Francois Couperin: Barricades Mystérieuses- Notation

[piano_learner]

Ok, so this piece is WAY beyond my ability, but I was so moved by it  that I wanted to try and learn it. I got stuck on the first note!

Unless I am misreading it OR it is a misprint, how do you play a note that appears to be a Crotchet with a downward stem combined with a quaver with an upward stem?

[bernhard]

This is my favourite Couperin piece. It makes my heart soar like a hawk! You have excellent taste!

If you have not heard it, try Angela Hewitt’s recording of it for Hyperion. It is superb!

And no, it is not a misprint.

You see, there are four voices (parts) compressed in two staves. Imagine four people singing four different melodies at the same time. Each one would have its own staff. In the piano (or keyboard – since this piece was most likely written for a harpsichord) you stick two voices in one staff and the other two in the other staff. To differentiate between the voices, you write one with stems up and the other stems down.

So that very first note with a quaver stem going up and a crochet stem going down simply means that the person singing the top voice, sings a G quaver, while the alto sings the same G as a crochet. How do you render this difference in the piano? Just keep holding the G as you play the following Bb.

This piece is not that difficult once you decipher the score. Its main difficulty is exactly what I said above: for how long/how short to hold each note as each finger on each hand has to independently hold a melodic line. Welcome to French counterpoint!

In any case, don’t even dream in tackling this piece straightaway. Your first step is to rewrite the whole piece in four staves, separating the four voices, so you can see clearly what is happening to each melodic line. Then you must learn each staff separately (but use the original fingering – this is of the utmost importance, otherwise you will have to relearn the fingering all over again), so you can hear clearly each voice without the intrusion of the others. Then learn each hand separately (that is join two voices in one hand) and finally join hands and tackle the piece as originally written.

I also suggest that you read this superb book:

Nikolaus Harnoncourt – “Baroque music – Music as speech”  (Amadeus Press)

This is a wonderful piece, whatever pains it gives you to learn it will be worthwhile.

Good luck.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[piano_learner]

Hi Bernhard,

Thanks for your answer, however I need it explained a little simpler if you could please. Could you break this down into a "Couperin for Dummies"

1) There are 4 voices on 2 staves. Ok, so some notation is to be sung by members of a Choir singing different note durations, is this right?

2) I need to seperate the upward stems from the downward stems. Is this right?

3) There is notation specifically written for only 1 piano (Harpsichord)..or 1 voice. Is this right?

4) Does the Piano play the upward or the downward stems?

I appreciate your efforts in answering. I have printed off your lengthy post about your 7/20 technique (Learn after 7 times & master in 20 minutes) and put it into practice with great success. So I want you to know your efforts are worthwhile.

Thanks again

[mosis]

No no no, I think you misinterpreted him.

Nothing is sung by anyone. The four voices are played by the piano. With your fingers, you are playing everything. He was simply using an analogy to help you understand how to learn/play it. It's all for piano.

[bernhard]

Hi Bernhard,

Thanks for your answer,

You are welcome

Mosis is right. There is no singing in this piece. It is all for the piano. You “imagine” four singers as way to understand what is going on in the score, namely, four different melodies written in two staves.

So:

1)   There are 4 voices on 2 staves. Ok, so some notation is to be sung by members of a Choir singing different note durations, is this right?

No. there is no choir, everything is played by the piano.

2) I need to seperate the upward stems from the downward stems. Is this right?

You don’t “need” to. But I am suggesting that if you do you will be able to see very clearly each one of the four melodic lines. I am also suggesting that you learn them separately (keeping the final fingering), then joint together the two melodic lines played by the left hand, then join the two melodic lines played by the left hand, and finally join the two hands.

3) There is notation specifically written for only 1 piano (Harpsichord)..or 1 voice. Is this right?

I am not sure if I understand your question. The score of this piece consists of four melodies (or voices, or parts) All of them are played by the piano only. Since you have only two hands and four parts, each hand will have to play two parts independently. This, of course, is the  essential difficulty of this piece (and of counterpoint in general)

4) Does the Piano play the upward or the downward stems?

The piano plays everything.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.