Programme (with lecture)

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723 – 1787):  Sonata in E minor (first movement)

Michel Corrette (1707 – 1795): Sonata no. 6 in D major, Op. 20 (first movement)

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689 – 1755): Sonata no. 3 in D minor, Op. 14:

Allemande - Lentement - Gigue

Johannes Schenck (1660–after 1712): Sonata no. 2 in A minor, Op. 9:

Adagio  - Corrente  - Vivace

The viola da gamba was used mainly as a solo instrument in the eighteenth century. Abel, one of the last celebrated performers on the viol, was admired for his expressive playing but he also gave performances on the cello. In France, where the viol had flourished in the early eighteenth century, the cello slowly gained ascendancy as composers began publishing music that could be played on either instrument and eventually wrote sonatas exclusively for the cello. Schenck, of Dutch extraction, worked in Düsseldorf and wrote some of the most demanding music for the viol. The final movement of his A minor sonata highlights the continuo string bass which is given a solo. 

Length: 50 - 55 mins.

Lecture requirements: Powerpoint. JPEG projections onto a screen.

Harpsichord at A = 415, 1/6 comma mean tone temperament. 

Two music stands. 

Three chairs, adjustable height preferred.