Richibi’s Weblog

    “Minuet“ (1756) 

           Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

                                   _________

two pieces

          one by Debussy, his “Pour le piano“

              or, in English, “For the Piano“ 

          a second, by Ravel, his “Le tombeau 

              de Couperin“, or “Couperin’s Coffin“

 how are they similar

 how are they different

 you tell me

a couple o’ clues

          “Pour le piano“ 

                  Prélude

                  Sarabande

                  Toccata

          “Le tombeau de Couperin“

                  Prélude

                  Fugue

                  Forlane

                  Rigaudon

                  Menuet

                  Toccata

R ! chard

psst: both these works are suites, in

          the manner of Bach, compositions 

          with more than one segment, the

          first a prelude, followed by, at

          least, two dance pieces  

          the form had remained fallow for

          nearly two hundred years until it

          was revived, atavistically, during

          the Impressionist Period  

           if you can’t tell your sarabande

          from your rigaudon, your forlane

          from your toccata, don’t fret, they

          are now defunct dances, not to

          mention that they’ve always been

          stylized, these suites, in other

          words, weren’t made for dancing,

          as the saying goes, but for

          performance, listening