Opening of Couperin's Allemande Fuguée, 2nd Concert Royaux

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.
​
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.

---