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Louis Couperin is a french musician of the baroque. He was born in Chaumes en Brie near Paris probably in 1626 and he died in Paris in 1661. He was a skillful harpsichordist, organist, gambist.
He his the most renowned member of the Couperin family, together with his nephew, François le Grand.
He and his two younger brothers offered an occasional concert to Jacques Champion de Chambonnières on the day of St James. Chambonnières was the most prominent french harpsichordist of his time, and musician of the King. He guessed that this youhg man was a very talented one, and made him come to Paris 1650. There he very soon became titular organist of St Gervais church, He was also prized as gambist and harpsichordist. Johann Jakob Froberger was in Paris in these days : he probably – though not definitely asserted - met Louis Couperin and their style influenced each other.
Louis Couperin got his reputation as a great composer mainly from his harpsichord works. He composed more than 130 pieces which were not published during his short life. They were gathered in several manuscripts and belong mainly to the ‘’suite’’ genre. His unmeasured preludes and chaconnes are tme most remarkable among them.
Only few organ pieces from him were known til the mid XX century when a large manuscript was discovered in England : this books proves that Couperin exerted a great influence on organ music in XVII century France.