Conundrums

Problems solved and created by multiple sources

Have recently been working on some large scale motets by Lully. The first source I was sent was a lovely scan of a Brossard studio score. All went well until the last section. A couple of pages had not been scanned, and then a couple more, and then – horror of horrors – the end was missing!

Eventually, new sources were supplied; another contemporary score and a beautiful set of parts, engraved by order of no less a personage than Louis XIV himself!

Now, while these have proved invaluable, they have not been without their own difficulties. The score, for example, may be complete but it has far more copying errors than the other. The parts are gorgeous but they differ from both scores in a variety of ways. All very puzzling!

In the end, I have decided that the parts will serve as the primary source, especially as some have contemporary corrections. Hopefully the musicians and the audience will enjoy the results of my labours!

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Fasch (almost) finds a home

In London, you can visit The Handel House. There’s a Bachhaus in Leipzig. You can play Beethoven’s violin in Bonn, or Mozart’s piano in Salzburg. But when it comes to minor composers, it becomes a little more tricky. My friend and colleague, Barbara Reul, who has been scrutinizing the accumulated debts of Johann Friedrich Fasch, was utterly convinced that he could not have afforded to own a house. Most people have suggested, “Oh, he most likely had quarters in the Zerbst castle.” But, as she points out, there is an extant letter in which he complains about getting cold on his way to and from the castle every day…

We may now have at least a partial answer to the mystery – and from a most unlikely source. We are currently in Zerbst (the next Fasch Festival starts later this week), and have spent a good few hours poring over filthy documents in one of the town’s archives. Among them is a modest looking book which contains data pertaining to the construction of a graveyard. The court authorities had apparently decided that, since everyone in the town would eventually benefit from it, they should make a contribution. So there are several sections, each beginning with a declaration by the overseer of the project, confirming that the named individuals are appointed as his agents in various parts of the town. Then there is a street by street list of each area, along with the name of the property’s owner and a column into which the amount they contributed is written. But Capellmeister Fasch is not listed among them – his name appears at the end of the first section (the area closest to the castle grounds) along with other people who rent properties. By cross-referencing, we know from whom he rented, and we know on which street he lived (at least for some of the year 1743!), but as for a specific house to transform into a museum for the man? Not a hope!

It is rather sad to think that a man who rose so early every morning, spent his every waking hour composing, directing, teaching and copying performance materials and yet never shook off his vast debts should have lived in such modest and anonymous surroundings. At least his music never really seems to convey any unhappiness – anger and frustration sometimes, perhaps

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Fasch canonic sonata

During the late 17th and early 18th century, there was a fascination for canonic writing. This example by Johann Friedrich Fasch is scored for recorder, bassoon and continuo, and has three movements – an Andante, follwed by two Allegros. The canons are strict throughout, and quite often unusually chromatic for the composer. The edition is detailed here.

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New Graupner cantata editions

Marco Schneider and Johanna Schatz have been active Graupnerians for many years. Marco’s choir regularly perform his music in concert. They have offered to produce editions for Prima la musica! and this month sees the release of the first three titles: Herr Gott Zebaoth, wer ist wie Du? , Gott führt die Seinen wunderbar and Erschrocknes Zion, sey erfreut. These are wonderful works which deserve to be better known. Check them out!

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Anonymous no more

I spent a couple of days in a major library recently, poring over some very exciting things. When I had done all that needed doing, I indulged in my beloved pursuit of noseying around in the anonymous section. True to form, I identified one of the pieces in the collection as a previously unknown score of Samuel Capricornus’s beautiful motet for ATB, four viole and continuo Quis dabit capiti meo aquam? All proud of myself, I informed the library assistant at the desk of my discovery, and she appeared non-plussed about it, but said in any case I would have to tell the librarian, as only *he* could write in the catalogue. When he introduced himself later that day – I’d booked some of the materials ahead of my visit, so he’d been expecting me – I took the opportunity to pass one news of my discovery, but he was *totally* non-plussed. “Oh well, you know, it may be and it may not be [the reaction being despite the fact that I had called up a modern edition of the piece for back-up, itself based on the original printed partbooks and a set of manuscript parts in the Düben Collection], but our manuscripts are currently away being databased by RISM, so they will undoubtedly identify many scores now thought anonymous.” Yes, that’s probably true, but I’m telling you now! “Next time, give yourself a random academic title and they will take more notice of you,” advised one of my colleagues. There’s a moral lurking there somewhere…

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Fasch biography

Ever since I organized three Edinburgh Festival Fringe concerts in 1988 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Johann Friedrich Fasch’s death, it has been an ambition to compile as much information about him as I can. A little over 20 years later, I have started to translate an early 20th-century biography, which I will then use as a basis for more recent research notes.

The first few pages are here.

Let me know what you think.

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18th-century muzak

HAVING been honoured with an invitation to talk at a weekend symposium devoted to celebrations for the 300th anniversary of Christoph Graupner’s death, I am currently in Darmstadt (Germany). Yesterday’s papers focussed on the development of the court / city as a centre for the arts under Ernst Ludwig, while today’s have turned to Graupner’s music in general, and opera in particular.

Among the most entertaining revalations was a report by Prof. Dr. Ursula Kramer (University of Mainz) about a “Lusthaus” built in the castle grounds. In this sadly no longer extant building, the court used to dine during the summer months. But little did any guests realise what delights lay in store for them – for concealed beneath them was a second chamber, where musicians could assemble (having reached the room through a tunnel) to play tafelmusik. There were holes in the floor at the corners that allowed their sweet sounds to perculate aloft Rashid-Sascha Pegah (another participant in the symposium) had even found references in contemporary documents to “chalumeaux musique”, one of them specifically to music for three chalumeaux. This must surely have been the ouverture suite (GWV401, PLM code GRA183) which Kim Clow has just published with Prima la musica!

So the next time you are sitting somewhere nice, eating, and enjoying (or not, as the case may be), the muzak… just think – it’s not such a new idea

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Graupner C minor bassoon concerto, GWV307

Kim Clow has been diligently been working away on complete editions of Christoph Graupner’s Sinfonias and Orchestral Suites, but he has not neglected other area’s of the composer’s output. In response to a request from one of our customers, he has edited this delightful four movement work – like Vivaldi and Fasch, Graupner seems to have enjoyed composing for bassoon, so this will be a welcome addition to any bassoonist’s repertoire.

Click here to visit our New Titles page – click on the link, then scroll to the bottom of the Graupner page.

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Graupner Keyboard music

Some months ago, Italian keyboard player Laura Cerutti approaching us, suggesting we might be interested in producing more editions of early music for organ and harpsichord. Today the first fruits of our labours go on sale. Dennis Collins has spent literally weeks producing beautiful editions of no fewer than 17 suites in a variety of keys, which reveal Graupner as a skilled composer for keyboard. For full listings, visit this page on our Prima la musica! website.

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Happy resolution

I just received an email from Rafael Ornes at cpdl.org, informing me that the page that caused all my most recent ranting has been removed.

I apologise unreservedly for unwittingly causing a slight delay in its removal myself by, erm, sending my initial complaint to the wrong email address.

Throughout all of this I have defended anyone’s right to make a musical arrangement for their own use, but I cannot condone the simple re-copying of a piece of music simply to avoid paying for the edition upon which it is based, or to evade someone else’s copyright. If you plan to produce an edition of 17th or 18th century music, locate a library that has a copy of the original and work from that! It’s really quite easy when you get into it…

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