Studying the music of Couperin is a great way to understand baroque ornamentation, as he was so meticulous in indicating them. Most importantly, we can see how ornamentation also conveys affect - they give us clues about the music and thus has an influence on our interpretation. Let me get into this opening of Couperin's Allemande Fuguée, which is one of the great gems in our French baroque repertoire!

I've indicated the segments of this phrase with the colored brackets above - the first in red, followed by another which is made up of two smaller components (blue brackets).

The first segment (in red) begins with a series of mordents and ends with a little trill. Couperin didn't choose these ornaments just randomly, but rather he wanted to convey specific affects which would be best expressed with these ornaments. The leaps in the beginning ask for a more exuberant character, and the brilliance of the mordent does just that. Let your fingers spring away from the flute on each mordent and feel the energy behind the movement. It should feel lively, airy, and effortless, using little air to play and always lifting/tapering each time. Overall, we should also do a subtle diminuendo as we approach the little trill on the C#.

Why a trill now instead of continuing with a mordent? Because it's the end of the sequence and the trill brings it to a nice gentle closure before something new starts afterwards. Trills often demonstrate flattery and are more suitable for softer expressions compared to mordents. Mordents are great for starting, highlighting; trills are great for ending, fading. Try replacing the last trill with a mordent and you'll hear the difference. (pretty mundane and not the perfect Couperin we know!)

This opening is actually a little tricky for us flutists, especially as we approach the last mordent and trill. The D-C# combination (both as a trill and a mordent) involves moving two fingers, one of which is the 4th finger which is the weakest finger of all. It takes a bit of practice to make sure they sound effortless (especially in the trill). Again, it helps to use just the right amount of air and not more, try to see how light you can get it to sound and be sure to taper your air through the trill. 

Where the blue bracket starts is where the affect changes - we no longer have those leaps but rather conjunct motion. This is again a compositional technique for showing something more elegant. Notice also the slur marks in this passage, which we didn't have before and thus also refers to a softer expression. Leaps have the tendency to sound "rude" in the French baroque, unless the composer had specific intentions. And so, Couperin resorts only to flattering trills! The slurs help us to just let the notes roll off gently into the melody (how perfect is that right?!) Again, taper and lighten up your sound through those passages, it is the key to sounding really gayement, which in the French baroque style is playful, merry, but not too extrovert.

Now here's something really fun - depending on how we play an ornament, they can still convey a variety of nuances. The first trill under the blue bracket (3rd beat of m. 1) can be seen as a slight variation of the opening motif due to the same pickup with the note A. It's also the start, the higher part of the phrase, and so we could play this trill more energetically. Make sure you separate both the pickup A and the A as an appoggiatura with the tongue (articulation silence, indicated by the 't). I'd play a short appoggiatura here for a more lively trill, because then to end the phrase, the second trill could be less lively and receive a slightly longer appoggiatura to close. Feel the flattery and sweetness in this. I'd also play this trill overall softer compared to the first one, thus setting up a nice contrast between an opening and closing gesture in this phrase. Shine a bit of light in the opening and tuck the sound gently in for the closure. 

By observing how to convey affect through ornamentation, this will help us to ornament on our own more effectively. For example in the following phrase, it would be nice to add a turn (tour de chant) which will help propel us into the next trill. It's the perfect compliment after what's again a somewhat "bold" gesture of a leap and mordent.  It's a small detail which should not draw attention to itself but contributes greatly in the whole context. The result is then something that's flowing, elegant, and stylish of the French baroque style.
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Once we grasp these concepts, they increase our fun and enjoyment of this music➡️ the music then comes to life➡️win win!

Watch the video below for some live demonstrations of how to practice this passage.

Playing the baroque flute requires an incredible amount of nuanced technique in handling the breath. We have to create our own resonance on an instrument which can't take much air and air pressure. I always tell my learners to use a slow, “warm” air that simply activates the instrument just enough to sound and not more than necessary. This is, of course, such a challenge when we're under high pressure – the nerves kick in and maintaining a slow, steady airstream may feel next to impossible. It would be so much easier to just blow! But the baroque flute is about resonance, not loudness. And even if you're thinking about loudness, you'd still have to start with resonance first. 

