georg philipp telemann (1681-1767) - nca - new classical adventure

ending on the dominant. The final movement shifts between doubt and rage, however
concludes in an outbreak of joy so that in the end it triumphs in a ‘lieto fine’ (happy
ending) over all of the previous affects in the sonata.
SOLO IX IS IN B MINOR. In a serene 12/8 it flows forward in eighth and sixteenth notes,
with chromatics and suspensions depicting a character of dejected suffering. Large leaps
invoke inner strife, representing the search for expression as a way to break out of this
sadness. This escape is successful in the second movement Vivace, whose short,
rhythmical and melodically terse figures work more as energetic and extroverted than
virtuoso. The third movement is the hard-fought solution: titled ‘Pomposo’, the
movement strides proudly and optimistically past the listener in a brilliant D major. The
concluding Allegro assai is clearly inspired on Polish folklore, with the opening bars
recalling the idiomatic of the hurdy-gurdy in the bass.
The first two movements of the SOLO X IN E MAJOR return back to pastoral imagery of
the second sonata in E minor. The first movement, titled ‘Soave’, is formally a siciliano in
6/8, using the form as an occasion to sketch in a ‘locus amoenus’, or an idyllic scene:
gently repeating notes and other delicate figures bring forth associations of murmuring
wind, rustling leaves and babbling brooks, all unavoidable accessories of this ‘locus
amoenus.’ Telemann also composes dynamic echo effects into the music, serving the
ideal of ‘Nature’s Echo,’ its idyllic seclusion is made known to man, showing how no one
other than Nature is capable of answering man’s song and music. The second movement
destroys this intimacy, and yet also fits into this pastoral picture: its short, rhythmically
terse motives recall a rustic folk dance. In the third movement, an enchanting and
gallant melody in C-sharp minor, full of fragile ornamentation, Telemann seduces the
listener into the world of the nobility, broken away only by the turbulent and breathless
virtuosity of the running triplets let loose by Telemann in the concluding Spirituoso.
The title ‘Dolente’ in the first movement can be considered to be the theme for the entire
SOLO XI IN A MINOR. In some ways it can be thought that Telemann wanted to
represent this sonata as an example of how to compose funeral music. The slow 3/2
time, the tight melody, mournful suspensions, minor leaps and chromatic motion in both
voices point directly to the entire vocabulary of baroque funeral music. Rage surrounds
the second movement as it switches away from mourning through its aggressive
suspensions and staccati, large leaps and volatile triplets, working as angry, rebellious
and above all audacious. Only in the third movement does inner peace return: a melodic
and free cantabile in C major, playing over a simple bass line, the music is brought back
to an assured and clear serenity. The closing Allegro begins as a dance in a quick 3/8,
elevating itself through the various unconstrained figures that are placed together. These
swarming thirty-second note passages are almost menacing in their overconfidence.
The final sonata of the collection, the SOLO XII IN F-SHARP MINOR, opens solemnly,
almost collapsing upon itself through its broad-gestured attempts to convey sorrow.
Appropriately titled ‘Teneramente’ the movement indeed appears literally bound in its
unsuccessful attempt to break free from itself. Through the use of counterpoint the next
two movements are surprisingly conservative; in the dramatic context of the entire
sonata they are unable to provide any relief to the tension of the opening. The second
movement, Spirituoso, feels strangely wooden and strained and the third movement, a
Gratioso, attempts to develop a dialogue between the melody and the bass. However,
this dialogue in the third movement is so hidden behind a mask that, although charming,
it remains neutral and emotionally restrained. Only in the concluding Allegro is any
attempt to speak directly to the listener successful. Formally titled as a ‘Gavotte en
Rondeau,’ the music is built upon a symmetrical eight-bar melody over a bass line of
running eighth notes. The solo line of the first couplet is so highly virtuosic that the bass
is forced to hold back. There is a repetition of the opening theme, with the second
couplet following, and back again to the theme in the form of a true rondeau.
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