Le Tic-Toc-Choc

[Tenifus]

I can never get over how small harpsichord keys are.

[Marianofrv]

Delightful congratulations thank you for sharing

[ytbelo]

Merci Philippe Meyer

[gerardbedecarter]

It's great to hear Couperin's celebrated piece on an original-style instrument !

[happyskywhite]

AMAZING.

[heregleyee]

Can someone help me please? what is the musical texture of " Tic-Toc-Choc" ?

[tormus1]

It is two part writing; one part for the upper manual and one part for the lower manual with the exception of the cadences at the end of each section.

[piriapolis2008]

excelentedigitacion, muy bueno!

[Elcomunisto]

es mucho mejor sokolov jajaja

[Guilmant512]

u're stupid!

At the Couperin time it wasn't the piano.

This piece it was written just for the harpsichord!

[ufayad]

it looks so fun to press one of those keys!!!

[beckyharp]

This is so interesting! I'm learning to play this on harp and my teacher suggested I listen to it on harpsichord-wow!

[miocaroadone]

This is nitpicking, but perhaps the problem here is that the tempo is not STEADY, i.e. there is lot of disconcerting rubato. Don't know. It's good to hear this and Sokolov's - they're both a million miles better than I could manage!

[KarlAmade]

well, yes, it should go some faster... but stupid of you mentioning Sokolov... since this is an early music instrument and performance... and NEVER NEVER mix modern performed standarized music styles and musicians with early music.... urrgghh

[xgianpatrick]

There is much out there that is historically-informed and yet which misses the essence of the music. Which is most important: an appropriate tempo, an appropriate timbre, or capturing the spirit? Cheers.

[BethDiane]

Well, without an appropriate tempo and an appropriate timbre, it's impossible to capture the spirit. However, a great artist such as Sokolov can occasionally create the right timbre on the wrong instrument; he does pretty well with this movement, I must say. And that's high praise coming from me--I'm a harpsichordist myself.

[dolofonos]

I would have to say that incorrect playing is always incorrect playing--blunders are blunders, universally (such as making breaks in phrases on account of incorrect fingering). Considering that--particularly in Baroque music--virtually all 'spirit' is in the composition itself. That said, I would consider tempo to be both by far and self-evidently the most important in 'capturing spirit', provided, obviously, that the music is otherwise played 'correctly'.

[Renshen1957]

@xgianpatrick It's all important, tempo, timbre, and spirit. There is much out there non-historically-informed that doesn't capture the spirit. (Bachscholar's Scarlatti K 1.) Glenn Gould played the A minor invention Presto (too fast), and Toccata E minor Partita (too slow). One works, one doesn't.

[coaster1000]

Good, but i must say it is way to slow.

[ricercarehor]

This is a harpsichord, not a piano

[jlaurson]

OK... and what's that got to do with the comment? If anything, on the harpsichord it can (should?) be played even faster.

[epor324]

I think it is not a harpsichord. It is a clavichord.

[singer1924]

interesting, interesting... say a bit more please :-)

[Renshen1957]

This is a Harpsichord, built in Sydney Australia. Double manual clavichords are rarer than Hens teeth and sound completely different.

[Ntalikeris666]

just see that.../watch?v=pR6kpZzOGdo

[shyguy8790]

do you think you could play any slower? haha jk...very good playing

[Timrath]

playing really fast is not a good idea on most old instruments. they start sounding like a tin can filled with nails, rolling down a stony hill. his tempo is good. anything faster, and it would sound terrible.

[jlaurson]

Rubbish. Any well restored harpsichord can take any speed a performer can dole out. And with the quick decay, the music can take it, too.

[dolofonos]

You've got that right, though, almost better said: the harpsichord can take the music. My point being that instrument most commonly used to play ante-Romantic keyboard music--the modern piano--cannot truly.

[Timrath]

his tempo is fine. playing faster than that would be ill-advised. with those old instruments, if you play too fast, they sound like tin cans filled with nails, rolling down a stony hillside. tempo depends strongly on what instrument you're playing on. what sounds nice on a piano, can easily sound awful on an organ, cembalo, or electronic keyboard.

[wandalewlandowska]

Gosh, how did Scarlatti negotiate sonatas on his harpsichord when he wished the tempo to be "Prestissimo" as in K. 517, for instance? I notice that the instrument on which this artist plays was made in 1987. Could it be relied upon to play fast pieces by Scarlatti or the "Presto" of Bach's "Italian Concerto", or is one to assume that tempi were slower in their era than ours?

[marsvltor2]

Always an interesting question over instruments. The Italian instruments, which Scarlatti would have known both in Italy and Spain, were very, very different from the northern European ones (Flemish/French, and by derivation, late English). There is no doubt that one could 'shift' on an Italian (single manual, 2x8 (very rarely 2x8 1x4. Having said that, I've heard Pinnock motoring on a Dulcken copy. Regards, Paul :-)

[Renshen1957]

@Timrath And the converse is true about what sounds nice on an organ, harpsichord, et al can sound horrible on the piano.

[cookiebaroness]

Absolutely enchanting, so delicate what a beautiful melody, very haunting.

[GrotrianSeiler]

Loved it!

[MadKabwit]

I would easily put this interpretation over sokolov's. Although i consider him to be the most technically advanced pianist of today. Keep up the good work.

[fnersch]

Again, nice playing. This is a good example of a "piece croisse", one that is unique in string keyboard literature.

[MusicPredominates]

Good playing.

[7soc47]

I love this so much!! When I'm at work I just imagine this piece in my head, makes my day so enjoyable!!

[FritzieCarney]

Loved this! Thank you.

[kiptw]

Thanks! That was delightful.

[EmdrGreg]

Nicely done, tormus! Seems to me to be a very authentic tempo. Great instrument, too. You might want to start ornaments right on the beat; I think you'll get an even more authentic sound.

[BettyCope]

You'll really enjoy Sokolov's performance of this!!

[musiclover63]

Bravo!

[Raymondo30837]

AWESOME Vidio and skill. Thanks for sharing.

[anormalius]

yummi..sweet music !!

[mercoid]

I have heard this piece 2 or 3 times before, but have never enjoyed it so much.

[cookiebaroness]

How fascinating to see close up the skill required and the practice to produce this perpetual motion of delight. Bravo.