Gervais-François Couperin - Duo de Nazard

Gervais-François Couperin - Duo de Nazard
Dom Bedos Organ Model

This piece was most likely written for the organ of St. Pierre de Charonne, a small organ with 2 manuals and without independent pedalboard. This recording is on a much larger virtual instrument with 5 manuals, so the left hand is played on the Gross nazard (16') and the right hand on the Nazard (8').

Since there is no context for this piece in the original 1997 publication, and since I myself do nat have access to the original manuscripts either in the possession of the Gorenstein family or the descendants of Ver Hasselt, I found two possibilities after an examination of a 1919 article by Paul Brunold. 1) This duo is part of the Magnificat du 1er. Ton (D minor), or 2) this piece if from the Kyrie from the Messe des Grands Solennels (I will add however that the Grands Solennels by Boely and Marrigues, both successors to Couperin, were in C minor).