Concert Royal No. 4 in E minor

François Couperin (1668–1733), known as "Couperin le Grand" (Couperin the Great), was the most distinguished member of a musical dynasty that dominated the French Baroque for nearly two centuries.
Born in Paris, François was the son of Charles Couperin, the organist at the Church of Saint-Gervais. The family held the prestigious organ post at Saint-Gervais for 173 consecutive years.
Following his father's death when François was only 11, the church wardens reserved the organist post for him until he reached age 18. During this interim, he was mentored by Jacques-Denis Thomelin, the King's organist, who treated him as a foster son and provided a rigorous education in the French classical organ school.
In 1693, Couperin won a competition to succeed Thomelin as one of the four organists of the Chapelle Royale for King Louis XIV. He became a favorite of the King, serving as a teacher to the royal children and providing the intimate "Concerts Royaux" (1714–1715) for the monarch's private chambers. In 1717, he attained the title of Ordinaire de la Musique de la Chambre du Roi, the most coveted harpsichord position in the French court.
Couperin was the primary architect of the United Styles (Les Goûts-réünis), a movement that sought to combine the melodic grace and complex ornamentation of France with the structural vigor and virtuosity of the Italian sonata (Corelli).
His 1716 treatise, The Art of Playing the Harpsichord, remains a foundational source for Baroque performance practice, detailing the precise execution of ornaments (agréments) and fingering techniques.
Couperin used music to paint psychological portraits and evoke specific atmospheres, a precursor to the character pieces of the Romantic era.