SONATA FOR OBOE IN Bb MAJOR (TWV 41:B6)
TRIO SONATA IN G MAJOR (TWV 42:G6)
Adagio Allegro Cantabile Vivace
Andante Allegro Largo Presto
I have nothing further to present other than to solicit from amateurs of music an opinion well-disposed toward me, as much with this as my other work, that I may remain, your most humble and obedient Telemann.
Telemann was a supremely practical musician. A self-taught violinist, harpsichordist and recorder player, he set himself to master every aspect of his art. “Fired by enthusiasm”, as he recalled in his autobiography:
The dedication with which Telemann headed his anthology of chamber music Der getreue Musikmeister (1728-29) makes his intention absolutely clear – he aimed to please. Telemann’s home city of Hamburg was filled with prosperous and enthusiastic musical amateurs, and Telemann saw himself as craftsman, merchant, entertainer and tutor – producing numerous collections of chamber music with which amateur players could hone their own skills, and delight family and friends. There’s no such preface to the Essercizii Musici (1740), but by that stage, Telemann probably didn’t feel it was necessary. This collection contained two solo sonatas and two Trio Sonatas apiece for each of six different instruments, so whatever the instruments available when you gathered friends for a soirée at your Hamburg townhouse, you’d find something enjoyable to play. They were adaptable too: the solo part in this oboe sonata could also be played by violin or flute, as long as the performer had nimble fingers and a gift (in the lilting, cantabile third movement) for expressive, singing melody.
I also turned to learning how to play the oboe, transverse flute, chalumeau, viola da gamba and even the contrabass and the bass trombone. He didn’t know it at the time, but it was excellent training for his later career in Hamburg. Telemann became a leader of musical fashion in this great port city, and he found a ready market for collections of chamber music aimed at Hamburg’s prosperous and lively musical public. Telemann considered himself a particular master of the Trio Sonata, in which two musical voices converse to the accompaniment of a third, the continuo (which could comprise several instruments – typically a harpsichord and a cello). In this example from his Essercizii Musici (1740), the harpsichord is one of the two voices participating in the musical conversation with the viola da gamba. Telemann played both instruments, and he creates an elegant alternation of slow, expressive music (including an impassioned minor-key third movement) and the kind of spirited, articulate musical conversation that 18th century musicians enjoyed performing, and audiences loved to hear. Richard Bratby