La de Drummond

by Jacques Duphly 1715-1789

Jacques Duphly is best known for the four collections of harpsichord pieces he published in Paris between 1744 and 1768. These are spirited works, finely crafted in the tradition of Francois Couperin.

He and his younger contemporary Claude Balbastre had a simple and elegant manner in harpsichord writing, while also possessing the ability to capitalise on the expressive range of the great mid-century instruments by craftsmen such as Blanchet and Taskin.

La de Drummond comes from Pieces for Harpsichord book 4. It is number three in the book and the title “La de Drummond” means “of the Drummond “ more than likely a family name. ‘La Pothouin” number 5 in book four and “La de Vancanson” number 4 book four are family names also.

At the end there are links to performances of the piece. There are different ideas on tempo and ornamentation performance. It is marked “rondeau gracieux” so indications for tempo are very much a dance with graceful execution. Tempo is always set by the musical phrasing, line and what makes sense musically. This comes down often to personal taste.

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