Couperin, F :: Concert Royal No. 4

International Music Company presents Francois Couperin's 'Concert Royal No. 4' for flute and piano edited by Jean-Pierre Rampal with the figured bass part realized by Robert Veyron-Lacroix.

The Concerts Royaux (Royal Concerts) are four suites by Franois Couperin written for the court of Louis XIV in 1714 hence the qualifier 'royal'. Composed while chamber music concerts were in vogue, they are intended for listening more than dancing. They were published in 1722 without indication of instrumentation; therefore, the same piece can be played by solo harpsichord or by an ensemble with a bass instrument, a violin, a viol, and an oboe or a flute. (This freedom of instrumentation is also found in certain works of Marin Marais and Gaspard Le Roux). This collection was supplemented in 1724 by a set of 'Nouveaux Concerts' with the subtitle les Gouts reunis, or the 'reunited tastes' of French and Italian styles. Each concert is composed of a prelude and a succession of dances in the traditional order (allemande, sarabande or courante, followed by other dances.)