L'Art de toucher le Clavecin
Encyclopedia
L'art de toucher le clavecin (English: The Art of Playing the Harpsichord
) is a didactic treatise by the French
composer
François Couperin
. It was first published in 1716, and was followed by a revised edition in 1717.
The treatise was written to instruct keyboard players in performance practice, particularly for Couperin's Pièces de Clavecin; Couperin, upon its publication, noted that it was "absolutely indispensable for playing my Pièces in the style most suitable to them". It became one of the primary sources for the prevailing keyboard fingering system used in Europe during the Baroque era. There are no known autograph copies of the treatise, but copies of the published versions survive. It is considered one of the most significant surviving treatises of the period.
The 1716 edition of the work included eight simple Preludes and an original Allemande
, technique exercises and instructions, fingering notes for passages in Pièces de Clavecin, and an essay about ornamentation. The 1717 edition added a new preface and a supplement outlining fingering for the second book of Pièces de Clavecin.
L'art de toucher le clavecin was one of the last books to include unmeasured prelude
s, along with Nicolas Siret
's second volume of harpsichord pieces (Second livre de pièces de clavecin, published in 1719).
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
) is a didactic treatise by the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
François Couperin
François Couperin
François Couperin was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.-Life:Couperin was born in Paris...
. It was first published in 1716, and was followed by a revised edition in 1717.
The treatise was written to instruct keyboard players in performance practice, particularly for Couperin's Pièces de Clavecin; Couperin, upon its publication, noted that it was "absolutely indispensable for playing my Pièces in the style most suitable to them". It became one of the primary sources for the prevailing keyboard fingering system used in Europe during the Baroque era. There are no known autograph copies of the treatise, but copies of the published versions survive. It is considered one of the most significant surviving treatises of the period.
The 1716 edition of the work included eight simple Preludes and an original Allemande
Allemande
An allemande is one of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite...
, technique exercises and instructions, fingering notes for passages in Pièces de Clavecin, and an essay about ornamentation. The 1717 edition added a new preface and a supplement outlining fingering for the second book of Pièces de Clavecin.
L'art de toucher le clavecin was one of the last books to include unmeasured prelude
Unmeasured prelude
Unmeasured or non-measured prelude is a prelude in which the duration of each note is left to the performer. Typically the term is used for 17th century harpsichord compositions that are written without rhythm or metre indications, although various composers of the Classical music era were...
s, along with Nicolas Siret
Nicolas Siret
Nicolas Siret was a French baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was born and died in Troyes, France, where he worked as organist in the Church of Saint Jean and the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul...
's second volume of harpsichord pieces (Second livre de pièces de clavecin, published in 1719).