DESCRIPTION:
François Couperin (1668-1733) was certainly the greatest of the French claveinists and surely one of the greatest of French composers. In his four books of Pièces de clavecin, Couperin took the harpsichord music of Chambonnières, Marchand, and especially his uncle Louis Couperin to the pinnacle of the French musical art with clear forms, graceful melodies, elegant harmonies, and a tone that eschews virtuosity in favor of expressivity. The six ordres or suites from Couperin's second book are no longer the series of stylized dance movements in diverse keys familiar from his first book, but rather collections of works more often than not bearing some sort of descriptive title, all of which are in the same key (with the major and minor modes being considered in some sense equivalent).

In order, they are the 6e ordre in B flat major, the 7e ordre in G major-minor, the 8e ordre in B minor, the 9e ordre in A major-minor, the 10e ordre in D major-minor, and the 11e ordre in C minor-major. Some of the descriptive titles indicate that the works are meant to be musical portraits -- "La Raphaele" and "La Princesse de Sens" -- some are meant to be genre pieces -- "Les bergeries rondeau" and "La boulonise" -- some are meant to be frivolous -- "L'unique" and "Les bagatelles" -- and some are meant to be evocative -- "Les langeuers-tendres" and "Les baricades misterieuses."

Although originally written for Harpsichord, I created this arrangement for Flute Duet to highlight the interplay between the two fluttering insects.