Thursday, January 26, 2017

Chambonnieres, Pieces de Clavecin (1670), simple lines (2)

Two courantes, from the fifth and sixth suites of book 2, respectively, give us additional examples of what I have been calling the simple rising line from ^5 to ^8.

A firmly established focal note ^5 (D5) is presented at the beginning. A line ascends from it at the end, in tight coordination with the bass. Note that the ascent happens twice -- this is one of the only instances in Chambonnieres's two books of the petit reprise, a repetition of the final few bars, usually embellished, that became a standard part of performance practice by the early eighteenth century.


In the courante from suite 6, an ascending octave line begins the piece and an ascent from ^5 ends it. Here again, harmony and line are closely coordinated. The dal segno sign indicates the point to begin the petit reprise.