Listening To Early Music

Vivaldi - Concerto for Two Mandolins

This concerto is in three contrasting movements, which I found provided scope to show off both the mandolin's solo and ensemble capabilities.

The quick first and third movements showed that even over the rest of the instruments the unique high pitched timbre of the mandolins can be heard, and they give the overall sound a very pleasant extension to the high tonal range. There are also parts where the orchestra quietens down and the mandolins take center stage with the other string instruments being played pizzicato as accompaniment during these parts which really helps the mandolins stand out. In the recording I listened to, a harpsichord provides the basso continuo.

The slow middle movement gives the impression of how the average person would imagine 'old' music to sound like. The violins and violas accompany the mandolins with simple quavers throughout the movement, playing pizzicato. The mandolins themselves swap triplet runs between themselves, occasionally coming together. This is a very simple movement with a purity of sound that made it very enjoyable to listen to.

Tartini - Sonata in G minor 'Il Trillo Del Diavolo'

The Devil's Trill Sonata has four short contrasting movements, making a total playtime of around 15 minutes or so. I've never seen the violin played quite like this before, with the violinist at times seemingly hacking away at the instrument with his bow, such is the speed and ferocity of the work. The sonata does however feature more calm sections, which are steeped in beauty and sorrow before the pace becomes frantic again. The last two or three minutes of the piece features a lot of the trills for which the piece was named, the execution of which looks incredibly virtuosic. I really enjoy the background story to the piece, that of Tartini's dream where the devil plays a violin with such skill and prowess that it takes the composers breath away. The composer, upon wakening, tried to commit the music heard in his dream to paper, but the result - this piece - Tartini professed was nowhere near the mark, although it is still his best work. It makes you wonder how amazing the music in his dream actually was!

Scarlatti - Piano Sonata in D Minor K.213

I am intrigued about Scarlatti's Spanish influences, derived from his time spent in various Andalusian towns and cities after travelling to Spain with Princess Maria Barbara of Braganza. I listened to sonata K.213 as I'd read that this sonata in particular had elements of Spanish music within it. Unfortunately, even after repeated listening I was unable to discern any Spanishness at all, it sounded much like other Baroque-era keyboard music I've heard by Italian or German composers.

I have in the past listened to (and played) Scarlatti's piano sonatas, of which he wrote 555. This is an amazing amount, although they are single movement unlike the three or four movements we are normally accustomed to. I think I will research more about this composer's compositional style and influences and write a few paragraphs summing up my findings in my listening log.

Albinoni - Oboe Concerto in D minor Op.9 No.2

I always find the difference in sound between a baroque era oboe and one in say the romantic era very intriguing. In baroque music it sounds to me very trumpet-like, and used it such a way, whereas in later music I hear it sounding in a more romantic and melodic fashion.

I wasn't able to find free sheet music for this work, so I had to discern what I could from listening alone. In the first movement I did hear some nice patches of imitation between the oboe and orchestra which worked well. There were also some large sections without the oboe playing, which sounded good in their own right.

The slow middle movement sounds a lot like how I described later oboe music above. There is a short orchestral introduction (the harpsichord basso continuo I felt was particularly effective here) before the oboe makes an appearance. The lush solo melody in supported by a gently flowing accompaniment throughout. This movement reminded me a lot of the first movement of Albinoni's Violin Sonata No.2 in D Major which I recently used as part of my wedding music.

The third movement opens with a canon-type form, and as expected as one of the outer movements, the music is more lively, with the oboe again taking up a more trumpet-like approach. There are several climbing melodies from the oboe which build expectation and show off the instrument's range with the oboes focus interspersed with areas of accompaniment which I feel prevented the music from becoming over-saturated, and allowed greater appreciation of the oboe when it returned to the texture.

Quantz - Flute Sonata No.275

Although the course materials specify flute concertos, I instead chose this flute sonata as it would enable me to compare a period instrument to a modern Boehm system flute.

The first movement is very lively, and I can immediately hear the difference between the period instrument and a modern one. It has a similar timbre, but is not as bright, sounding more subdued. There is a very interesting fragment right at the end of the movement, before the final note or two, where Quantz throws in a very unexpected arpeggio-type figure. The flute is very nimble in this movement, which was my favourite of the three.

