Tuneful And Relaxed

Christoph Graupner is one of those composers whose music can instantly surprise listeners, and at the same time provide them with a wonderful sense of discovery. A contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, these days his music is more often written about than performed; but in his own time, it was held in such esteem that he had little trouble gaining appointment to the cantorate of Saint Thomas at Leipzig in 1723 after his good friend Telemann withdrew from the post. Were it not for the fact that Graupner was cajoled into retaining his previous position as Kapellmeister at Darmstadt by way of a huge raise in salary and a plethora of fringe benefits, the appointment at Saint Thomas might never have been offered to the second runner-up, one Johann Sebastian Bach.

Reviewing Graupner's legacy, it is easy to understand both why he was so eagerly sougt after by the Noble and Wisc Council of Leipzig (Saint Thomas) and why his services were coveted and jealously guarded by the Landgrave of Darmstadt. Graupner was an exceptionally hard worker, and a remarkably prolific composer. He wrote upwards of 1400 church cantatas, 113 symphonies, more than 80 overtures/suites, and about 50 concerti, as well as secular cantatas, operas, and chamber and instrumental music. Although performances of his works are few and far between these days, their immediate appeal makes these infrequent encounters seem all too rare and fleeting. The Concerto in G major, one of four bassoon concerti written by Graupner, is representative of his skillful management of Vivaldian concerto form, and of his keen and very engaging awareness of the musical and coloristic capabilities of the bassoon.

Antonio Vivaldi, no slouch in the composing department himself, penned more than 500 concerti among other works. Aside from the violin, the bassoon was the solo instrument Vivaldi was most fond of using in his concerti. His Concerto in C major is one of 14 known C major concerti for bassoon in the Vivaldi catalog. As in most of his concerti, Vivaldi toys with the music and the form in this concerto-the benevolent Master of the Concerto confidently reasserting his control over the realm.

Johann Christian Bach, who, thanks to Christoph Graupner, was born in Leipzig in 1735, wrote only five concerti for solo instruments other than the harpsichord. The Concerto in B-flat major is the work of a man in his late 20s evidently in a congenial frame of mind, for it is tuneful, relaxed, and thoughtfully conceived.

Review of Volume II of the Complete Harpsichord Concerti by Johann Sebastian Bach

Christoph Graupner is one of those composers whose music can instantly surprise listeners, and at the same time provide them with a wonderful sense of discovery. A contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, these days his music is more often written about than performed; but in his own time, it was held in such esteem that he had little trouble gaining appointment to the cantorate of Saint Thomas at Leipzig in 1723 after his good friend Telemann withdrew from the post. Were it not for the fact that Graupner was cajoled into retaining his previous position as Kapellmeister at Darmstadt by way of a huge raise in salary and a plethora of fringe benefits, the appointment at Saint Thomas might never have been offered to the second runner-up, one Johann Sebastian Bach.

Reviewing Graupner's legacy, it is easy to understand both why he was so eagerly sougt after by the Noble and Wisc Council of Leipzig (Saint Thomas) and why his services were coveted and jealously guarded by the Landgrave of Darmstadt. Graupner was an exceptionally hard worker, and a remarkably prolific composer. He wrote upwards of 1400 church cantatas, 113 symphonies, more than 80 overtures/suites, and about 50 concerti, as well as secular cantatas, operas, and chamber and instrumental music. Although performances of his works are few and far between these days, their immediate appeal makes these infrequent encounters seem all too rare and fleeting. The Concerto in G major, one of four bassoon concerti written by Graupner, is representative of his skillful management of Vivaldian concerto form, and of his keen and very engaging awareness of the musical and coloristic capabilities of the bassoon.

Antonio Vivaldi, no slouch in the composing department himself, penned more than 500 concerti among other works. Aside from the violin, the bassoon was the solo instrument Vivaldi was most fond of using in his concerti. His Concerto in C major is one of 14 known C major concerti for bassoon in the Vivaldi catalog. As in most of his concerti, Vivaldi toys with the music and the form in this concerto-the benevolent Master of the Concerto confidently reasserting his control over the realm.

Johann Christian Bach, who, thanks to Christoph Graupner, was born in Leipzig in 1735, wrote only five concerti for solo instruments other than the harpsichord. The Concerto in B-flat major is the work of a man in his late 20s evidently in a congenial frame of mind, for it is tuneful, relaxed, and thoughtfully conceived.

Review of Volume II of the Complete Harpsichord Concerti by Johann Sebastian Bach