Daquin - Le Coucou (PDF Digital Download | Printed Sheet Music)

Louis-Claude Daquin’s "Le Coucou" (The Cuckoo), composed in 1735 as part of his Pièces de Clavecin (Third Suite), is one of the most famous and enduring examples of French Baroque harpsichord music. A quintessential piece of musique descriptive (program music), it brilliantly mimics the distinct, two-note call of a cuckoo bird using a falling third interval. This playful motif is relentlessly woven into a brisk, spinning web of rapid, broken-chord figurations and elegant ornamentation, demanding crisp articulation and finger independence from the performer. While originally written for the double-manual harpsichord—allowing the player to create delightful echoing effects between the different keyboards—it remains a highly popular showpiece on the modern piano, celebrated for its sparkling wit, vivid imagery, and infectious, perpetual-motion energy.