The second movement is very slow, marked Affettuoso - to be played with affection and tenderness. This comes across well in the piece, the harpsichord accompaniment being very prominent, and often intricate, with the solo flute playing a simple and occasionally decorated melody.

The third movement is marked Vivace, but although certainly livelier than the middle movement, was nowhere near as quick as the first. The opening theme incorporates rests for all of the instruments which also serves to break up the momentum. Although the flute here is not too dexterous, it makes good use of its range, giving a pleasant and interesting melody.

Telemann - Concerto in E minor for Flute and Recorder

I have enjoyed listening to early recorder music in the past, and I found the concept of the flute and recorder teaming up in a concerto quite exciting. Playing together, I thought the timbre very interesting. There is an opportunity around a minute into the first movement to compare timbres, as there is imitation between the two instruments, over a light accompaniment backdrop. Often I thought the recorder sounded like a slightly lower-pitched version of the flute, with quite a similar sound quality which worked together well.

The contrasting fast second movement takes the opportunity to show the dexterity of the solo instruments. I also found the the orchestral parts which interspersed the solo sections very interesting in their own right, and I particularly enjoyed the strong bass line.

The slow third movement is another excellent opportunity to compare timbres. After a short orchestral introduction, the recorder begins a slow, winding melody over plucked string accompaniment, before shortly being joined by the flute. I loved hearing the two solo instruments interact, sometimes playing in unison, sometimes one of them taking the lead. At first, I wasn't able to readily ascertain which instrument was which, and upon checking the sheet music I then had to check the translation for the words blockflöte (recorder) and querflöte (transverse flute). It is striking how similar the two timbres are, but different enough to create a very interesting sound when playing together.

The final movement is marked Presto, so I expected some agility from the solo instruments, and wasn't disappointed. As instructed by the course materials, I listened for the static bass line, which I absolutely loved in this piece, as it created a great drone-like sound over the nimble recorder and flute. The two solo instruments often alternated between quick runs of quavers, while the other instrument played a regular crotchet accompaniment. There is an interesting section near the end where the recorder and flute play the drone note while the rest of the orchestra plays the melody.

Telemann - Concerto in D for Trumpet and Violin TWV 53:D5

The violin took the lion's share of the work in this movement, and was certainly more intricate than the trumpet's notation. With that being said, the trumpet part on the particular recording I listened to was very ornamented compared to the score, and although the basic harmony was as written, the player definitely elaborated and decorated the melody. There are also large areas where the trumpet doesn't play at all, whereas the violin was dominant throughout. I expected the violin to play a more specific 'tune', but it mostly consists of semiquaver broken-chord figures, or a dotted quaver rhythm.

The trumpet is completed omitted in the middle movement, but it feels like the violin has more freedom here, so we get an expressive and shapely melody. The texture is thin in this movement, with the violin mostly accompanied by only the cello and harpsichord.

The final movement has a similar setup to the first in many respects. The trumpet has more alternating notes, but there are again vast swathes of music where the violin plays quick semiquaver patterns with very sparse accompaniment. It is interesting to see how underutilized the trumpet appears to be here, compared to later music.

Telemann - Concerto for Two Horns in D Major

This work is comprised of five short movements. I was eager to listen to this, as I am quite a fan of the horn. The first movement introduces the dotted rhythmic motif straight away, with the horns joining the strings after a short introduction. The horn's involvement is not persistent, and is quite uncomplicated. The horns do add a pleasant timbre to the top of the string texture.

The very short second movement is dominated by a beautiful violin melody over slow accompaniment. This contrasts strongly with the quick start to the third movement with a fanfare by the horns, showing a more agile side to the brass instrument. The horns are given greater prominence in this movement than the first.

Like the second movement, the fourth movement omits the horns in favour of a string texture. These slow string-only movements help to build expectation for the quicker movements when the horns return, acting almost as an overture to the brass.

The final movement is marked allegro assai, and there is plenty of contribution from the horns in this movement. The horns have quite a bold sound, and I find they sit on top of the orchestral texture and stand out more than the trumpet heard in the previous Telemann concerto looked at.