BaroqueFrançois Couperin
François Couperin was born in Paris into a family where almost everyone played the organ!
François Couperin’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1668👶 Birth
Born in Paris on 10 November into a dynasty of organists
- 1669🌍 Meanwhile
The Royal Academy of Music (Paris Opera) is founded
- 1679❤️ Private lifeage 11
Death of his father Charles, organist of Saint-Gervais
- 1682🌍 Meanwhile
The French court moves to Versailles
- 1685🎩 Careerage 17
Takes over as organist of Saint-Gervais at 17
- 1690🎼 Workage 22
Pièces d’orgue: two organ Masses
- 1693🎩 Careerage 25
Organist of Louis XIV’s Chapel Royal
- 1700🌍 Meanwhile
Bartolomeo Cristofori invents the piano in Florence (c. 1700)
- 1713🎼 Workage 45
First book of harpsichord pieces
- 1715🏛️ Landmarkage 47
Death of Louis XIV
- 1716🎼 Workage 48
L’Art de toucher le clavecin, his famous method
- 1719🌍 Meanwhile
Defoe publishes Robinson Crusoe
- 1733🕯️ Deathage 65
Dies in Paris on 11 September
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Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
François Couperin was born in Paris into a family where almost everyone played the organ! His dad died when he was ten, but the church kept the organist’s job for him. At seventeen he took it.
Later he became organist to King Louis XIV and harpsichord teacher to the princes and princesses.
Couperin wrote hundreds of little harpsichord pieces with funny or mysterious titles: “The Mysterious Barricades”, “Tic-toc-choc”, “The Nightingale in Love”. Each piece is like a little painting.
He also wrote a book on how to play well, in which he even advises keeping a pleasant face while playing!
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