François Couperin, Leçons de tenèbres

François Couperin (1668-1733) is known as “le Grand” to distinguish him from several other members of his family that were important musicians of the time. We featured his uncle Louis Couperin in this series last summer. The Couperin family was prominent particularly in Baroque harpsichord music. François made it to the top, so to speak, by becoming organist of the Chapelle Royale in the court of Louis XIV.

The Couperin family were centered around St. Gervais where Louis had been organist. Louis’ younger brother Charles held the post until his death in 1679, and Charles’ son François was to inherit the post when he turned 18. In 1693, Louis XIV selected him as court organist. Couperin published four collections of harpsichord music and wrote the treatise L’art de toucher le clavecin, “The Art of Harpsichord Playing” (1716).

In the late 19th century, Brahms became a promoter of Couperin’s music, performing it frequently in concert. That move was considered unusual because of the prevailing nationalist sympathies at the time and anti-French attitudes of the post-Napoleonic era.

Couperin’s sacred vocal music has received less attention. Most of it exists only in manuscript form. The published works include three sets of versets (1703-1705) and the Leçons de tenèbres, which appeared between 1713 and 1717. There are three leçons based on texts from the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The third, presented here, is written for two sopranos and basso continuo and entitled Pour le Mercredy, Troisième Leçon à deux Voix. The text was traditionally sung Matins on Maundy Thursday. “Pour le Mercredy” refers to the practice at the time of moving the Matins service to the preceding afternoon. The two vocal lines are given equal roles. Occupying the same register, they imitate one another in intricate sequences.