Talk:Concerts royaux (Couperin)

edits suggested
The link to sheet music (Werner Ickling) provides a modern edition, not a facsimile of the original. There is an original at free-scores.com. I will fix the link later but I have misplaced the web address at the moment.

Couperin says in the preface that the concerts may be played on several different instruments. However, there are several instances in the music where certain instruments such as flute, violin, etc. are suggested for particular passages, especially in the 3rd concert. The last movement of the first concert is a trio, written on 3 staves. This is still playable with two hands on the harpsichord (although a few passages look a bit awkward for two hands) but the fact that it was written on 3 staves suggested that Couperin had 3 separate instruments in mind.

Also, the harpsichord part includes figured bass symbols. Presumably these would not be used if the pieces were played by solo harpsichord but they could be used when a harpsichordist accompanied other instruments. I'm trying to figure out how to convey this information in a more "encyclopedic" manner... Jkisch (talk) 19:08, 10 September 2011 (UTC)