Francois Couperin

1 8.9

A French composer and organ player who wrote baroque keyboard music

proper noun
/frɑ̃swa kuˈpɛrɛ̃/

: Francois Couperin

Many consider Francois Couperin a master of French baroque music.

Examples

The organ pieces of Francois Couperin are still regularly performed today.
She cited Francois Couperin as a major influence on her interpretation of early music.
Francois Couperin is a famous composer.
I love Francois Couperin!
Many consider Francois Couperin a master of French baroque music.
She cited Francois Couperin as a major influence on her interpretation of early music.
The organ pieces of Francois Couperin are still regularly performed today.

Synonyms

Couperin

vsFrancois Couperin

1 9.9

A French composer and organist known for delicate harpsichord music from the Baroque period

is broader and describes his family as musicians rather than only organists

Surface Forms

Francois Couperin main

Morphology

Francois + Couperin

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; proper names are referential labels rather than compositional phrases, so knowing the individual tokens does not let a learner derive the biographical meaning. Even if a learner knows 'Couperin' as a surname, the full referent (that Francois Couperin was a French baroque composer with those dates) is encyclopedic knowledge rather than transparent from the constituent words.

Etymology

Francois Couperin names a famous French musician from a family of players who worked for the royal court. Imagine him at a small keyboard writing gentle pieces for the king, and that image helps you remember he is the famous French 'composer' and 'organist' of the early 1700s.