Couperin, Armand-Louis
Couperin, Armand-Louis
Couperin, Armand-Louis , organist and composer, son of Nicolas Couperin; b. Paris, Feb. 25, 1727;d. there, Feb. 2, 1789. His virtuosity on the organ was extraordinary. In 1748 he succeeded his father as organ- ist at St.-Gervais. He was also organist to the King (1770–89), and held appointments at St.-Barthelemy, Ste.-Marguerite, Ste.-Chapelle, St.- Jean-en-Greve, et al. He was one of the four organists of Notre-Dame. He died a violent death, having been knocked down by a runaway horse. His compositions include sonatas, a trio, motets, and other church music. His wife, Elisabeth-Antoinette (nee Blanchet; b. Paris, Jan. 14, 1729), was also a remarkable organist and harpsichordist, still playing in public at the age of 81 (in 1810). She was the daughter of Blanchet, the famous harpsichord maker, and sister-in-law to Pascal Joseph Taskin, the court instrument keeper under Louis XV. D. Fuller ed. A.-L. Couperin: Selected Works for Keyboard (Madison, Wise., 1975).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire