Master Classes Summer 2010

Jesper B. Christensen: July 25 - 30

French harpsichord music and the Age of Enlightenment

Repertory: Music by Francois Couperin, J. Ph. Rameau,
J. Duphly, J.-B. Forqueray and their contemporaries.

In this course we will explore the effects of the revolutionary ideas of Reason and Enlightenment as seen in French harpsichord music and their importance for the understanding of the compositions and as eventual clues to performance.
Particular attention will be paid to matters of tempo (pendulum markings, original dance tempos) and rhythm (strictness and freedom, the meaning of “notes inégales”), character and affect, touch and technique. Many contemporary sources deal with these aspects in great detail.
The challenge will be to make all these concepts come together to capture the poetry of a character piece or the affect of a dance movement.

Course given in: Italian, English, German, French

CV Jesper Christensen