© 2004 by Oxford University Press
An Unexpected Champion of François Couperin: Johannes Brahms and the Pièces de Clavecin
Brahms made considerable efforts to revive the reputation of François Couperin, performing his keyboard music in concerts and contributing to Friedrich Chrysander's edition of the Pièces de clavecin in the Denkmäler der Tonkunst series; the exact nature of his contribution to this edition and the later Augener edition is established. Although Brahms's musical tastes were wide-ranging, his support for the French composer was quite remarkable in view of the strong nationalistic overtones that characterized the early-music revival in nineteenth-century Germany. Couperin's music held considerable appeal for Brahms, and its influence is demonstrated in Brahms's mature piano writing.