Trumpet(s) solo
SKU:
BR.DV-32027
Trumpet Music of the
17th and 18th
Centuries. Composed
by Kurt (Hrsg.) Janetzky.
Edited by Kurt Janetzky.
Solo instruments;
Softcover. Deutscher
Verlag. Z.T. mit Pauken
und B.c. Baroque period.
Score. 24 pages.
Deutscher Verlag fur
Musik #DV 32027.
Published by Deutscher
Verlag fur Musik
(BR.DV-32027).
ISBN
9790200425192. 9 x 12
inches.
Bicinia -
unaccompanied duos - have
been known to us from the
fifteenth century
onwards. So quite early
on it was customary tu
practise this type of
musical exercise, which
later, especially during
the Romantic period,
achieved great popularity
as the duo or duett.
Equal numbers of this
sort of instrumental duo
were composed for nearly
all wind and string
instruments. On the other
hand, only a small amount
of compositions for two
trumpets have come down
to us. In order to play
any music which
progresses beyond pure
fanfare on a natural
(valueless) trumpet, it
is necessary to make use
of the clarion register
(the top third of the
natural harmonic). And if
such a melody is to be
accompanied by a second
part, only the few
natural notes lying below
it are left, or else this
high register itself,
which calls for great
virtuosity on the part of
the trumpeter. As well as
this, we must remember
the fact that
trumpet-playing was only
allowed for the
trumpeters of a royal
court, army, staff, or
for the field-trumpeter
of a prince, plus a few
council, city, and church
musicians, who were bound
by strict guild and
corporation rules. Thus
in spite of the
preference for its
festive sound, the spread
and handing down of
trumpet music was almost
reduced to nothing under
these circumstances. As
well as this, pride of
place and profession
rivalry and envy amongst
musicians contributed in
large part. In England
the situation was
somewhat freer. Here
pretty little trumpet
duos originated,
including, amongst
others, those written by
Handel for his
master-trumpeter Valentin
Snow and the Royal
Sergeant-trumpeters of
the Shore family. An
especially happy
exception was the diocese
of Olmiitz. Here there
was a capable group of
musicians of the chapel
royal with the
brilliantly talented
group of trumpeters and
the field-trumpeter Pavel
Vajvanovsky, who also
composed himself. These
trumpeters in the service
of his prince-bishop
played many sacred and
secular pieces, all for
several instruments. It
was for them also that
Heinrich Ignaz Franz
Biber wrote the 12 double
trumpet sonatas we
present here. On the
other hand, the
representatives of the
authorities in Germany
ensured strict
observation of all edicts
and regulations. Even the
celebrated Bach-trumpeter
and towm-piper Gottfried
Reiche was never allowed
to be portrayed with a
proper trumpet due to the
priveleges of court and
field trumpeters. In
order to represent him as
one of the greatest
masters of his time and
art, however, the painter
placed an instrument
similar to a
corno-di-caccia in his
hand, together with a
sheet with a small piece
for virtuoso clarion.
When we try in spite of
these difficulties and
adverse circumstances to
gather a collection of
musically valuable and
characteristic examples
of popular pieces for two
trumpets from the
seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, it
is in the first, place in
order to acquaint modern
trumpeters with something
of the wealth of music,
which can also be well
played on a modern
trumpet with valves. The
originally used trumpets
correspond to modern ones
in the keys of C and D,
but this does not mean
that many of the pieces
cannot be transposed to a
more comfortable
register. On top of this,
we have tried to give a
picture of the baroque
court and field
trumpeter, as well as of
the mysterious clarion
trumpeter, with the help
of musically popular
material. The origin of
most of the pieces used
is no longer clearly
discernable. In most
cases we possess second-
or third-hand copies
which have been handed
down, and show signs of
frequent use. A few cases
where modernization of
the second part obviously
did not take place until
the invention of stops,
have been re-shaped into
their supposed original
form. A series of further
dynamic details were
left, and marked as
optional suggestions in
brackets. Kurt
Janetzky
z.T. mit
Pauken und B.c.
