"Hasse is regarded as a member of the 'North German School', a group of composers centred round Frederick the Great's court at Potsdam, even though Hasse spent much of his profession life elsewhere. The king's fanatical attachment to the flute accounts partly for Hasse's frequent use of it: in the Cantata 'Fille, dolce mio bene', where a violin obbligato is permitted, Hasse's preference is for flute.
"His career began as a tenor in Hamburg but he soon began composing. 'Antioco', his first opera, was given in August 1721 in Brunswick, after which he left for the traditional home of opera: Italy. Hasse studied with Alessandro Scarlatti, and his repeated successes early on proved that this study had been most fruitful. Between 1725 and 1729 he produced nine operas for Naples and a further dozen for other Italian centres before moving to Dresden in 1736. Meanwhile, Hasse and his wife, the singer Faustina Bordoni, visited Dresden for three months in 1731. There they found the Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka standing in for Johann David Heinichen, who had died in 1729. Hasse had already been appointed as Heinichen's successor, much to Zelenka's chagrin since he had for and expected the post. Hasse enjoyed the financial benefit even though he left soon afterwards to return to Italy. Zelenka's bitterness at being thus snubbed may be imagined.
"Hasse's success continued, his operas being premiered in Vienna, Hubertusburg and Dresden as well as in Italy, and his popularity extended even as far as London, though he never visited England. Eventually the changing times began to tell on him. In 1769 he vowed that 'Piramo e Tisbe' was to be his last opera, but 'Il Ruggiero' followed in 1771, written at the request of Maria Theresa and given in Milan. Its companion piece was 'Ascanio in Alba' by a 15-year-old Austrian called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the juxtaposition of old and new styles painfully brought home to Hasse that he written one opera too many. He was now 72, and when he renewed acquaintance with Mozart (whom he had first met in Vienna in 1768) he was wise enough to remark: 'This youngster will consign us all to oblivion.' He may have experienced the disappointment Zelenka had felt 40 years earlier but he certainly did not show it. On the contrary, he displayed much charm and courtesy, respect and admiration, as graciously yielded to Mozart's superiority.
"Nevertheless, Hasse continued to compose. He left a vast amount of vocal music: 63 operas, a dozen oratorios, some 20 masses and requiems, and hundreds of other works. Of his nearly 90 cantatas, two are included in this recording. They were doubtless written to be performed by his wife Faustina Bordoni, a singer renowned in her time for the penetrating clarity and flexibility of her voice, the skill with which she sustained the line by disguising her intakes of breath, and - something not too common amongst singers - her ability to act. Sir Charles Burney in his 'General History of Music' (1776) wrote: 'She in a manner invented a new kind of singing, by running divisions with a neatness and velocity which astonished all who heard her.' Hasse would have been less than faithful to his wife's fame if he had not written his vocal music in order to accommodate and exploit her special qualities.
"'Cantata: Quel vago seno, O Fille': This cantata for soprano with flute obbligato and continuo is planned in the common form of alternating recitatives and arias. After the bitter message of the opening recitative the first aria gives the honour of the main theme to the flute. Later in this A-B-A form movement there is intricate interplay between flute and voice. Further pleading to the unresponsive Phyllis in the second recitative would have given Faustina a chance to display her famous dramatic skill, while telling chromatic passages in the triple-time final aria maintain the soulful mood of the cantata.
"'Sonata in B minor, Op. 2 No. 6, for flute and basso continuo': In effect and format this sonata, published in London in 1740, resembles the cantata except that the recitatives are replaced by slow arias. Even the withdrawn, almost tragic, mood is similar: it is a mood that was much practiced by North German composers, who prided themselves upon their ability to wrench the heart with or without the assistance of words.
"'Aria: Ah Dio, ritornate' from 'La conversione di Sant'Agostino': This is graphically proved in this aria, in which the voice part is entrusted to viola da gamba. It was common practice for composers to make their works available for alternative instruments (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the greatest member of the North German School, composed concertos in such a way that harpsichord or flute or cello might take the solo), and to play a vocal aria on an instrument was quite acceptable.
"'Cantata: Fille, dolce mio bene': The poor swain (traditionally sung by a high male voice) now seems reconciled that his burning love for the 'beautiful Phyllis' will be unrequited. The flute obliggato stays predominantly in the low register to allow the voice its brilliance but also to reflect the hopeless yearning of the lover. Yes, after all, there is joy in the finale, the flute, for all its suppression, announcing a confident theme.
"'Sonata in C minor, Op. 7 No. 6, for harpsichord': Again in slow-fast-slow-fast form, this substantial sonata opens with a French-overture-like Adagio: declamatory, with dotted rhythms, each half repeated. The Allegro's earnest rhythmic drive is succeeded by an Adagio in aria style, reminiscent in its reflective mood of the central movement of Bach's 'Italian Concerto'. A catch two-note bell motif marks off the sections and repeats of the finale. The six sonatas of Op. 7 were printed in London in 1758.
"'Venetian Ballads': These four little gems are full of charm and variety and, although simple in structure, are open to imaginative interpretation. In addition to the sung text there are instrumental introductions and postludes (flute and continuo in the first, gamba alone in the second) together with subtle ornamentation. The barcarolle-like fourth ballad is a languid reminder of the city for which these miniatures were written." (Robert Dearling, 1994. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Julianne Baird, Nancy Hadden, Erin Headley, Malcolm Proud
1. Quel Vago Seno, O Fille: Quel Vago Seno, O Fille
2. Quel Vago Seno, O Fille: Nel Verd'e Dolce Aprile
3. Quel Vago Seno, O Fille: Impara, Fille, Impara, Fille, Ingrata
4. Quel Vago Seno, O Fille: Or Che Gradita
5. Sonata In B Minor, Op. 2 No. 6: I. Andante
6. Sonata In B Minor, Op. 2 No. 6: II. Allegro
7. Sonata In B Minor, Op. 2 No. 6: III. Arioso
8. Sonata In B Minor, Op. 2 No. 6: IV. Presto
9. La Conversione De Sant'Agostino: Ah Dio, Ritornate
10. Fille Dolce, Mio Bene: Fille, Dolce Mio Bene, E Tempo Omai
11. Fille Dolce, Mio Bene: Io Non Chiedo, O Belle Fille
12. Fille Dolce, Mio Bene: Vedi Se Son Discreto
13. Fille Dolce, Mio Bene: Per Te, Mia Fille
14. Sonata In C Minor, Op. 7 No. 6: I. Adagio
15. Sonata In C Minor, Op. 7 No. 6: II. Allegro
16. Sonata In C Minor, Op. 7 No. 6: III. Adagio
17. Sonata In C Minor, Op. 7 No. 6: IV. Allegro
18. Venetian Ballads: Grazie Agli Inganni Tuoi
19. Venetian Ballads: No Ste'a Condanarme
20. Venetian Ballads: Cosa E' Sta Cossa?
21. Venetian Ballads: Si', La Gondola Avere', No Crie'
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