François Couperin - Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux (Messe des Couvents, Gloria IX)

François Couperin (Paris, 1668-1733) – Messe propre pour les Couvents de Religieux et Religieuses (Paris, 1690) – Gloria, IX Couplet.
#Live performed as a prelude for Christmas #Day #Mass in the Parish #Church of St. Gervasio and St. Protasio in Marudo (Lodi, Lombardia, #Italy), on the astonishing mechanical #organ (2 keyboards and pedalboard, C-f"' with short octave) built by Luigi Amati (1752-1816).
This short piece by Couperin, which I studied with my Organ teacher Andrea Toschi and examined in depth through a masterclass held by Jean-Patrice Brosse in 2018, suits very well Italian organs built during the Risorgimento; I tried to demonstrate it using powerful stops such as Fagotto Bassi, Tromba Soprani, Principale 8', Flauto in Ottava 4' and Cornetto Soprani of 3 ranks on the Great Organ and Violoncello Bassi e Soprani 8', Flauto in Ottava 4' and Cornetto in Eco Soprani of 3 ranks and a half-furniture from Principale 8' to Decimaquinta 2' on the Echo Organ, adding Trombone 8' at the pedals to underline the bass in the most important cadences and also Bombarda 16' in the final chord, to recreate the effect of the sub-octave to F0 (or F-1) of the typical French Baroque pedalboard.
Another interesting aspect, suggested by the dear departed Jean-Patrice Brosse, is the use of various kinds of "inegalité" for the Great and the Echo Organ and for different passages, in order to emphasise the tempo (in three beats, but armonically thought as one) and the structure of musical phrases.