Louise Dyer’s Éditions de l’Oiseau Lyre and the Œuvres complètes de François Couperin

In 1933 Louise Dyer launched her publishing company Les Éditions de l’Oiseau Lyre with the Œuvres complètes de François Couperin. The 12 volumes constituted a monument to France’s cultural patrimony in an age of growing nationalism. While Couperin’s harpsichord works had been available in modern editions for some time, it was the first modern printing of his sacred works, secular songs and chamber music. The article explores why Dyer settled on Couperin for her first project and how she negotiated her way through the varied interests and prejudices of those who held power within the French musical and political establishments.