Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) created 3,000 compositions, from his first opera, Sigismundus at the age of 12, through his last cantata, Ino at 84. Not merely prolific, he also displayed high quality and diversity of expression in his works for church, court, civic occasions, opera in Hamburg and Leipzig, student ensembles, and domestic chamber music. He spearheaded public concerts for the emerging middle class and published much of his own music. This fountainhead of creativity was nearly squelched. As a boy, Georg displayed a natural affinity for music. At one point, he was forbidden to play his instruments and was sent away to study law. Fortunately for us, he was unable to stop the flow of music from his pen, and through diligence and business acumen became one of the most respected and financially successful composers ever.
Recorder players hold Telemann in special regard for his generous, idiomatic writing for that instrument. He was a true “player’s” composer, and the recorder was one of his first instruments. He also knew that by appealing to a wide audience he could increase sales. Therefore, his Sonates sans basse (TWV40:101-6, formerly Op.2) were published in Hamburg in 1727 for pairs of flutes, violins or recorders. These presented the standard Baroque series of six sonatas, with recorders transposing up a minor third or fourth. In 1738, during a trip to Paris, Telemann published there [XII] canons mélodieux, ou VI sonates en duo (TWV40:118-23, formerly Op.5). All six canonic sonatas have three movements in strict temporal canon, meaning that both performers play exactly the same music, but with a staggered entrance. Think of these 18 movements as the most elaborate version of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”
We have included another canon from Der getreue Music-Meister (The Faithful Music-Master), Telemann’s innovative periodical. Subscribers received an installment of sheet music every two weeks, sometimes having to wait for the next issue to receive the ending of a piece. Telemann cleverly provided suggestions for performing this sonata with a variety of instrumental combinations, including recorder with continuo, by reading the notes as written while imagining different clefs and key signatures. This canon differs from the other six in three ways: by having four movements, by octave displacement of the parts, and by relaxing the strictness of imitation at endings of major sections.
At a time of musical conflict between Italy and France, Germany in the late Baroque was the musical melting pot, taking inspiration from the best of all national styles in combination with its own refined counterpoint. From Italy, the birthplace of opera, Telemann paints a pastoral scene in a gently rocking Siciliana (cd 1, track 4). We have employed agréments (ornaments) and notes inégales (swing) to emphasize the French ballet character of some movements (cd 1, track 16). In other cases, Telemann has drawn inspiration from the folk music he heard during his court appointment in Sorau, in what is now Poland, music that he described as having “barbaric beauty” (cd 1,track 3). While Telemann’s music displays the clarity of the coming gallant style, his counterpoint is still serious (cd 1, track 12). He employs occasional unison passages, a technique also used by his countrymen Heinichen and Schickhardt, reminiscent of Vivaldi (cd 1, track 19). We have made careful choices about details of interpretation, in order to bring out these regional qualities.
- Patrick O’Malley
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