Francois Couperin: Harpsichord Pieces

Francis Couperin, nicknamed 'Le Grand', is perhaps the greatest of all French composers for the Harpsichord. He is quoted as saying that for each of his pieces he always had 'a definate idea in mind: (and) the titles correspond to these ideas'. Each piece is designed as a kind of portrait; not only persons are thus represented, but moods and emotions as well as objetcs and incidents.