"Charles Burney dedicated these comments to Johann Adolf Hasse, describing their encounter in Vienna in September 1773 in his 'Musical Journey in the Low Countries and in Germany'.
"Hasse was born in 1699 in Bergedorf, near Hamburg. After having acquired some experience as a tenor in Hamburg in 1718 and in Braunschweig in 1722, he moved to Naples in order to study, first, with Nicola Porpora, later to become his main competitor, and, subsequently, with Alessandro Scarlatti. From 1727 he was 'maestro di cappella' in Venice, where in 1730 he married the soprano Faustina Bordoni, then, from 1730 to 1763, at the court in Dresden, initially in the service of August II, 'The Strong' (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony from 1694 and King of Poland from 1697.
"After the death of the Elector, Hasse alternated his activities in Dresden with frequent trips abroad, residing mainly in Venice. Although he had many friends and admirers in London, who were constantly inviting him, he never visited the city. Handel held Hasse in such high esteem that he included several of his fellow composer's arias in his 'pasticci londinesi' (1730-34).
"Hasse lived in Vienna from 1764 to 1773 as official court composer and struck up a great friendship with Metastasio, setting to music all his works, with the exception of 'Temistocle', some of them three or four times, and all of them at least twice. He spent his last years in Venice where he died in 1783.
"Hasse enjoyed great fame in his own time, especially for his theatrical works in which he was able to utilise and develop the characteristic traits of the Neapolitan operatic style, which had already been defined by his Neapolitan teachers. In his work a typically German precision of language is blended with the melodic strains native to Neapolitan opera, as learned during his stay in Italy. Before being challenged by the followers of the new operatic style introduced by Gluck and Calzabigi, Hasse dominated European stages for almost half a century, thanks to the elegance of his melodies, the richness of the instrumentation and his confident formal instinct.
"The sonatas and trio sonatas of Hasse were published with various indications for instrumental performance. The majority of them carry the indication 'for flute or violin and basso continuo' or 'for 2 flutes or violins and basso continuo'. As always in these kinds of composition, the indication is a conventional one serving commercial purposes and, according to the performance practice of the time, the instrumentation maye be changed. In fact, nothing prevents one from playing a piece for flute or violin on the oboe, so long as the technical and musical characteristics do not present obstacles to it, and the piece does not lose its effect. Among Hasse's work are many compositions published with the indication 'for oboe', which includes high notes, even in solo passages, that are not performable on this instrument but much more suitable to the flute or violin. Conversely, works published with the indication 'for flute' or 'for violin' have a better effect if performed on the oboe.
"Another means of varying and adapting the instrumental combinations in music of the baroque period, one also utilised in the eighteenth century, is the transcription of a piece to tonalities different from the original one. The 'Trio Sonata in F major' is an example of the use of this type of expedient. The manuscript of this piece is kept in the Berlin State Library, and carries the instrumental indication 'for oboe, violin and basso continuo'. It is actually a transcription one tone lower of the Trio Sonata in G major, which is one of the 'Six sonatas or trios for 2 flutes or violins' (London, 1739). With the new instrumentation this piece acquires a different, perhaps more interesting, expressive colour. To this end, and in accordance with the same principle, we have carried out the same operation also on the other trio sonatas from the same collection presented in this recording, performing the 'Trio Sonata in D minor', originally in E minor, and the 'Trio Sonata in C major', from the original in D major, with oboe, violin and basso continuo. In the latter, for the purpose of rendering the basso continuo more varied and effective in our interpretation, the bass part is performed by the harpsichord and the cello in the slow movements, while the bassoon has been added in the fast ones. The decision to perform these trio sonatas with the first and second parts allocated to two instruments of different families, in this case the oboe and violin, is also justified by the lack of prevalent parallelisms in the two upper melodic lines that would render the piece more suitable for two instruments of the same type, such as two flutes or two violins or two oboes. The aural effect achieved in this manner allowes the availability of two expressive sonorities, each individual and different from the other, that lay the ground for a clear and dynamic dialogue.
"Like that of the Trio Sonata in F major, the manuscript of the 'Sonata in F major' for chalumeau, oboe, bassoon and basso continuo, on which the present recorded performance is based as no published edition exists, is preserved in the Berlin State Library. Deriving from an earlier concerto from chalumeau, the piece is remarkable for its unusual instrumentation. Chamber musical works of this type employing the chalumeau are in fact rare. This instrument, of the most ancient origin, has circulated in two main types, one with a conical bore, from which the oboe is derived, the other with a cylindrical bore, which can be considered a precursor of the clarinet. In this sonata the bassoon has the role of 'obbligato' instrument on the one hand, and of reinforcement of the basso continuo on the other. The dialogue between chalumeau and oboe seeks to create different colours also in the part of the basso continuo by way of the instrumental combination: the solos of the chalumeau are accompanied by the basoon, while those of the oboe are supported by the cello.
"The 'Sonata in G major' for oboe and basso continuo, belonging to the collection 'Solos op. 2 for flute or violin' (London, 1740), demonstrates a very simple compositional style, similar to that of the trio sonatas presented here. The 'Sonata in E minor' for violin and basso continuo, part of the collection 'Solos op. 5 for flute or violin' (London, 1744), offers characteristics that testify to a more modern taste, desiring greater depth of feeling.
"Frederick II, 'The Great', befriended Hasse on the occasion of the performance of the Te Deum in Dresden in 1745, and conceived an enthusiastic interest in Hasse's compositions for flute, being himself a virtuoso on this instrument. Some chamber works for the flute had already been published in London, and the King's commissions significantly enlarged the catalogue of this musical genre. The publishing house Breitkopf had collected the majority of Hasse's compositions in Leipzig in order to realise the publication of his complete works. The late King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, August II, 'The Strong', had assumed responsibility for financing this project, but it was Frederick II who found hismelf in the predicament, during the Seven Years War, of having to bombard Leipzig! On the 19 December 1760 the greater part of Hasse's instrumental work was lost under the cannonade. Again, Charles Burney recounts how the composer had honoured Frederick II by asserting that he was sure the King, given the chance, and knowing well the value of those compositions, would have informed him of the events in time, thus giving Hasse the opportunity of transporting his works to safety." (Alessandro Piqué, 2004, tr. Paolo Piqué and Frank Long. From the liner notes.)
Performers: Epoca Baroca
1. Trio Sonata In F Major: I. Larghetto
2. Trio Sonata In F Major: II. Allegro
3. Trio Sonata In F Major: III. Largo
4. Trio Sonata In F Major: IV. Tempo Di Menuetto
5. Trio Sonata In D Minor: I. Largo
6. Trio Sonata In D Minor: II. Presto
7. Trio Sonata In D Minor: III. Siciliano
8. Trio Sonata In D Minor: IV. Allegro
9. Sonata No. 5 In E Minor: I. Adagio
10. Sonata No. 5 In E Minor: II. Vivace
11. Sonata No. 5 In E Minor: III. Andante
12. Sonata No. 5 In E Minor: IV. Allegro Assai
13. Sonata In G Major: I. Andante
14. Sonata In G Major: II. Allegro
15. Sonata In G Major: III. Largo
16. Sonata In G Major: IV. Tempo Di Menuetto
17. Sonata In F Major: I. Adagio
18. Sonata In F Major: II. Allegretto
19. Sonata In F Major: III. Adagio
20. Sonata In F Major: IV. Allegretto Ma Poco
21. Trio Sonata In C Major: I. Adagio
22. Trio Sonata In C Major: II. Allegro
23. Trio Sonata In C Major: III. Adagio
24. Trio Sonata In C Major: IV. Allegro
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