About this work
Les Tendres Plaintes opens the D-major suite in Rameau’s 1724 book, although the piece itself settles in D minor. Rameau uses rondeau form: a refrain returns between episodes that alter the harmonic light. The lament is not one long, uniform sigh; it remembers, strays and then finds the same phrase again in a different colour.
The ornaments belong to the melodic line. Played too early or too heavily, they halt the argument; properly placed, they reinforce an appoggiatura or renew the pulse. Notice the inner voices and sustained notes as well: on the harpsichord, the writing itself suggests resonance. At the piano, resist the temptation to replace that work with generous pedal.
Begin without ornaments so that you can feel the phrase lengths and returns of the refrain. Then restore each ornament with its fingering and direction. Gentle inequality can add relief, but it must serve the phrase rather than become a comic imitation of a French accent. In the repeats, vary colour or articulation discreetly instead of adding volume.
What the document contains
the 2-page rondeau for keyboard;
a PDF and a MIDI file;
a presentation adapted to the piano, although the work was written for harpsichord.
Consult the ornament table in Rameau’s edition if you wish to refine the execution of the ornaments.