Complete Keyboard Works, Series Two: Ordres XIV-XXVII and Miscellaneous Pieces Cover Image

Complete Keyboard Works, Series Two: Ordres XIV-XXVII and Miscellaneous Pieces: Piano Book

$19.95 USD
$19.95 USD
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Complete Keyboard Works, Series Two: Ordres XIV-XXVII and Miscellaneous Pieces Cover Image
Complete Keyboard Works, Series Two: Ordres XIV-XXVII and Miscellaneous Pieces: Piano Book

Complete Keyboard Works, Series Two: Ordres XIV-XXVII and Miscellaneous Pieces: Piano Book

By François Couperin

Item: 06-257967
$19.95
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Series Two: Ordres XIV--XXVII and Miscellaneous Pieces. The second volume in this series of keyboard works by Couperin. A wonderful selection of late-baroque masterpieces.

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Additional Details
Series: Dover Edition
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN10: 0-486-25796-7
ISBN13: 978-0-486-25796-9
UPC: 9780486257969
SKU: 06-257967

More about this title

About the Composer: François Couperin

François Couperin (1668, 1733) was the most celebrated member of the Couperin dynasty and one of the defining voices of French Baroque keyboard music. His harpsichord works, organized into twenty-seven ordres (suites), represent a bridge between the French tradition of ornamentation and the emerging galant style, combining technical brilliance with intimate emotional expression.

As a composer and pedagogue, Couperin shaped keyboard practice across Europe. His ordres blend dance forms, character pieces, and virtuosic figuration in ways that demand interpretive maturity from performers. These works reward deep study: the ornamentation is not decorative but essential to phrasing, and the harmonic language, though rooted in Baroque convention, contains surprising moments of warmth and melancholy.

Why we love this

These late ordres showcase Couperin at his most inventive, moving beyond early-career formality into richer harmonic territory and more varied character portraiture. The Dover edition makes this music accessible in a single, affordable volume, allowing pianists to explore an essential corner of the keyboard canon without hunting through multiple sources.

What to expect

Intimate yet ornate, playful yet refined. These pieces move between sprightly dances and introspective miniatures, each one a small world unto itself. The harmonic language feels both familiar and subtly strange, inviting repeated listening.

Who it's for

Advanced pianists seeking substantial Baroque repertoire beyond Bach and Scarlatti, and teachers building comprehensive keyboard curricula that honor the French tradition. This collection also serves organists and harpsichordists preparing editions suitable for modern concert performance.

How to get the most out of it

  • Treat ornaments as rhythmic gestures, not afterthoughts. The way you inflect a trill or mordent shapes the entire phrase.
  • Let the dance rhythms breathe naturally rather than metronomically. French Baroque style thrives on subtle rubato and inequality.
  • Balance the harpsichord's original timbre in your mind as you voice chords; clarity of line matters more than density of sound.
  • Study the key signatures and harmonic progressions carefully. Couperin's modulations can feel unexpected without proper harmonic foundation.

How to use it

Pair individual ordres with other Baroque keyboard works to construct a thematic recital on French taste or courtly life. Alternatively, select character pieces to open concerts, where their brevity and charm create elegant transitions between larger works.

Skills your students will build

  • Ornamentation interpretation in French Baroque style
  • Voice leading in multi-part keyboard writing
  • Understanding ordres as suite structures
  • Harmonic analysis of late-Baroque modulation
  • Rhythmic flexibility and inequality in period performance
  • Character differentiation across dance forms

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