Concerts royaux (Couperin)

The Concerts Royaux (Royal Concerts) are four suites composed by François Couperin for the French court of Louis XIV between 1714 and 1715 – hence the qualifier "royal". Composed while chamber music concerts were in vogue, they are intended for listening more than dancing. They were published in 1722 without indication of instrumentation; therefore, the same piece can be played by solo harpsichord or by an ensemble with a bass instrument, a violin, a viol, and an oboe or a flute. (This freedom of instrumentation is also found in certain works of Marin Marais and Gaspard Le Roux). This collection was supplemented in 1724 by a set of "Nouveaux Concerts" with the subtitle les Goûts réunis, or the "reunited tastes" of French and Italian styles.

Each concert is composed of a prelude and a succession of dances in the traditional order (allemande, sarabande or courante, followed by other dances.)

• Premier concert
  • Prélude
  • Allemande
  • Sarabande
  • Gavotte
  • Gigue
  • Menuet en trio
• Deuxième concert
  • Prélude
  • Allemande fuguée
  • Air tendre
  • Air contrefugué
  • Echos
• Troisième concert
  • Prélude
  • Allemande
  • Courante
  • Sarabande grave
  • Gavotte
  • Musette
  • Chaconne légère
• Quatrième concert
  • Prélude
  • Allemande
  • Courante française
  • Courante à l'italienne
  • Sarabande
  • Rigaudon
  • Forlane

See also

• List of compositions by François Couperin

External links

• The original version, as published by François Couperin at the end of Troisième Livre de Clavecin (1722): :http://icking-music-archive.org/ByComposer/Couperin.php