France Hotteterre, Destouches & Delalande, Boismortier, Corrette Dating back to the Middle Ages, the tradition of preluding originates from the custom of instrument tuning by singers who accompanied themselves on the harp. The role of the prelude is to introduce the key for the piece of music to follow. While originally improvised by the player, here we perform a written-out prelude by Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (1674-1763) from his didactic collection entitled, L’art de préludier (The Art of Preluding). Born into a known family of wind instrument makers and players, Hotteterre’s music survives largely due to his extensive pedagogical output including the first ever treatise dedicated to the playing of the transverse flute: “Since the transverse flute is one of the most pleasant and popular of instruments, I feel a certain duty in undertaking this brief work to further the inclinations of those who aspire to play it.” - Jacques-Martin Hotteterre Continuing without pause in the key of D major is an elegant Chaconne from Les Élémens (The Elements). This collaboratively-composed opera-ballet premiered in Paris in December 1721, replete with dancing segments written specifically for the then 11-year-old King Louis XV. At a time when music was usually freshly produced for occasion or purpose, this work remained a popular part of the French repertoire for over 50 years and was revived for the Paris Opera as late as 1780; its composers André Cardinal Destouches (1672-1749) and Michael Richard Delalande (1657-1726) had been dead for decades, but their settings of stories of ancient Roman gods and heroes transcended the late-Baroque period. Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755) was a contemporary of Destouches and Delalande, but by obtaining a royal licence for engraving music in 1724 he bucked the common trend of noble patronage. Boismortier generated considerablepersonal wealth by publishing and selling his music directly to the public, hence why this Italian-styled Concerto in D major from his Opus 6 was marketed to not one, but to three different solo instruments: the cello, the viola da gamba, and the bassoon. Like Boismortier, Michel Corrette (1707-1795) was also a prolific composer who understood popular tastes. In 1773, Corrette arranged music by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) into the first movement of his 25th and final concerto ‘comique’. Titled Les Sauvages , the original setting for harpsichord depicted a North Amercian tribal war dance.
During the Baroque period, the frequency of trade and popular travel routes grew steadily despite the limited modes of transport available. The world was becoming more cosmopolitan. If you were going somewhere, it was either by boat, by coach, on horseback or on foot. While public concerts as we now know them were rare, the falling cost of publishing and the increasing number of manuscripts being produced helped popularise many fantastic works of music composed for church services, or for private concerts on behalf of a wealthy patron.
Italy Vivaldi, Corelli
Venice was one of the most important Italian centres of culture and music-making, due in part to the highly sophisticated playing of the girls of the Ospedale della Pietà (a convent, orphanage and music school). Enclosed, the girls studied music at length with composers such as Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), whose music opens today’s program. Vivaldi is well-known for his musical imitations of nature, and here his focus turns to the humble Goldfinch. This concerto stems from the Opus 10 collection, where the three concertos with programmatic titles all demonstrate a particularly high level of virtuosity. Vivaldi was keenly aware of the scrutiny his work was facing throughout Europe, and with this collection wanted to set a new benchmark for the standard of flute technique. Vivaldi’s music was highly prized by composers seeking to familiarize themselves with what was referred to as the Italian style. Upon request by his employer at the time, JS Bach produced arrangements of several works by Vivaldi, all the while copying and learning, opening himself up to a different way of thinking musically that is showcased in several collections, such as his inimitable Partitas and Sonatas for solo violin , and the Brandenburg Concertos . Apart from Venice where Vivaldi’s music could be enjoyed, many European and British tourists – often upper-class young men of sufficient means and rank accompanied by a chaperone – would reside in Rome for a period. Typical of Baroque musicians active in Rome was the composer and violinist Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), whose style of playing became the bedrock of violin technique during the 18th and 19th centuries, and whose chamber music compositions like this Trio Sonata in D major from Opus 2 enjoyed influence and importance as far-reaching as the imperial court of China.
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