François Couperin

“ Händel he esteemed highly, Couperin interested him; when accorded three weeks' leave that he might hear Buxtehude, Bach so far forgot himself as to allow three months to go by while listening, from a secluded corner of the church, to the justly celebrated organist of St. Mary's in Lübeck.
Bach was a great and good man; never did a more marvellous mechanism perform the functions of a human brain; never has been known a mind that was sounder, better balanced, contained in a more robust body; never were a musician's nerves better controlled. ”

“ Père Amiot says, “Music must fill the ears to penetrate the soul.” Referring to the playing of some pieces by Couperin on a spinet, he says that Chinese hearers thought these pieces barbarous; the movement was too rapid, and did not allow sufficient time for them to enjoy each tone by itself. Now this is colour without form, or sound without music. For it to become music, it must possess some quality which will remove it from the purely sensuous. To my mind, it is in the power of suggestion that the vital spark of music lies. ”

“ I doubt whether the intrinsic value of these compositions, despite their entertaining nature in some cases (for instance, Couperin's descriptive pieces) , succeeded in holding his attention for any length of time; Bach could learn nothing from their technique, so often elementary; but he knew how to draw profit from their accessory qualities. Certain combinations of registers seem to us, in fact, to have been directly inspired by the study of their livres d'orgues, just as certain ornaments appear to have been borrowed from the "Agrémens" of their clavecin pieces. ”

“ To Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Froberger, F. Couperin, Frescobaldi, and still others—why name them all here?—belongs the proud distinction of having provided a medium for Bach; and still their importance is not lessened by such a fact any more than is Bach's; in any case, it is very difficult to judge a man of genius without reference to chronological succession. Neither in the domain of art nor of science is furnished an example of a man creating a standard, of which his original conception has not been aided by one influence or-27- another. ”

“ Variation I is a particularly interesting example of Haydn's style. The syncopation in the right hand part, with its delicacy of utterance, and its occasional tender poignancy (as at measure 52) gives to this portion of the piece an unusual charm. The transposition of the syncopation to the left hand (at measure 56) is particularly interesting because of the delicate dissonances that result. The passage at measures 83-88 might almost have been written by Rameau or Couperin, so full is it of trills and other ornaments. This is in the old harpsichord style of the generation before Haydn. ”

“ As it was, Stefanie had been bothering him more than enough of late, trying to persuade him to leave his money to his godchild, the Van Welys' little Netta; and he had no mind to do anything of the sort: he would rather pitch his money into the gutter. With Harold and Daan, who did business in India together and were intimate for that reason, he had never had much to do: they were just like strangers to him. Ina he couldn't stand, especially since D'Herbourg had helped him out of a mess, in the matter of that little laundry-girl. He didn't care a hang for the whole crew. ”

“ The fingers, which were tearing the pages of a novel anyhow with a hairpin, trembled; and the page was torn awry. The back became rounder, like that of a cat assuming the defensive. She said nothing, but poured out the tea.
"Coosh!" she said to the dog.
And, glad that the dog came to her, she patted him on the head with a half-caress; and the fox-terrier, giving a last sharp bark, spun round upon himself and, very suddenly, nestled down on Ottilie's skirt, with a deep sigh. Steyn de Weert, sitting opposite her, drank his tea. ”

“ CHAPTER XXVIII Outside, the snow was falling in great flakes. The parlour-maid had opened the door:
"But your cab isn't here yet, ma'am. . . ."
"It doesn't matter. We'll walk."
"I must say, it's a little absurd of Mamma," said Van der Welcke, on the doorstep. "Must we go to Gerrit's . . . in this weather? And has Addie gone too? . . . Was Mamma as anxious as all that? . . . It's snowing hard, Constance: it's enough to give one one's death, to go out in this weather. . . ."
"Well, then you stay, Henri." ”

