1713 J.S. Bach, Handel & F. Couperin

Another year with no Vivaldi! Time for me to mention J.S. Bach then, who during this time was composing pretty much only for organ and was becoming known as one of the greatest organists in Germany. According to one person who watched him play, his feet moved as easily and quickly along the pedals as many players could move their hands across the keyboard. 

As with the violin, the church organs were reaching the peak of their development so that was good but generally I am not a great fan of Bach’s organ music at this time which seems to lack melody (except for the great Tocatta and fugue in D minor BWV 565 from 1708) . Bach then moved from writing mainly organ works to mainly cantatas for the next few years. Again I am not so keen on cantatas (as you have probably grasped by now, with the occasional exception, I am not so keen on any singing within the wider classical music genre). Bach, then has been absent from my Greatest Hitstory since 1709. He did however, in 1713, write as part of one of the cantatas a trio oboe violin and cello BWV1040 which is also treated as a standalone instrumental piece. It has been described as ‘wholly delightful’ and I would completely agree with that. 

Also absent since 1709 has been the music of Handel (although not the practical jokes!). This is because Handel was concentrating on opera. However his opera ‘Silla’ from 1713 has got a couple of good overtures I can pick. 

1713 brings us the first of two new composers for this decade of my Greatest Hitstory. Known as ‘Couperin the Great’ to distinguish him from other, evidently inferior composers named Couperin, of which there were a few. Like Vivaldi, Francois Couperin (1668-1733) was influenced by Corelli and loved by Bach, Handel and Telemann. Seen as the father of French Harpsichord music, he was already 45 years old by the time in 1713 he published his first book of harpsichord music of which I have chosen ‘La Manon’  (not sure what this translates as) and the completely crazy ‘Le réveil-matin’ which translates as ‘the alarm clock’ and you just have to listen to it to know why. 

Composing in Paris it’s nice to have an alternative to the Italians and Germans and Couperin conveniently fills the gap left by his still not yet known French harpsichord composing colleague Rameau who had snuck in a piece I chose from 1706 but is absent from this decade.

J.S. Bach

Trio In F Major, BWV 1040 Roland Straumer, Virtuosi Saxoniae, Ludwig Güttler & Manfred Krause

Handel

Silla: Overture, Andante - Adagio The London Handel Orchestra, Denys Darlow, James Bowman, Simon Baker, Joanne Lunn, Rachel Nicholls, Natasha Marsh, Elizabeth Cragg & Christopher Dixon
Silla: Overture, Minuet The London Handel Orchestra, Denys Darlow, James Bowman, Simon Baker, Joanne Lunn, Rachel Nicholls, Natasha Marsh, Elizabeth Cragg & Christopher Dixon

F. Couperin

Ordres Pour Clavecin, 1er Ordre: XV. La Manon - Vivement 

Premier livre de pièces de clavecin, Ordre 4 : IV Le réveil-matin