Hello everybody,

Another bunch of French harpsichord music for Easter !
This is an alternance of pieces in D minor, with a sad or at least meditative character, and D major ones, much more agile and joyful. Many of them are of the rondo form (a refrain, played several times, each one separate by a different verse).

I have a special love for "Les Niais de Sologne", although it is one of the most difficult within all this French baroque repertoire. There is a theme, then a first variation ('premier double') with a nice opposition of 8th note on LH and triplets on RH, then a second variation ("second double") with a very rapid LH 16th note bass line (I hope you will forgive some inevitable slips, especially in the tricky 'second double'). Originally the theme of 'Les Niais" comes from the 'Dardanus' opera. Given its success, Rameau wrote an harpsichord version, with this mysterious title ('niais' = simple-minded, 'Sologne' is a part of France, a wild area made of forests and ponds, quite similar to some canadian areas). I hope you'll enjoy the freshness and invigorating light of this music...

Have a nice Easter,



Rameau - Suite in D - 1: Les Tendres Plaintes (2:32)
Rameau - Suite in D - 2: Les Niais de Sologne (5:37)
Rameau - Suite in D - 3: Les Soupirs (4:28)
Rameau - Suite in D - 4: La Joyeuse (1:12)
Rameau - Suite in D - 5: La Follette (1:27)
Rameau - Suite in D - 6: L'Entretien des Muses (4:42)

Francois, are these part of a set ? How should they be put on the site ?
Nice playing from what I heard (I only sampled the Niais, French clavecin music not being my cup of tea).

Hello Chris,
Actually the 'Suite in D' is already appearing on PS, but with only a part of the Niais. The pieces I have posted form the beginning of the suite, as published in Durand edition. I intend to complete the rest of the suite in the coming months (there should remain 4 or 5 more pieces).


I gave up in trying to convert you to this religion . Probably too light for a rigorous, North-European protestant...

Right, so I'll just insert these into that page. Easy as pie.


Haha, what with my 'catholic' tastes, plus having accompanied catholic mass for several years (though I've to admit I like doing the protestant service better).
No, I think it's just a black spot. Everybody has them.

Francois,

I found these quite agréable. (Ok, I don't know much French). Your harpsichord technique is wonderful and you have a sense about these pieces that take them beyond being the dry, stuffy, frilly, French baroque music that I so often hear when people perform this music. (They do it with the German harpsichord stuff too.)

Thank you for your performance.

Scott

Thanks Scott ! For your congratulations, and for your French . As for me, this site is also a way to improve my (poor) English. 'Stuffy' and 'Frilly' are two nice, new words for me. I'll try to remember them, even if they may not be very easy to place in the common conversation... Regards,

I have began listening to these. I like the way you play them but I must say I like them in little doses, as solo pieces. To avoid confusion, maybe you should let people know you use an electronic keyboard, at least you did when you placed your previous set of Rameau, and what a superior keyboard it is!

I'm happy that I can help with your English, though I must say that you do quite well. Would the people where I live do as well (and English is their only language ).

Scott

Thanks Richard. Actually although I have presented these pieces as a part of a Suite (because they are following each other, and because they are in the same tonality of D), they are not in the score. As compared to Couperin's 'ordres', they are not so well organised. As well Rameau conceived these pieces as isolated ones, so you have full permission to prefer to taste them by small amount . It's like oriental pastries: excellent but sickening in too big quantity...


Thank you Scott, even if it is not so good when considering the number of years during which I got English courses...

These are up on the site. Please check if all is ok (too much wine in me to be sure I've done it all correctly ).

'Hope it was French wine, wasn't it ? Thanks Chris, the Rameau's bottles are safe in the cave !

Hehe no, Italian Lambrusco as usual. Not only do I not have a taste for French baroque, I also have a blind spot for French wine.
Sorry, nothing personal

Oh, that's too bad for you... As for me, I'm in love with Dutch wines

Which do exist, as I remember, same as English wines.

Can you get decent Lambrusco in the Netherlands?

This is probably a contradictio in terminis for the real wine lover
But we have no such good taste, and we love the dolce Chiarli Lambrusco dell' Emilia which
our local supermarket sells. See http://chiarli.com/frame_uk.html