What does Le Tombeau de Couperin mean in English?

piece written as a memorial
Overview. The word tombeau in the title is a musical term popular from the 17th century, meaning “a piece written as a memorial”. The specific Couperin, among a family noted as musicians for about two centuries, that Ravel intended to evoke is thought to be François Couperin “the Great” (1668–1733).

What is the structure form of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin?

Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, V Menuet It is in composite ternary form. The first A section is a rounded, open binary. The a of A is composed of two symetric, parallel phrases of four measures each which form a phrase group.

Who orchestrated Le Tombeau de Couperin?

Ravel
Ravel orchestrated four of the six movements in 1919, and the piece received its premiere the following year. In this woodwind-heavy work, Le tombeau de Couperin highlights our virtuosic wind section and notably features Claire Brazeau, LACO’s principal oboe.

When was the ballet Le Tombeau de Couperin composed?

For George Balanchine’s 1975 ballet, see Le tombeau de Couperin (ballet). Le Tombeau de Couperin is a suite for solo piano by Maurice Ravel, composed between 1914 and 1917, in six movements based on those of a traditional Baroque suite.

Why did Maurice Ravel write Le Tombeau de Couperin?

Originally a six-movement solo composition for piano, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin was composed between 1914 and 1917. ‘Tombeau’ is a musical term from the Baroque era meaning ‘a piece written as a memorial.’ Every movement of Le Tombeau de Couperin is dedicated to the memory of a friend of Ravel’s, who had died fighting in WWI.

Where does the term ” Tombeau ” come from?

A tombeau (plural tombeaux) is a musical composition (earlier, in the early 16th century, a poem) commemorating the death of a notable individual. The term derives from the French word for “tomb” or “tombstone”. The vast majority of tombeaux date from the 17th century and were composed for lute or other plucked string instruments.

When did the tombeau genre go into decline?

The tombeau genre went into decline at the end of the 18th century. It reappeared in the 20th century with Maurice Ravel ‘s Le Tombeau de Couperin (1919).