François d’Agincour (1684-1758)
Pièces de Clavecin
Premier Ordre in d minor
Second Ordre in F
Troisième Ordre in D
Quatrième Ordre in E
Marco Borghetto (harpsichord)
rec. 2023/24, Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
Reviewed as a download
Brilliant Classics 97632 [149]
François d’Agincour (or Dagencour – his name appears in various spellings) is one of the lesser-known representatives of the French classical keyboard school. As far as I know, his complete harpsichord works have been recorded just once, by Hervé Niquet, so there is every reason to welcome another account of his Pièces de Clavecin.
D’Agincour was born in Rouen, a city which played a major role in his career. He studied there with Jacques Boyvin, organist at the Notre-Dame, probably continuing his studies with Nicolas Lebègue in Paris where he occupied his first position as organist, at Sainte Madeleine-en-la-Cité. After five years, he succeeded Boyvin in Rouen, a post he held for the rest of his life. At the same time, he was organist at two other churches, and in 1714 was appointed organist for a quarter of the year at the Chapelle Royale – a clear token of his reputation.
Apart from three airs, his oeuvre consists of music for keyboard. In 1733 he published his Pièces de Clavecin. The title-page adds Premier livre. In his preface he stated that he was working on a second book, but – assuming he did finish it – that was never published.
The book was dedicated to the Queen of France, Maria Leszczyńska, wife of Louis XV. Musically speaking, the book shows D’Agincour’s admiration for François Couperin. He makes that crystal clear in his preface: “I have striven not to stray from beautiful chant or true harmony. I have changed nothing in the embellishments or the manner of touch of that which Monsieur (François) Couperin so aptly described and characterized, and which almost all those in the art employ. I can even say that we all owe him an immense debt of gratitude for the pains he took to seek it out. It seemed unnecessary to offer further explanation here.”
Like Couperin’s four harpsichord books, D’Agincour’s book consists of (four) Ordres, and like most of Couperin’s harpsichord works, most of D’Agincour’s pieces bear a title. These pieces are portraits, natural or genre scenes, or places. They are not always easy to explain, and in his concise liner-notes, Marco Borghetto does not try to shed light on to this matter. It is a shame that in the track-list the titles of the various pieces are not always complete. The indication of tempo or character, or the kind of dance are sometimes omitted.
The first Ordre opens with two allemandes, the first of which bears the title of a particular rhythm (La Sincopée). Other dances are a courante, a sarabande, a gigue and – at the end – two menuets, the first of which has a double. The latter was very common in French music, referring to an ornamented version of the preceding piece. The interest in the countryside which is a phenomenon of 18th-century France, is reflected by the piece called Les dances Provençales. Notable is that this piece consists of three sections, the first in major, the second in minor, whereas the third is very short, with the indication légèrement. As I mentioned, indications of tempo or character are mostly omitted. These are helpful to understand the nature of a piece or the way it is played. La Caressante, for instance, has the addition tendrement, and La Sensible should be played lentement et coulament. The latter piece has the form of a rondeau, as have many pieces in this book, whether specifically indicated or not.
The four Ordres are of different size. The Premier Ordre consists of 13 pieces; the Second Ordre has only seven. Notable in the latter is one ‘double portrait’: Les deux Cousines, which is in two sections, like the two dances in the previous Ordre. Also worth mentioning is an indication with regard to the way Le Colin-Maillard (blind man’s buff) should be played: “the right hand at the upper keyboard, the left hand on the lower keyboard, uncoupled and without a 4-foot”. The Ordre closes with a chaconne; here each couplet should be played twice.
The Troisième Ordre contains 11 pieces. The second is another ‘double portrait’ in two sections: La Villerey ou Les deux Soeurs; the second is again in minor. La Fauvette – “warbler” – is an example of a piece whose title is clearly illustrated: it includes a passage with staccato notes, referring to the hopping (or the pecking) of the bird. Le Val Joyeux has the indication vaudeville, which refers to the theatre. It is another piece in two sections, the second of which is in minor. As La Minerve refers to the Roman goddess of wisdom, who was also a sponsor of arts, the indication majestueusement may not be surprising. On the other hand, L’Étourdie – “scatterbrain” – has the addition gayement.
The Quatrième Ordre includes twelve pieces. It opens with a tribute to François Couperin, Allemande La Couperin. The next piece, Les Violettes fleuries (the flowering violets), with the addition gracieusement, is in two sections, the second of which in minor. La Princesse de Conty refers to Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666-1739), a noblewoman and the eldest legitimised daughter of Louis XIV, who got that title after her marriage to Louis Armand I, Prince of Conti. Les tourterelles (turtledoves) has the indication gracieusement; it is in two sections.
Notable is the penultimate piece, called La Moderne. This is what D’Agincour had to say about it: “The last piece (La Moderne) in this book will undoubtedly be found to be of a very different taste from the others, but I made it in this manner at the request of some people. Perhaps it will find its approvers. The mark M. G. on it indicates that the left hand should be used just as the mark M. D. indicates that the right hand should be used. The other mark 1st C. signifies the First Keyboard, just as the one for 2nd signifies the Second Keyboard.” This means, as Borghetto writes in his liner-notes, that here crossings of the two hands and keyboard changes are required.
D’Agincour’s harpsichord music is not that well-known, and his name seldom appears on recital programmes or in anthologies on disc, which is hard to understand. This was the first time that I had heard it, and I was pleasantly surprised. I am impressed by the quality and the variety of the pieces in this book. These come off perfectly in Borghetto’s performances. He seems to characterise them well, as far as I understand the meaning of the titles. I like his ornamentation, which is never exaggerated. The application of notes inégales is entirely natural, and never demonstrative. He plays two fine instruments: a copy of a Henry Hemsch (probably one of his early instruments) and a copy of a harpsichord, made by Johannes Daniel Dulcken in 1755. This recording makes the best possible case for the unjustly neglected D’Agincour.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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