Les Barricades Mystérieuses

jdg78

Hello Friends,
I love this evocatively titled piece by Francois Couperin, composed in 1717.

Here's my own rendition, which I played via the VSL Synchron Bosendorfer Imperial - my new favorite VST.

I set the pitch at 415, which apparently was the norm in the baroque era. It gives everything a slightly darker tone, which I think suits the music well.

Hope you enjoy!

Ralphiano

That was nice playing, jdg78! I think you did a very nice job of controlling the VST's thunderous bass. And the variations in your left hand dynamics were subtle and pleasing. Well done!

Do you know anything about the origin of the title to the piece? I have always found the title intriguing, but have never researched it.

jdg78

Ralphiano That was nice playing, jdg78! I think you did a very nice job of controlling the VST's thunderous bass. And the variations in your left hand dynamics were subtle and pleasing. Well done!

Do you know anything about the origin of the title to the piece? I have always found the title intriguing, but have never researched it.

Thank you Raphiano!

In regards to the title, I've also wondered about it, and the best explanation I found was that in the court of Louis XIV, "Les Barricades Mysteriouses" was understood as lingo for a woman's eyelashes. As in the eyes being a barrier to one's soul - something like that.

CyberGene

Very nice playing! It’s apparent you feel the work emotionally and can translate that through your playing, I enjoyed it a lot!

The tone is suitably dark. But I’m wondering if setting the pitch to 415 is executed internally by using the original samples and replaying them with lower speed. That would alter the timbre. Maybe it’s for good, maybe not… As an experiment you can try setting it to 440 Hz but transpose your MIDI one semitone lower which would be almost equivalent to playing in 415 Hz (because the G# note has frequency of 415.3047 Hz). The advantage is you will hear the unaltered piano samples. But I guess the shifted samples may result in a darker timbre that creates a desirable effect.

jdg78

CyberGene Very nice playing! It’s apparent you feel the work emotionally and can translate that through your playing, I enjoyed it a lot!

The tone is suitably dark. But I’m wondering if setting the pitch to 415 is executed internally by using the original samples and replaying them with lower speed. That would alter the timbre. Maybe it’s for good, maybe not… As an experiment you can try setting it to 440 Hz but transpose your MIDI one semitone lower which would be almost equivalent to playing in 415 Hz (because the G# note has frequency of 415.3047 Hz). The advantage is you will hear the unaltered piano samples. But I guess the shifted samples may result in a darker timbre that creates a desirable effect.

Thanks Cybergene!
I actually played and recorded it at 440hz originally (attached below) - and then rendered it back at 415 and for whatever reason liked the sound better.

barricades-440.mp3

But I will try your suggestion, next time I have the chance - thanks!

Del Vento

CyberGene Very nice playing! It’s apparent you feel the work emotionally and can translate that through your playing, I enjoyed it a lot!

I totally second this! It sounds you have complete command of the instrument and concentrate purely on the emotion of the music which is exactly how it should always be (and seldom does for me).

Thanks for sharing!!!

HZPiano

jdg78 I actually played and recorded it at 440hz originally

All very nice jdg! I'll not be paying like that for years to come, if ever (but one never knows, do they…).

Still, @CyberGene 's suggestion would render a different result, which would be interesting from our nerdy perspectives.

As it happens, I do like the 415Hz recording better just as you do, it comes across as more natural. I do miss clarity and presence in the sound in both .mp3s, though, played through good hifi amplifier and speakers.

Cheers and happy renderings,

jdg78

HZPiano All very nice jdg! I'll not be paying like that for years to come, if ever (but one never knows, do they…).

Still, @CyberGene 's suggestion would render a different result, which would be interesting from our nerdy perspectives.

As it happens, I do like the 415Hz recording better just as you do, it comes across as more natural. I do miss clarity and presence in the sound in both .mp3s, though, played through good hifi amplifier and speakers.

Cheers and happy renderings,

HZ

Thanks HZ!

I did actually try out Cybergene's suggestion of recording at 440Hz w/ the midi transposed down one semitone the other day. Here is the result, along with the original recorded at 415Hz:

barricades-at-440hz-midi-transposed-one-semitone-down.wav

barricades-at-415hz.wav

Personally, I don't hear much of a difference, although at one point I thought the version recorded at 415Hz sounded slightly more pleasant. But that might just be my ears playing tricks on me.

In any case, I recorded these as uncompressed WAV files so hopefully the sound quality is a bit better.

Khuja Wangtishvili

@jdg78

Can you recommend any particular free sheet music /edition for this (something we'll done and clear to read), or I just have to go through it by myself?

jdg78

Khuja Wangtishvili @jdg78

Can you recommend any particular free sheet music /edition for this (something we'll done and clear to read), or I just have to go through it by myself?

I actually learned it from a Dover paperback edition of the complete keyboard words, which I've owned for years.

But this online version appears more or less the same, maybe even a bit clearer to read:

https://musescore.com/user/18230801/scores/5198105

The whole thing is written on the bass clef which was a bit of an adjustment for me, as I've never been the greatest sight reader. But apart from that, it's not all that difficult technically.

Khuja Wangtishvili

jdg78

Thank you

BTW the best way to check how A frequency change the sound would be to insert your midi file into Pianoteq