“ The countess made a stately curtsey before the young princes.
"The territory is occupied," whispered Herman to Valérie.
They had all sat down again and among themselves were teasing Othomar with his three Fates, as they called them, unheard by the aunts or the countess, who was rather deaf. A noisy babel of tongues ensued: the aunts spoke German and screamed, to make themselves heard, something about the calmness of the sea into the poor old ears of the countess, who poured out the coffee and nodded that she understood. The younger princes talked English for the most part ”

“ Would she not have been in her right place by Van der Welcke's side, even though people might talk and cavil at first, because, she, the divorced wife of a minister plenipotentiary, had afterwards married the youngest secretary in the service! But she would have shown tact, it would have been forgotten, it would have subsided into the past. She refused to believe but that all this would have been possible, not for any one else, perhaps, but certainly for her. And this was her grievance, that those two old people—and Henri with them—had never been able to see this as she did ”

“ Louis Couperus was born on the 10th of June, 1863, at the Hague, where he spent the first ten years of his life. He was then taken in company with his family to Java, and resided five years in Batavia. Returning to the Hague, where he completed his education, he began to make teaching his profession, but gradually drifted into devoting himself entirely to literature. He published a little volume of verses in 1884, and another, of more importance, called Orchideïen (Orchids) , in 1887, Oriental and luscious. But he has succeeded, as every one allows, much better in prose. ”

“ Those people would not remain much longer. It was ten o'clock; and they began to say good-bye. They followed one after the other, at short intervals, as is proper at big dinner-parties . . . There was only one of the ministers left, talking earnestly to Van Naghel, in a low voice, probably about some government matter: he was not thinking yet of going . . . But at last he also hastened away, apologizing. And Van Naghel and Bertha, Marianne, Frances and Otto all listened while he put on his overcoat downstairs, said a word to the butler . . . The front-door slammed. They were alone. ”

“ I have the most charming acquaintances in Italy, friends who ..."
"Children, you may be right. Ottilie may be right not to get married at all; and you may be right to have been married only by the mayor."
"At any rate," said Elly, "I never thought that, though there was no reception, we should have such a cosy little supper."
"And such a nice one," said Lot. "Elly, these tarts are heavenly!"
"Only we oughtn't to have sat rooting up past things," said the old gentleman. "It makes Lot's flesh creep. Look at the fellow eating tarts! It's just what your mother used to do. A baby, a regular baby!" ”

“ But how any one can pass his whole life in an office, I can’t conceive. It would kill me. There’s Erlevoort, now—I mean your brother, Eetje.”
“You let Otto alone,” said Paul. “He has a great career before him, you shall see.”
“Yes, you know, Otto is cut out for a cabinet minister or a governor-general—at least, so his mother always says. ’Tis I alone who am the outcast of the family,” cried Etienne.
“Yes; the spoilt child, eh?” laughed Vincent “How far are you now in your studies?”
“Oh, I’m going on all right. I am not at college, you know, I am studying in the Hague.” ”

“ He sank into his chair again, screened his eyes with his hand; and the lamplight under the green shade furrowed the wrinkles sharply in his worn face of anguish. He stared out before him. What did she know? What did she guess? What had she overheard perhaps ... in the conservatory, as she came to them?... He tried to remember the last words which he had exchanged with Daan. He could not remember. He decided that Ina knew nothing, but that she guessed, because of his increased depression.... Oh, if the Thing would only pass!... Oh, if the old people would only die!... ”

“ I am seeking....”
“What?”
“I can’t explain it in a few words. Perhaps later, when we’ve seen more of each other.”
“You’re the same queer chap that you always were. What are you seeking?”
“Something.”
“There’s our old oracle. ‘Something!’ You were always fond of those short words.”
“The universe lies in a word.”
“Max, I can’t follow you, if you go on like that. I never could, you know.”
“Tell me about yourself now, about Rome, about Brussels.”
Van der Welcke, smoking, described his life, more or less briefly, through the blue clouds of his cigarette. Brauws listened:
“Yes,” he said. “Women....” ”