Also, we don't typically use vibrato and taking care of notes like F natural or G# demand a very particular kind of airstream. Any unevenness in sound (in the negative sense) is quite noticeable. Again when our nerves get the better of us, when we're unable to maintain that slow air to create a “glow” in the sound, everything sounds a little dull and fuzzy and it's very hard to be expressive with this type of tone quality. Articulation, dynamics, intonation, phrasing (everything?!) – they all depend on a specifically centered, supple sound that gives us the technique and flexibility to play expressively. 

Another common challenge is playing in a space with dry acoustics. One problem is that everything can easily sound kind of the same in such conditions. Also, any unevenness or impurity in the sound will be immediately reflected back to us. We then get a little uneasy with that feedback. We stress and it becomes harder to maintain the proper airstream. There can be a variety of issues that robs our resonance, but we keep feeling like we need to do more to be expressive. Ultimately, the whole thing becomes a vicious circle, as the baroque flute cannot take much pressure before the sound cracks, gets disrupted, or intonation goes awry. I've been there so many times so I'd like to suggest something which may seem counter intuitive at first – create expressive contrasts in the soft dynamic range. People will listen differently and a concentrated, attentive piano is more advantageous and effective in such a space.

Keeping these sound issues in mind will ultimately make you a better flutist, competition or not. Really listen and observe your airstream in practice, see if you can use an even slower air to achieve the same result, perhaps also less air. In all aspects of your technique, can you play USING THE MINIMUM TO ACHIEVE THE MAXIMUM? Are you aware of the super fine muscles of your embouchure to bring more center and brilliance to your sound? (again, work with resonance, not loudness). 

We only need a SLIGHTLY faster airstream to play the higher register, so be careful to not overshoot. Again, this happens super easily when we're under stress. And for me, I get stressed even more when I hear my own sharp and scratchy high notes while performing!!😅 To combat that, I like to “think low as I go high”. Lower your lower jaw, open your nostrils, use the slowest air possible....again, use the minimum to achieve the maximum.

Another tip I'd like to offer is something regarding tempo. It's natural to play a little faster when we get nervous. Or maybe a lot faster, to the point that we lose control. All perfectly human. When studying a piece, how about finding ways to bring spirit and liveliness through other means first, and consider tempo as the very last element? Remember that tempo in itself doesn't express much, and what we learned in our young modern years as “tempo indications” were originally indications of affect. Can you show joy with your articulation? How can you let the audience hear and understand that peculiar phrase? And even in fast passages - can you find deepness in them and produce a SINGING VIRTUOSITY? (a concept I learned from Wilbert Hazelzet) Remember also baroque music is about changing affects - are you giving yourself (and the listener) enough space for showing those wonderful changes, or does it feel like the notes are just flying by? 

Speaking of which, not only does the technique of stopping the sound between notes work wonders by making your articulation lively and expressive, it'll also help you slow down and gain security in fast passages. For me, that's a must-have multivitamin.

​It's impossible to cover all grounds, but I'd like to get this out to people while the experience is still fresh. I hope by thinking and working through these concepts, you'll acquire some helpful tools. See if you can get to that place of being where you're able to observe yourself while performing. Direct yourself gently to slow down that air. Go for resonance. Slow down your fingers (and slow down more than you think!), use articulation to help you stay grounded. Keep your air going and going “long” to resist it from getting "shorter" (again due to nerves). And besides all this playing technique - stay in the music! No matter what happens (and often it isn't as bad as you may perceive it), keep telling the story and immerse yourself in your interpretation. That'll help keep you away from distractive thoughts which can make you fall. 

Feel free to ask questions, start a conversation thread here, or write to me directly. Others may just be thinking what you're thinking!

We all keep trying, keep refining, keep PLAYING.