01	Concerto no.7 in G minor - Prelude, Gravement, et gracieusement						01:23
	02	Concerto no.7 in G minor - Allemande, Gayement						02:32
	03	Concerto no.7 in G minor - Sarabande grave						02:26
	04	Concerto no.7 in G minor - Fuguete, Legerement						02:07
	05	Concerto no.7 in G minor - Gavote, Gayement						01:01
	06	Concerto no.7 in G minor - Siciliene, Tenderment et loure						02:27
	07	Concerto no.8 in G major - "Dans Le Gout Theatral" - Ouverture						03:39
	08	Concerto no.8 in G major - Grande ritournele, Gravement						02:50
	09	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air, Noblement						02:28
	10	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air tendre, Rondeau						01:12
	11	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air leger						01:09
	12	Concerto no.8 in G major - Loure, Pesamment						02:04
	13	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air, Anime, et leger						01:07
	14	Concerto no.8 in G major - Sarabande grave, et tendre						02:03
	15	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air leger						01:03
	16	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air tendre, Lentement						03:05
	17	Concerto no.8 in G major - Air de Baccantes, Tres anime						01:11
	18	Concerto no.10 in A minor - Prelude, Gravement at mesure						01:15
	19	Concerto no.10 in A minor - Air tendre et loure, sans lenteur						02:37
	20	Concerto no.10 in A minor - Plainte pour les violes on autres instruments a l'unisson, Lentement, et douloureusement - Plus legerement et coule						03:36
	21	Concerto no.10 in A minor - La tromba, Legerement						01:31
	22	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Prelude, Majestueusement, sans trop de lenteur						01:43
	23	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Allemande, Tierement, sans lenteur						02:25
	24	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Seconde allemande, plus legere						02:31
	25	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Courante						01:39
	26	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Deuxieme courante, Majeur						01:55
	27	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Sarabande tres grave, et tres marquee						03:40
	28	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Gigue louree						01:56
	29	Concerto no.11 in A minor - Rondeau, Legerement et galamment						02:08
	30	Concerto no.13 in G major - "A 2 instruments a unisson" - Prelude, Vivement						00:53
	31	Concerto no.13 in G major - Air, Agreablement						01:55
	32	Concerto no.13 in G major - Sarabande, Tenderment						01:45
	33	Concerto no.13 in G major - Chaconne legere						02:03
	34	Concerto no.14 in D minor - "Et dernier de cel oeuvre" - Prelude, Gravement						01:37
	35	Concerto no.14 in D minor - Allemande, Vivement						01:59
	36	Concerto no.14 in D minor - Sarabande grave						03:11
	37	Concerto no.14 in D minor - Fuguete						01:58

Concerto no.7 in G minor
Thomas Brandis - violin
Josef Ulsamer - viola da gamba
Christiane Jaccottel - harpsicord

Concerto no.8 in G major
Aurele Nicolet, Christiane Nicolet - flute I/II
Heinz Holliger, Marie-Lise Schupbach - oboe I/II
Thomas Brandis, Chiara Banchini - violin I/II
Josef Ulsamer - viola da gamba, violone
Manfred Sax - bassoon
Christiane Jaccottel - harpsicord

Concerto no.10 in A minor
Heinz Holliger - oboe
Josef Ulsamer, Laurenzius Strehl - viola da gamba I/II
Manfred Sax - bassoon
Christiane Jaccottel - harpsicord

Concerto no.11 in A minor
Heinz Holliger - oboe
Thomas Brandis - violin
Manfred Sax - bassoon
Christiane Jaccottel - harpsicord

Concerto no.13 in G major
Josef Ulsamer, Laurenzius Strehl - viola da gamba I/II

Concerto no.14 in D minor
Thomas Brandis - violin
Josef Ulsamer - viola da gamba
Christiane Jaccottel - harpsicord


Francois Couperin
Country France
Birth Nov 10, 1668 in Paris, France
Death Sep 11, 1733 in Paris, France
Period Baroque

Biography

Francois Couperin was the most important member of the illustrious Couperin family and was one of the leading composers of the French Baroque era. He is best known for his harpsichord works, all of which are found in the four-part collection of more than two hundred-twenty pieces entitled Pieces de clavecin, consisting of four books. His music showed the influence of Lully and incorporated elements from the Italian school. Indeed, both these sources would be acknowledged by Couperin himself in two chamber works, Apotheose de Corelli (1724) and Apotheose de Lully (1725). Moreover, he successfully integrated the French and Italian styles in his Les gout reunis ou nouveaux concerts (1724), a collection of chamber compositions for unspecified instruments. Many of his works were lost to posterity, as none of his original manuscripts has survived.

Couperin was born in Paris on November 10, 1668. His father, Charles, was an organist, and young Francois' early musical training probably came from him. Only-child Francois and his mother were reasonably well cared for following Charles' death (probably in 1679), in part because of the kindness of Jacques Thomelin, organist at Saint-Jacques de la Boucherie, who looked after the young boy and instructed him in music.

Couperin became the organist at Saint-Gervais at age seventeen. In 1689, four years later, he married Marie-Anne Ansault, daughter of a wine merchant who had many relatives in other business endeavors. The following year, he published his so-called "organ masses," known as Pieces d'orgue, comprising two masses (Messe des Paroisses and Messe des Couvents).

It was around this time that the composer came under the sway of the Italian school. He would display this influence in several chamber works he wrote in 1692 that he called sonades, a name that is a gallic version of "sonata."

On December 26, 1693, Couperin was appointed organist at the Royal Chapel by King Louis XIV, sharing the post with Buterne, Nivers, and Lebegue, and performing his duties only in the first quarter of each year. He maintained his position at Saint-Gervais for the other three-quarters of the year. He also taught the Duke of Burgundy on harpsichord and six other princes and princesses. The composer would later write an important treatise on playing the harpsichord entitled, L'Art de toucher le clavecin.

Couperin wrote a fair amount of sacred non-liturgical vocal music for the Royal Chapel. Beginning around 1697, he wrote a series of motets, completed in 1702. They include Motet Saint-Barthelemy, Motet de Sainte-Anne, and Motet de Saint-Augustin.

In the early part of the eighteenth century, Couperin began composing a large number of works for the harpsichord, which would appear in the Premier Livre from the Pieces de clavecin in 1713. The Second Book was published in 1717, and the final two came in 1722 and 1730.

There is evidence that Couperin also found time for concerts in the early part of the eighteenth century in Versailles and other nearby locales. Actually, relatively is known about Couperin's life from about 1700 onward. There is record of his renting a country home in 1710 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, confirming the view he was financially secure.

In 1719, Couperin became harpsichordist to King Louis XV, a position he most probably had held in all but title for a number of years. By this time, he was recognized as the leading composer in France and the greatest exponent of organ and harpsichord teaching as well.

Couperin died on September 11, 1733. -- Robert Cummings