General Notes on the Couperin Family

In French music history, Couperin carries the same prestige as Bach does in Germany. The Couperin name dates back to the 14th century, and it was producing musicians by the mid-1500s. One measure of the family’s longevity is their incredible tenure as organists of Saint Gervais Church in Paris, which began in 1653 and was held by a Couperin continuously for the next 173 years! This dynasty was plucked from relative obscurity by virtue of a chance meeting in 1650.
In that year, several budding young composers set out to fête the king’s harpsichordist, Jacques Chambonnières, on his name day. Among the well-wishers were a talented 25-year-old musician, Louis Couperin (ca. 1626-61), and his two brothers. They mounted a mini-concert in Chambonnières’ honor. Such was Louis’s ability and gracious demeanor that Chambonnières agreed, on the spot, to accept him as a private student. That good fortune changed his life: He relocated to the capital city, began composing in earnest, and had ample opportunity to perform for the most influential patrons of art. Couperin is best remembered today for his unmeasured preludes. These free, vibrant preludes are written in a unique notation without measure lines. Subtleties of rhythm and articulation are left to the performer’s informed discretion. We are still living through a “Louis Couperin Renaissance” because many of his works remained unpublished until the 20th century.
Acclaimed in his own way, Louis would eventually be overshadowed by his nephew, François Couperin (1668-1733), nicknamed “The Great.” Born to Louis’s brother Charles—one of the many Saint Gervais organists—François grew up surrounded by music and famous musicians. Upon his father’s death, the young boy continued lessons with Jacques Thomelin, music director at the royal chapel. That post passed to François in 1693, and he would soon attain the highest musical job at Louis XIV’s court: official organist and composer to the king, commanded with organizing and playing both solo and chamber music concerts for the king’s pleasure. This meant offering weekly chamber concerts for most of his remaining years. François continued the family’s significance in harpsichord music, compiling four massive volumes of keyboard works and writing a major treatise on performance practice.
Younger than François by two generations, Armand-Louis Couperin (1727-89) carried the family’s musical heritage up to the French revolution. He was raised by his widower father, himself a noted organist, and eventually succeeded to his father’s post at Saint Gervais—the very same job once held by François. In the spirit of his famous predecessor, Armand-Louis maintained a love for the instrumental techniques of harpsichord’s “grand style,” filled with brilliant ornamentation, taste, and characteristic or witty titles. It is worth noting that his lifetime overlapped with those of Haydn and Mozart, yet how different are their musical worlds!

(c) Jason Stell