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C.P.E. Bach, Sonata in C major (Edition Güntersberg, G050)
Fifteen years ago I sat down to learn the sonatas of C.P.E. Bach. Back then I had an ideal that it was always best to go to the source and study from the facsimile. This was to be an enormous task as not only was the facsimile almost impossible to read with so many small notes and a fading staff, but the gamba part was written in treble clef. I think most gambists would agree they feel more comfortable reading alto clef. I ended up writing out by hand all of C.P.E. Bach's sonatas. If only such a beautiful edition as this Güntersberg edition were available then! The accuracy of the work, and the way it has been presented, has to be commended. As a performer I feel more confident tackling a difficult work such as the C major sonata of C.P.E. Bach when the music itself is laid out clearly and is easy to read. With a good edition, one can concentrate on the actual notes and music making rather than wondering, sometimes guessing, what the notes are. A lot of thought has gone into this edition with performance in mind as page turns have been considered, and the basso continuo realised for those less experienced in continuo playing. There are four parts included in this edition: a gamba part in treble clef (as from the original), a gamba part in alto clef, continuo bass and a score with the gamba part in treble and a realised continuo part. This lay out makes the work easy to rehearse and perform. I like the fact that every detail from the original has been observed from the slur markings to the dynamics leaving the performer to make his or her interpretation. The way in which this edition has been presented is very appealing and I am sure it will lead to more gambists to take on the challenge of learning C.P.E. Bach's C major sonata. Edition Güntersberg can be found on the internet at www.guentersberg.de Jennifer Eriksson Louis de Caix d'Hervelois, Quatre suites de piëces pour la viole avec la basse-chiffrèe en partition and Premier livre de piëces de viole avec la basse continue (Courlay: Editions Fuzeau, 2005)
Claude Le Jeune and Etienne Mouliniè, Fantaisies pour les violes (1612, 1639) (Courlay: Editions Fuzeau, 2005)
Three new publications from Fuzeau canvass further riches of the French viol repertory. Two of these are by Louis de Caix d'Hervelois (ca 1680 - 1759), a composer whose name is almost forgotten these days, but who was greatly revered in his own day. In his Dèfense de la basse de viole, Hubert Le Blanc named Caix d'Hervelois among the founders of the "l'empire de la viole", keeping company with Marais and Forqueray. Le Blanc notes that 'through a free way of handling the bow', the Caix d'Hervelois family had 'enabled their students to draw a sound of the most beautiful nature'. Caix d'Hervelois' works for viol include Pièces de basse de viole (?1712), the Second livre de pièces de viole (1719), IVe livre de pièces à deux violes (1740), and Ve livre de pièces de viole (1748), as well as two books of pieces for the pardessus, an instrument he is known to have played. The new Fuzeau publications reproduce the Quatre suites de pièces pour la viole (1731) and the Premier livre de pièces de viole (ca 1715), both from exemplars in the Bibliothèque Nationale. The Quatre suites (in G major/minor, D major/minor, A minor/major and F major) are structured in the way typical of French suites of the period, blending character pieces with dances; like Marais' Ve livre, the character piece predominates. An explanation of the probable meaning of the titles of the character pieces is provided in the front of the volume. By and large, this is undemanding though melodious music. The player is called to play off the frets only on occasion, complicated chords are kept to a minimum, and ornamentation is used more sparingly that in the works of Marais. The demands made on the bowing hand are relatively modest. Caix d'Hervelois' fingering and bowing indications are meticulous and solve most of the technical issues posed by the music. This is not music at the same level of technical or expressive mastery as other more familiar French repertoire, but would provide an excellent entry point to this repertoire for the intermediate student. The melodic gifts are stronger here than Boismortier's roughly contemporaneous sonatas for two viols (Opp. 10, 14, 26, 40, 50 and 66, all released from the mid 1720s to the mid 1730s), and the music is more idiomatically written for the instrument. On another level entirely is the Premier livre de pièces de viole (ca 1715). This publication comprises five suites (not so called), of varying length and composition, in A major, D major, D minor, C major and F major. There is a more even balance of character pieces and dance pieces and, in some instances, almost the full 'standard' suite is used as a structural skeleton. The first suite, for example, commences with a demanding Prelude (piquè in duple time followed by vivement in triple time, mimicking the French overture style), and is followed by an allemande, the character piece La Milaneze, a sarabande and gavotte en roundeau, the character pieces L'inconstant (quite unlike the Marais gigue of the same name) and La gratieuse, two menuets (one major, one minor), a duo and two gavottes (one minor, one major). This music is the equal of some of Marais' music in terms of its technical difficulties, with the player often being called to play off the frets; chords are a feature of many movements, including the Prelude and Duo of the first suite (the latter is almost solely chords) and in two of the preludes of the third suite (it unusually has three). The third suite includes La luthèe, an evocation of style brisè lute playing, with challenging string crossing. The fourth suite features a tricky though charming Chacone, one of the longest pieces in the book. Although much of the music is at the technical level of some of Marais' pieces, it is not at the same level of harmonic or expressive richness. Nonetheless, the publication of this volume in facsimile is warmly welcomed and the music should be featured more regularly in concert programmes. Note that the Quatre suites can be played on a six-string instrument, but the Premier livre requires a seven-string instrument in order to play the many A major chords in the first, second and third suites. Extended passages on the low A string are not used. The third publication under review is a republication of Claude Le Jeune's and Etienne Mouliniè's Fantaisies pour violes (1612 and 1639, respectively). The French consort repertoire for ensemble is limited to publications by Gervaise, du Caurroy and Gillet (all 16th century). After the end of the sixteenth century, composers largely turned their attention to the