© Michel Cardin
The London Manuscript


Solo Sonata 14 in F Major
(Smith-Crawford 19)

The complete and updated version of 'London unveiled' by Michel Cardin can be downloaded as pdf files: 'London unveiled'

Excerpts from this sonata may be found in the Munich and Rostock manuscripts. It recalls the first sonata, as much by the choice of key as by the compositional technique. The pitch of F seems to have provided all the inspiration necessary to depict the gentle nobility attributed by scholars of the time to F major. A brief Prelud:, harmonically audacious although reminiscent of the purest improvisation, is followed by an Allemande of striking nobility. As is often the case, the listener becomes overwhelmed by a dream-like state within a few moments of the opening of the work. In the second section, an ambiguous melodic line hovers gracefully between tonic and dominant key centres, a Weissian gem that is all the more delightful because of the way it precedes a more typically Baroque chord progression. Weiss has seemingly intoxicated himself with joy at the sound of his instrument, as would have been equally true of Louis Couperin with respect to the harpsichord.

It is noteworthy that this allemande has no sectional repetitions. Unusual as this may be, it does not appear to have been an oversight. Although I have opted most of the time in my concerts not to do repeats, I do ornament the written music in a manner suggestive of the second time through a repeated section. This does not constitute a divergence from the original text, rather an embellishment of same as is the case with other works in this collection where one can omit repeats occasionally been due to time restrictions (usually with respect to allemandes and sarabandes only). This particular allemande, in F, has a rather substantial 'petite reprise' at the end, which is, in this case at least, well indicated. One passage in particular is evocative of the initial ascending melody found in the allemande of the second sonata.

The triumphant exuberance of the courante (Cour:) is characterised by clever hemiola writing (binary rhythms superimposed on ternary values) and by the use of off-beat secondary melodies. There is also a certain obvious playfulness to be found in the tension between strong and weak beat tied values. This same spirit of joy can be found in the subsequent Bourée with all of its intricate right-hand thumb leaps. We cannot fail to notice that in the two examples from the Rostock library, the ornamentations are not only different from but also more difficult than the London version, leading us to believe that the owners of these manuscripts were either great virtuosi or that the movement in question was played by them at a more restrained tempo.

The sarabande (Sarab:) is in itself somewhat enigmatic. It begins, in effect with a double surprise, in that the key is in the relative minor while the opening manages to dodge the expected affirmation of the tonic, truly a refined melancholic gem. Placid joy returns in the form of a Menuet in which we detect thematic kinship with the well known Minuet in G by J.S.Bach, part of the second Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach which would be composed 6 years later in 1725. Immediately prior to the conclusion of the work, a descending line brings to mind the Musette from the same Notebook. The concluding Gigue, with its tightly woven fugato and continuous modulations, imposes a large technical challenge on the interpreter. Extensive use of string dampening is required to ensure a coherent interpretation. Some of the measures found in the gigue recall Weiss's penchant for creating multiple polyphonic lines from single melodic voices, aided, of course by the use of carefully reasoned fingering choices. At other times it becomes quite clear that the fingering choices were made solely in the light of timbral considerations.


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