“ But please don't trouble . . . and make yourself at home. Henri will be down in a minute; he is very worried at not being ready."
In fact, they heard Van der Welcke upstairs, dressing excitedly; he was rushing madly round his room and shouting:
"Addie! Addie! Pick me out a tie! Do be quick, boy!"
And Constance rose to go. Brauws stopped her:
"Mevrouw," he said, hurriedly, "Hans asked me to dinner."
"And you refused . . ."
"Well, you see, I'm such a bear. Don't be angry and don't let Hans be angry either and let me come and dine with you one day." ”

“ But she resolved to sit very quiet until Piet came to fetch her. The lady and the gentleman were in the same compartment as herself, but they were very polite: the gentleman had bowed and the lady too; and fortunately they did not look at her again, but talked to each other in low voices. And, when the train moved off, the old woman sat quietly, with set lips, looking out of the window at the meadows speeding past. . . . Now she was beginning to wonder what Henri would say and she also thought of Constance and of her grandson, Adriaan. ”

“ And, with all sorts of fever-born images whirling before his eyes, like shining will-o'-the-wisps in that morning mist, his thoughts touched hastily on every sort of subject: he saw the barracks before him; Pauline; the Paris train and Constance and Van der Welcke in a compartment with Henri's coffin between them; Auntie Lot and Mamma; Bertha at Baarn. He saw his boyhood at Buitenzorg; the foaming river; all his bright-haired children. He saw a worm, big as a dragon, with bristles like lances sticking straight out of its dragon's back. . . . ”

“ I've always discussed everything with Harold. I spoke to you because I knew that you knew...."
"Well-well-well, yes-yes-yes ... But Daan, Dercksz, don't speak to any one else!"
"No, no, I sha'n't speak to any one else."
"Not to Stefanie, not to Anton, not to Ottilie ..."
"Their child! ..."
"Yes-yes, her child and his. Hush-hush, Daan, these are such old things, they're all past!"
"If only they were! But they are not past ... as long as Mamma ... and Takma ... are still alive!"
"Yes-yes, yes-yes, you're right: as long as they're alive, those things are not past ... ”

“ Mamma asked him once or twice this winter, and surely we are not quite so intimate with him that we should invite him to accompany us into the country. When you begin to ask strangers, there is always a sort of constraint.”
“But he is very sociable.”
“That’s true. He improves on further acquaintance, I must admit; but still we don’t know him as we do Paul and Etienne.”
“Oh, they are nice boys! They do nothing all day long but lounge about from the Witte to Linke, and from the Bordelaise to the Bodega, and always with that wretched Vere. We don’t see them at all just now ”

“ In his easy-chair, with the glass of grog mixed by Constance at his side, he was just a big, burly, light-haired fellow in his mufti; and his movements were brisk, his parade-voice sounded loud. . . . His wife was sitting there, gentle and placid, the quiet, resigned little mother; the children were asleep at home. Oh, his children, how he loved them! . . . Certainly, all of that existed, it was no phantasm, it was most certainly the truth; but behind that truth lay hidden another truth ”

“ Mamma has Adeline and the children with her; Constance is devoting herself to Ernst: what earthly use would it be for me to go to Nunspeet?... All that travelling is such a nuisance; and going to Nunspeet would make me almost as dirty as going to Switzerland.... No, I shall stay where I am. The landlady's very clean and so is the maid; and, though I have to see to a lot myself, of course, things are fairly well cared for ... and not too dirty...."
"But, Paul," said Gerrit, with a sort of "Look here, drop it!" gesture, "that cleanliness of yours is becoming a mania!" ”

“ Dalhousie, the 'oldest and dearest friend' of Couper's father, took a keen interest in him, and the governor-general's 'Private Letters' to the elder Couper (1910) make frequent reference to the young man's progress. In 1853 Couper went to headquarters as under-secretary to the government of India, first in the home and finance, and then in the foreign departments. On the annexation of Oudh in February 1856 he was appointed secretary at Lucknow to the chief commissioner, Sir James Outram [q. v.] ”