medium of the duet and it is to this period that the fantaisies of Mètru, Louis Couperin, the concerts of Sainte-Colombe and the prèludes of Du Mont belong. The late flourishing of the 'consort', the trios of Marais (Quatriëme livre) and Forqueray, is really a repertoire for three soloists. These new publications are welcome: they flesh out the largely neglected repertoire of the early French consort and provide a context for the more familiar later works. The Mouliniè consorts, in particular, bear favourable comparison to roughly contemporaneous works from the English consort repertoire, such as those by Gibbons. The facsimiles are presented in the original format of partbooks without score. Le Jeune's fantaisies are scored for dessus (c1 and g2), cinquiesme, only used in the final fantaisie (c3), haute-contre (c2 and c3), taille (c3 and c4) and basse-contre (f3 and f4). Mouliniè's fantaisies are similarly presented: dessus (g2), haute-contre (c2), taille (c3) and basse-contre (f3). The notation is the white mensural notation typical of this period, printed with movable type with one note per block (i.e. quavers are sometimes unbeamed); coloration is used sparingly in the older Le Jeune works. These issues are addressed in the preface to this reprint. A few errors are pointed out in the Le Jeune fantaisies but they are far from the only ones: in the basse-contre part of the first air by Mouliniè, the two minim rests in the second system of the obverse of page 18 are unnecessary, for example. Quite apart from the sheer charm of these pieces, this publication might make an excellent introduction for the consort group willing to tackle reading from facsimile as an ensemble; the absence of barlines, the use of some infrequently encountered clefs and some errors make this a rewarding challenge that might be met by a patient group. As usual, the print quality achieved by Fuzeau in each of these publications is exemplary. Fuzeau publications can be obtained online from www.fuzeau.com John Weretka Viol Player Book 1 (Rondo Publishing, 2005)
As the viol family gradually becomes an accepted part of instrumental tuition at primary and secondary level, Jacqui Robertson-Wade's publication can be seen as both a necessary and welcome resource for teachers and players alike. Based on modern string tutor format of the National Curriculum for music in England, Viol Player is a comprehensive tutor with repertoire that supports the writer's conviction that the viol is both a contemporary and a historical instrument. The book can be used by players of all ages and abilities and contains two suggested programmes catering for their different needs. The repertoire ranges from the renaissance to the present day along with exercises, technical advice and practice suggestions. The publication comes with two CDs, both of which start with tuning. While CD 1 is for solo and keyboard with each piece having both a performance and a 'play along' track, CD 2 contains viol duets and consort pieces. CDs are available at high pitch (A 440) and at low pitch (A 415). Viol Player is practical, well graded and clearly written by an experienced instrumental teacher. It is attractive in presentation with contents that are comprehensive and varied enough not to need any supplementary material at this level - a boon for the busy teacher. While the style of repertoire is well mixed, more weighting towards the introduction of original renaissance dance repertoire would, in my opinion, have been preferable, giving the 'early music' aspect of the viol player's repertoire greater prominence. With core material of this nature it would have been possible to introduce historical snippets of information throughout the book giving immediate background to relevant pieces rather than in concentrated and isolated pagination at the center of the book. The technical reminders are well placed and pertinent. However, putting the main teaching points of any given piece straight under the title can also work very well - Pat Legg in the Superstudies series and Mary Cohen in Technique takes off have done this to advantage. Otherwise, the layout is excellent, presenting clear, appropriately sized manuscript for children and enough content to interest and invite without being cluttered. For a large tutor of this nature, 68 pages in total, it does sit quite well on the stand, but maybe ring binding would have been a more durable choice than staples. This could be something to consider for the next edition. The illustrations include nice examples of the bow hold and 'Mrs Nag Viol' serves well as a constant reminder of the ongoing importance of technique. I am surprised though at the illustration showing the shape of the left hand position with a seemingly weak, falling fourth finger. Initially I thought that the 'modern' pieces composed by Paul Sudlow were rather predictable and in a style similar to much beginner material found in string methods for the violin family. However, on hearing the pieces on the CD with the accompaniments, I was immediately impressed by the variety in character in terms of mood, harmonisation and rhythm. Right from the outset, when the beginner student has few resources to play with, there is much to interest and entertain while taking time to form technical foundations. The CDs are well balanced from an engineering point of view with piano accompaniments that integrate without engulfing the viol. However, this may well not be the case if a pianist accompanies the student in the classroom. It would be well worth considering including some harpsichord and lute accompaniments to any future CD. After all, how many schools have harpsichords or resident lutenists? The duos are beautifully crafted pieces that, although quite different in style from the Bartok violin duos, are also succinct gems, teaching well the elements of chamber music. The consort pieces are well chosen, especially with regard to the easier second viol parts that serve to accommodate varying standards within the group. This repertoire is a clear example of the relevance of the viol in music in education. The premise for Viol Player came from a request based on music in education. This is not without fine precedent, given that Carl Orff used viols in his Christmas Story. I have used Orff-Schulwerk at the very early stages of my own viol teaching in primary schools in Australia. I have found it a wonderful way to teach the rudiments of music on the viol in conjunction with recorders and Orff percussion instruments. In 2006 this is still a relevant and up to date way of bringing the viol into the school curriculum. Jacqui Robertson-Wade must be congratulated for continuing in this tradition. Viol Player is available for treble (RP-1a), tenor (RP-1b) and bass (RP-1c) players from Corda Music Miriam Morris |