George Malcolm (harpsichord), François Couperin Ordres 8, 14 & 21

• Report rights infringement
• published: 06 Apr 2016
• views: 432

Geroge Malcolm (1917-1997) François Couperin 'Le Grand' (1668-1733) 'La Reine des Coeurs'. Released 1969 by The Decca Record Company Limited label Argo ZRG 632, 1 disc : 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in Type of instrument or builder not mentioned in the documentation. Peter Watchorn wrote about the instrument in a reaction: Harpsichord by Thomas Goff, Pont St, London. A modern instrument with metal frame and four sets of strings (16'; 2 x 8' and 4') and pedals to change the registers, that is veneered in an elaborate way, but which does not in any way resemble the early English harpsichords it superficially resembles. Goff instruments were ubiquitous on the London scene between about 1948 and 1967 - you will hear them on recordings by many English players: George Malcolm, Thurston Dart, Raymond Leppard SIDE ONE HUITIEME ORDRE 00:00 La Raphaele: Presumably associated with one of the greatest of all painters, Raphael Santi. He had many features in common with Couperin - a love of delicate detail and perfection of finish, a rapid response to outside influences but a refusal to copy blindly, a deep joy in nature, a belief that art should be concerned with man's feelings and not with his knowledge, and (though this is not traceable in Couperin's keyboard music) there was a common imagination of the aspirations of man and of the manifestations of God. 03:18 L' Ausoniene: (Allemande. Legerement et marque) A poetical name for an Italian, after Ausonius - a . French-born poet who becoming a Roman consul in 379 subsequently returned to Bordeaux where he had studied. 05:24 Courantes 1 & 2 09:23 L'Unique: (Sarabande. Gravement - Vivement) 11:56 Gavotte: (Tendrement) 13:21 Rondeau: (Gayement) two variations 15:22 Gigue 18:05 Passacaille: (Rondeau) eight variations. Probably Couperin's greatest single work. Only a few seconds of relative calm (in the third variation) break the tremendous power contained in it. Landowska described it as having 'the majesty of a cathedral'. 24:40 La Morinete: (Legerement et tres lie) A Corelli-like gigue descriptive of the composer Jean-Baptiste Morin's daughter. SIDE TWO QUATORZIEME ORDRE BOOK 3. Ordre No 14 in D major/minor 26:30 Le Rossignol-en-amour: (Lentement et tres tendrement, quoy que mesure) The nightingale in love 29:20 La Linote efarouchee: (Legerement. Rondeau) two variations The frightened linnet. 30:58 Les Fauvetes plaintives (Très tendrement) The mournful warblers 33:28 Le Rossignol-vainqueur (Très légérement) Traces of sonata form. The victorious nightingale. 35:13 La Julliet (Gaiëment. Rondeau) two variations Presumably a girl's name. 37:05 Le Carillon de Cithere (Asréablement. sans lenteur) 39:24 Le Petit-rien VINGT-UNIEME ORDRE 40:45 La Reine des Coeurs 43:42 La Bondissante 45:18 La Couperin 48:34 La Harpee 50:47 La Petite Pince-sans-rire Couperin's harpsichord music appeared in four volumes, supplemented by his 'L'Art de toucher Ie Clavecin' published in 1716. The title of this theoretical work is famous enough but its contents are almost unknown. The first volume of music appeared in 1713 and the second in 1717. 'L'Art' was revised immediately afterwards to include much valuable advice for the performance of many ofthe most problematical passages in the two preceding volumes. The third and fourth books followed in 1722 and 1730 respectively. In all there were 27 Suites or 'Ordres' as Couperin called them. Of the 244 movements all but 29 have descriptive titles. Of the 49 dances about half have titles and of the 40 rondeaux with couplets (themes with variations) all but two. Couperin progressively eliminated the normal constituents of the Suite-allemande, courante and so on ,...; and replaced them with a host of descriptive miniatures. There were 31 dances in Book 1 and only six in Book 4, and untitled pieces similarly decreased from 18 in Book 1 to two in Book 4. Couperin's 'pictures' include the inanimate world of sound and movement - windmills in Ordre No 17, an alarm clock No 4 and a floating scarf No 9; the world of nature - a gnat No 6, butterflies No 2 and bees No 1; references to pastimes, anecdotes or communities - the pleasures of St. Germain-en-Laye No 1; popular allegories or allegorical works of art - the gondolas of Delos No. 23; portraits of his family or friends - Gabriel Garnier No 2 and Antoine Forqueray No 17; respectful glimpses of the daughter of a prince No 15 or a duchess No 7; and many subjects which have no meaning for us now, such as 'La Logiviere' No 5 and 'L'Amphibie' No 24. In 1917 Jean-Aubry wrote that Couperin was 'inspired by discretion and by grace'. His music was for people with culture and sensibility. But essentially he composed 'for his own pleasure and to satisfy that taste for seeing, for living and for seizing the charm or the absurdity of things or of people'.Couperin's concern with pictorial descriptions of realities was not confined to him. N.D.Boyling