Today I posted a Telemann trio sonata for alto recorder, oboe and B.C. (Basso Continuo) which is a favorite of mine (TWV42:c2). It occurred to me to say something about what Basso Continuo means, as it was certainly a new concept to me not all that long ago.
If you watch a video of this or any other trio sonata on YouTube you will see 4 players, but it is a trio, so what is that about? Well, Telemann wrote out 3 parts, one for recorder, oboe and a bass line; hence it is a trio. However, the bass line is what is called a "figured bass" (also a thoroughbass); there are figures under some of the bass notes that indicate the chord that is in effect at that moment. There must be an instrument capable of playing chords to "realize" the figured bass; that is, to play the music as conceived by the composer. The bass line is often played by a bass viola da gamba or sometimes a bassoon. The fourth instrument (usually a harpsichord, but any instrument that can play chords will work), reads the figured bass line and fills in the chords extemporaneously according to the rules for a figured bass. This skill is not common today and so contemporary music will include a keyboard part, called a "realization of the figured bass", written by someone for the publication. If you look for a piece on IMSLP that has a Basso Continuo part, it will not include a realization of the figured bass. This is because the composer did not provide one; it was expected that the keyboard player would improvise it, very much like a contemporary jazz musician!
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It was a common practice for Quantz, Telemann and others to present a piece of music so that it could be played by either recorder or transverse flute players. By indicating the clef and key signature for each, a single piece of music works for both! This was a clever business device, as it allowed a single piece of music to be sold into two different markets. The clef and key signature on the left are used by recorder players, and the clef and key signature on the right are used by transverse flute players. In the piece below, the recorder player uses the so-called French violin clef with 2 flats, and the flute player uses the standard treble clef with 1 sharp. The French violin clef is little used today so it is likely that many recorder players are unfamiliar with it. The treble clef sign is also called a G-clef because the line that the curly-cue circles is where the G-note is (in fact, the treble clef sign is just a stylized G!). Notice that the French violin clef is just a treble clef sign centered around the bottom line, so the bottom line is a G.
It might seem a daunting task to learn the note names associated with this new clef until you realize that it is the same as bass clef! If you are familiar with the bass clef you are already familiar with the French violin clef, as the note names are the same. For example, consider the key signature on the left. The first flat sign is on the fourth line down, so it is a B♭. The second flat sign is on the second space down, so it is an E♭. If you are a recorder player, you can use this device to play any piece of flute music: add 3 flats to the key signature and read the notes as if the clef is a bass clef. It might seem like the change of key will be difficult, but a lot of flute music is in sharp keys, so adding 3 flats actually makes it into a recorder-friendly key. Today I posted five of the six Telemann Concertos for two instruments that feature the alto recorder. I am quite excited about this because few recorder players ever get the opportunity to play these pieces with the full ensemble. This is your opportunity to become acquainted with some of the finest literature every written for recorder!
These are really exquisite pieces with wonderful recorder parts. My personal favorite is the one in e minor for alto recorder and transverse flute (TWV52:e1), although the two in a minor are also favorites. Such dramatic music and so fun to play! If you try one out and enjoy it I would love to hear about it. I have broadly categorized the music here as being either Recorder music or Viola da Gamba music. My intention is to offer only music written specifically for recorder under the recorder heading. However, there are many editions of 'music for recorder' on the market that are transcriptions of viola da gamba music transposed up, usually by an octave. If you are a recorder player looking for a MIDI file to match sheet music that you have, do not neglect the music listed here as Viola da Gamba music. Since these are MIDI files, your player will most likely allow you to transpose it to fit the music you have!
If you have any questions please let me know and I will try to help! |
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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
August 2021
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