The Instrumental Revolution: Dance, Suite, and Sonata

Court Dance and the Suite

Dance dominated French Baroque instrumental music. Louis XIV himself was an accomplished dancer, performing in court ballets until age thirty. This royal passion influenced all French music, from opera to keyboard works.

The dance suite emerged as a primary instrumental genre, typically containing: - Allemande: A moderate German dance in 4/4 - Courante: A quick triple-meter dance with running passages - Sarabande: A slow, stately Spanish dance - Gigue: A lively dance of English origin - Optional dances: Menuet, bourrée, gavotte, passepied, rigaudon

Keyboard Masters

François Couperin "Le Grand" (1668-1733) elevated harpsichord music to unprecedented heights. His four books of Pièces de clavecin contain over 230 pieces organized into 27 ordres (suites), each a musical universe:

- Character pieces with evocative titles: "Les Barricades mystérieuses," "Le Tic-toc-choc" - Portraits of contemporaries: "La Princesse de Chabeuil," "La Superbe" - Sound paintings: "Le Rossignol-en-amour" (The Nightingale in Love)

Couperin's L'Art de toucher le clavecin (1716) codified French keyboard technique and ornamentation, influencing players for generations.

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) brought intellectual rigor to harpsichord composition. His pieces combine virtuosity with harmonic innovation: - "Les Cyclopes": Depicts the one-eyed giants with thunderous hand-crossings - "La Poule": Imitates a hen's clucking with repeated notes - "Les Tourbillons": Whirlwinds of arpeggios demonstrate his theoretical principles

The Viol Family: Intimacy and Elegance

The viol (viole de gambe) became the quintessential French Baroque instrument, prized for its delicate, nasal tone. Marin Marais (1656-1728), Lully's student, composed five books of Pièces de viole that explore the instrument's expressive potential: - "Le Tableau de l'opération de la taille": A programmatic piece depicting bladder stone surgery - "Les Folies d'Espagne": Virtuosic variations on a popular theme - Character pieces and portraits revealing the Sun King's court

Antoine Forqueray (1672-1745), Marais's rival, represented a more virtuosic, Italian-influenced style. Their contrasting approaches—Marais's elegance versus Forqueray's fire—defined the French viol school.