The duets by Telemann for transverse flute/alto recorder are well known and cherished. They have been held in great esteem from the time of their initial publication. Johann Joachim Quantz described them as masterpieces. Four collections of six duets by Telemann have been known for some time.
The musical archive of the Berlin Sing-Akademie was moved for safekeeping in 1943, a time that predates the revival of interest in the recorder. In 1999 it was rediscovered in Kiev. Among the the works discovered in this archive were nine previously unknown sonatas for two flutes by Telemann. I have posted these nine duets for transverse flute today, transposed up a minor third as is typical so they lay well on the alto recorder. I hope you will enjoy them and add them to your library!
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I have just posted the eight fantasias of 5 parts by Michael East. An interesting note about East, besides his individual style and ability to get his music into print, is that he named all his works! Because if this, the Viola da Gamba Society elected to not assign numbers to his works. The Roman numerals are those found in the printed editions.
If all works of a specific type by a composer have been posted, I have added the annotation (complete). For example, there are twelve known Fantasias à 6 by John Jenkins, so that is marked as (complete).
If you do not see this, you will know that other works of that type exist by that composer. For example, there are six duets for two alto recorders by Georg Philipp Telemann available here, but it is not marked as (complete), as there are at least twelve other duets that I know of. I would especially value hearing from you if you know of some additional works that I am unaware of! I have included, when I can find them, links to comprehensive lists of works by a composer. I suppose they could be called Easter Eggs. The term "Easter Egg" has come to be used to mean a message, image, or feature hidden in some electronic medium.
For example, on the Giovanni Gabrieli page I have included a link to a comprehensive list of his compositions. Some of the entries contain additional information, such as this entertaining description of his Canzon No. 1 (La Spiritata): "On the highest feast days in Renaissance Venice, the Doge himself, with all the Signoria of the city, was required to participate in the Cathedral's religious ceremony. Permeable boundaries between church and state dissolved, as the ceremonial head of the Venetian government united with the people in ceremonial worship. And by the turn of the seventeenth century, the wealth of the Venetian mercantile state had become an intrinsic part of the same worship services. When Giovanni Gabrieli prepared music for the Cathedral's celebration of Christmas, for instance, he could not only muster the large instrumental and vocal forces of the Cathedral's regular musical establishment, but could also supplement them with extras; in 1603, for instance, he paid four cornettists, five trombones, one basson, two violins, and a violone player to add to the splendor of the ceremony. Yet the vibrant musical life of the Venetian state can be reflected even in his instrumental works of more modest character. A "simple" four-voiced canzona such as Gabrieli's piece known as "La spiritata" elegantly portrays the effervescent life of the Carnival city. Gabrieli's Canzon "La spiritata" was published in a 1608 anthology of Venetian music, though a keyboard version of his piece exists from as early as 1593. It achieved the epithet "the spirited," despite its unique character as the only Gabrieli canzona in this collection written in a minor key. Right from the opening measures, however, the composer tinges its minor key with positive highlights by a sprightly, more ebullient rhythm the usual canzona dactyls. Though the opening motive is subject to strict paired imitation, the counterpoint remains generally simple throughout the piece, in the spirit of the French chansons then popular in Venice. After a long yet contrapuntally straightforward exposition and a quick stretto, the first section comes to a complete cadence from which a more homophonic triple-meter passage emerges, its dance-like character also belying the minor mode. In the third and final section of the piece, Gabrieli introduces the most complex rhythms, though both harmonic and textural simplicity still reign. In fact, the two principal motor-rhythms of this final passage both derive directly from the opening rhythm, and only outline simple triadic motions and cadential gestures. The passage repeats, and a predictable but emphatic extension of the final cadence closes the work in a continued character of high spirits." Enjoy! The practice of composing canzoni intended for instrumental ensembles began around 1570. The earliest instrumental canzoni were usually for four voices and typically consisted of clearly defined sections, organized in some repetitive pattern, such as ABCA or ABCDD. Imitative counterpoint was the order of the day, although chordal sections were occasionally used. I have posted several of these works for you to explore, namely the
As I noted in an earlier post, I have listed these as recorder music, but as with much of the music of this period, any quartet of instruments with suitable ranges will enjoy playing this lively music. After learning of Floriano Canale (1550-1603) I came across Adriano Banchieri (1568-1634). His “Canzoni alla francese a quattro voci” remind me a LOT of Gabrieli’s canzons. They are light-hearted and fun for everyone to play, as the parts are equally interesting.
Many of these pieces begin with the trademark of a canzona, namely a long-short-short motif on a single note. I present all eleven of his four-part canzons as recorder music, but as with much of the music of this period, any quartet of instruments with suitable ranges will enjoy playing this lively music. As it turns out, Adriano Banchieri was one of the most important and prolific musical figures in the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque periods. He came into contact with Gioseffo Guami during his stay at the monastery in Lucca in 1592. Guami had been a colleague of Giovanni Gabrielli at San Marco in Venice. The titles of some of these canzonas likely refer to surnames of individuals or families to whom Banchieri wanted to pay his respects. I have often wondered about the titles of some works I have encountered because they didn't translate into words of the language of the composer. Another mystery solved! |
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Formerly a successful software engineer and then Mathematics instructor, I am now retired and keep busy as an amateur musician of early music. Archives
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