Performance by barbaram from Baroque Themed Recital 2016 - 2016-04-01

• Performer: barbaram
• Location: Ireland
• Experience: 4 years as a teen, nearly 3 as returning adult, occasional dabbling in between
• Composer: Francois Couperin
• Piece: Les Moissoneurs, from Second Livre de pieces de Clavicin, 1717
• Duration: 151
• Music Link: click to play
• Video Link:
• Music Source: Sheet music
• Instrument: 13 year old Roland DP
• Recording Method: DP to Audacity
• Info: The edition I am working from is from the ABRSM's "Baroque Keyboard Pieces" Book IV. I bought this book when I first got my DP about 13 years ago. In my naivete I hoped that a book containing what it described as "moderately difficult pieces" would be at the right level for me as I dabbled a little after a 15 year hiatus. I was sadly mistaken. A little under 3 years ago I resumed playing consistently, but still never tackled anything from this book until this recital gave me the perfect opportunity and motivation. From the notes in the book: "In the hands of Couperin, keyboard dances become character pieces: each piece is given a title that indicates the source of inspiration and the picture or feeling that is to be conveyed in musical terms. Les Moissoneurs (The Reapers) is a pastoral piece which makes aurally incarnate the swing of the reapers' bodies and the swish of their scythes. It is also a gavotte en rondeau, three episodes or couplets alternating with the initial rondeau theme. Two forms of notes inegales are required: unslurred quavers should be played with a slight long-short lilt (triplet crotchet and quaver) and slurred pairs short-long (semiquaver and dotted quaver)." Of course, this piece was originally written for harpsichord. There are a *lot* of ornaments, which were the biggest challenge for me in learning this piece. There are no dynamic markings, unsurprisingly for a piece from 1717. I have tried to take advantage of what the piano can offer on that front without losing the Baroque character of the piece. Listening back, the dynamic contrasts are a lot more muted than they seemed when I played it. That may be down to my Audacity settings.