PARTITIONS GRATUITES : CONTREBASSE
- a

Very little is known about the two sonatas which appear here in their original keys. They were placed in the library of the Music School in Oxford at the end of the seventeenth century in a form convenient for playing (i.e.unbound). The library was catalogued by Hake between 1850 and 1855 and the sonatas were eventually bound in 1855 with other instrumental and vocal manuscripts of the same period, some of which are dated 1698.

Thesonatas are both inscribed on the title page Sonata à Violone Solo. Col Basso per l'Organo, o Cembalo. A third sonata bears the words Sonata à Violino e Violoncino … di Giovannino del Violone.Giovannino(=Littl e, or Young John) must have been a performer, and although the third sonata has been copied by a different hand, it is conceivable that Giovannino is a connecting link between the three. He cannot, however, beassumed to be their author.

The Violone was a six-stringed instrument with frets, and there is evidence to suggest that the Contrabasso of the same period was similar but probably a little larger; the Violoncino(=Little Violone, or Violoncello) must have been smaller. The word 'Violone' was also used as a collective term embracing all members of the Viol family, which means that the sonatas might well have been written for a tenor or abass Viol, and not necessarily a Violone as such. Indeed, when they are played on a Violone, or Double Bass the continuo bass line must be played at a lower pitch than the solo instrument, to prevent inversion of the intendedharmony. (The use of a Violone/Double Bass continuo or 16' organ tone would overcome this problem.)

The editor has added no ornaments or embellishments to the solo part as it appears in the original manuscript. It isopen to debate whether a Violone player, owing to the very nature of his instrument, would have used any but the simplest melodic decorations. Nevertheless, the performer should acquaint himself thoroughly with those seventeenthcentury traditions that

SKU: HL.48183601

UPC: 888680952891. 9.0x12.0x0.06 inches.

Christian Gouinguene: Hommage A Vivaldi - Double Bass And Piano.

SKU: BR.DV-8109

ISBN 9790200482898. 10 x 13 inches.

Johann Matthias Sperger, no doubt the leading double bass player of his time, was born on 23 March 1750 in the Lower Austrian town of Feldsberg (today Valtice, Czech Republic). After studying in Vienna and occupying various posts in Pressburg and Eberau, he was hired by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for the Duke's court ensemble in Ludwigslust. There Sperger died on 13 May 1812, a highly esteemed man. His extensive compositional oeuvre (which includes 45 symphonies, chamher works, church music and concertos) found its climax in his works for double bass solo. His 18 concertos, sonatas and chamber works for various instrumental comhinations off er the soloist gratifying musical tasks both from a musical as well as a technical point of view. The Adagio for Double Bass and String Quartet was composed around 1796/97, no doubt for the composer's own use. The autograph belongs to the Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (class. no. Mus. 5179). The work is based on thematic material from the second movement of Anton Franz Hoffmeister's Double Bass Concerto No. 3. The relationship between the two works and the mutual influence of both composers is plainly visible.In order to allow a performance of this charming little work without a string quartet, we are also offering a version with piano accompaniment (DVfM 8109) as well. Since the original solo part was written for a double bass tuned in thirds and a fourth (Viennese tuning: A-D-F sharp-A), it was necessary to arrange the enclosed for the solo tuning customary today: F sharp-B-E-A. The editor and publisher wish to thank the Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for its permission to print this first edition. Klaus Trumpf, Munich, Spring 1997 Klaus Trumpf

Sperger, musician at the Mecklenburg court in Ludwigslust, achieved fame above all with his works for double bass. Thematically, the A major Adagio closely recalls Anton Franz Hoffmeister's Double Bass Concerto No. 3.