Early Music America Fall 2014 - (Page 32)

Mysterious Titles, Hidden Meaning In works by Couperin, Marais, and others, performers are often perplexed by cryptic references or long-forgotten musical practices. Here's how one such problem may be solved. HAT THE MEANING of François Couperin's title for Les baricades François Couperin mistérieuses-arguably his most famous harpsichord piece-still eludes us today serves as a reminder that a musical text and its title can hold hidden meanings that remain unexplained long after the composer's death. Scholars and performers alike have been fascinated by the mystery of this title ever since its ﬁrst modern publication in 1841. When the French organist and musicologist Norbert Dufourcq published a study of Les baricades mistérieuses in 1973, he too was puzzled by it. Are the baricades personal or social ones, he asked, or perhaps even prison barricades? More recently, harpsichordist Jane Clark remarked in her book on Couperin's titles that Les baricades mistérieuses is "one of the most impenetrable of all." She further argues that because Couperin's titles are central to understanding how his music works, uncertainty about this particular one creates "a mysterious barrier of incomprehension between listener and music." Nevertheless, the baricades misBy Mary Cyr térieuses-whatever they may be-have apparently not prevented generations of players and listeners from actively engaging with Couperin's music (Ex. 1). Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for certain other French Baroque titles. Within the solo viol music of Marin Marais, there is a work whose title and presentation have created misunderstandings for modern players, with the result that the work is rarely performed. Published in 1717-coincidentally the T 32 Fall 2014 Early Music America same year as Les baricades mistérieuses- this work is entitled Allemande pour le sujet; et gigue pour la basse. At ﬁrst glance, the title appears to be straightforward. As is often the case in Marais's works, the melody (sujet) is played by the solo viol, and the basse continue has its own musical interest, or is varied in some way. (The idea of playing an allemande and a gigue simultaneously sounds unusual, but more about that later.) I believe that the hidden meaning of this title, although quite possibly understood by Marais's contemporaries, has been misunderstood in modern times; the work has often been regarded as a curiosity or simply ignored. The work in question The Allemande pour le sujet; et gigue pour la basse was published in Marais's fourth book of viol solos, entitled Pièces à une et à trois violes (Paris, 1717). Like all ﬁve books of Marais's solo viol music, the collection was issued in two separate part books, one for the viol and another for the basse continue. As he had done in Book 1 (1686/1689), Marais also includes compositions for two solo viols plus basse continue, in this case a group of 20 movements and one double, divided into two suites. The remaining 86 movements in the collection are for solo viol with basse continue and, as Marais explains in the introduction (avertissement), he divided the pieces into two parts in order to address the needs of players at different levels. The ﬁrst part, intended for relative newcomers to the viol, contains tuneful, less demanding

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Early Music America Fall 2014

Editor’s Note
Baroque Competition
Sound Bytes
Musings: Ave Atque Vale
Musings: Ave Atque Vale
Recording Reviews
Recording Reviews
Aetas Aurea: An Early Music Macbeth
Aetas Aurea: An Early Music Macbeth
Mysterious Titles, Hidden Meaning
Mysterious Titles, Hidden Meaning
Viola da Gamba Dojo
Viola da Gamba Dojo
A Joyful Noise: Highlights of BFX 2014
A Joyful Noise: Highlights of BFX 2014
Book Reviews
Book Reviews
EMA Donations
EMA Donations
Ad Index
Ad Index
In Conclusion: Sam Franko and the Origins of the Early Music Movement
In Conclusion: Sam Franko and the Origins of the Early Music Movement

Early Music America Fall 2014