Bach and France
In Lüneburg, during his years in high school (1700-03), young Bach met Georg Böhm, a connoisseur in French music and worked on the organ with him...
According to Carl Philippe Emmanuel Bach, he « had the occasion, as he often listened to the orchestra which was famous then, that the Duke of Celle was maintaining and which was solely composed of French musicians, and he acquired a solid knowledge in French tasteand which was therefore completely new.
Later, in 1713, Bach copied fully the Book for organ by Nicolas de Grigny, what shows among other things his knowledge of the French organists he admired : Grigny, Couperin, Marchand in particular ». (extract from the text of the libretto by Gilles Cantagrel).
Through Lully, French music irradiates in all Europe. This way, whole host of German Lullyists shine forth in prestigious courts:at one moment in their lives, Georg Muffat, Kusser Fischer were close to lully, or at least felt his direct influence.
According to Mrs Taskin, Bach and Couperin exchanged letters.. But it would be only used to « close jars of jam ». Nothing seems to be less certain. But Bach certainly knew Couperin 's work and other French composer's.
Bernard Coudurier chose to play on two wonderful instruments:the historical organ of Grauhoff (Germany) and the organ Isnard in St Maximin.
As usual, Coudurier's performance has an astounding expressiveness, supported by unsuspected colours, a wide and breathed phrasing. The wise choice of the caesuras, the attention paid to the least rubbing or dissonance, the regularity of the lines and the natural aspect of the ornamentation make immediately the listener dive into another world.
Either in pieces such as « Das alte Jahr vergangen ist « (BWV 614) whose painful accents express without spelling things out, with modesty, or in the radiant fervour of works like « The musical offering for six voices» (BWV 1079), and the « Passacaglia » (BWV 582) , the organist marvellously proportions and polishes sounds, makes the discourse poetry, invites to share so much emotion . Indeed, it is difficult not to be moved and convinced by so much meditation, so much spirituality.