© Michel Cardin
The London Manuscript
Solo Sonata 5 in c minor
(Smith-Crawford 7)
The complete and updated version of 'London unveiled' by Michel Cardin can be downloaded as pdf files: 'London unveiled'
If the solo sonata no 4 can be called “the sonata of similarities”, then the Sonata no 5 could be entitled the “French Sonata”. In fact, it is one of the first compositions of Silvius Leopold, who had not yet left for his long sojourn in Italy (1710-14), and the influence of the old French masters of the lute appears to be untainted by the very Italianate influences upon which he would depend heavily at a later date. Not only is this sonata his oldest dated work (autographed 1706), but at its heading, in the Dresden version, Weiss states, “Von anno 6. In Düsseldorf, ergo Nostra giuventu comparisce” (“From the year 6 in Düsseldorf, therefore our youthful debut”). Silvius and his young brother Sigismund were at that time employed as lutenists at the Rhenish court of Düsseldorf.
The Dresden version is important, therefore, because of this marking. However, the minuet is missing, to be amended by Weiss himself in the London version, as with the courante : these are two insertions that can indeed be easily identified among the writings of one of the other five copyists. Only the allemande appears in a third manuscript, in this case in the Paris Manuscript. The omission of a prelude by Weiss, and his inclusion of a gavotte, allows us to establish a link with Bach’s Six French suites, composed shortly thereafter. These also start with an allemande, three of them contain a gavotte, and one is also in C minor. Without claiming that these models were canonical, one can understand nevertheless that the French style sought after by the late German Baroque musicians encouraged them to apply certain structural conventions.
From the outset of the Allemande we are seized simultaneously by the tragic darkness of the soprano voice’s low register and by the melodic style that is indicative of the “French Lutenists”. Many works found in the voluminous repertoire of the Seventeenth-Century Baroque Lute begin this way. I would choose nevertheless to respect the “notes égales”, of more common practice in the late Baroque although the “notes inégales” would have been appropriate. The Dresden version presents us with an interesting variant from the London one which is more spare. The comparison allows us to gauge the limits of our aesthetic jurisdiction when, as interpreters, we are tempted to change the fingerings or even the notes. It is not always advisable, this instance being a case in point, to mix different versions within the same interpretation, when discrepancies regarding phrasing or fingering are too strong. A performer will have to choose, therefore, one of the two versions, feeling free to add ornamentation while remaining coherent within the chosen version. My own choice was London, however with free, yet coherent, ornamentation.
“The inherent sadness of the C minor key does not prevent us from being energetic
(lively) whenever the composition permits”, as is the case with the Courante
(Cour: ). The
interplay of the hemiolas in combination with the interior voices hidden in the principle lines
(not visible in the score but revealed by the acoustic properties of the instrument which
enforce a precise duration to each note thus rendering separate the interior lines) confers a
great spirituality to the work (See Appendix 1. The late Baroque Lute seen through
S.L.Weiss). The following Gavotte, even more in the style of the “French
Lutenists” than the
beginning of the allemande, compels us to choose the “notes inégales” since its meaning
could be lost by playing the “notes égales”. Certain cadences strongly recall, among others,
Robert de Visée, such as the beginning of the following Sarabande which uses the
dotted quaver formula
rather than equal crotchets or quavers. Finally, regarding the gavotte,
we should mention its stylistic affiliation with the courante of Bach’s first lute sonata. Both
alternate passages of “leaping” quavers with more regular semiquaver treatment, all of which
adds to the ambiguous charm of the “notes inégales” that, in the French style, causes a
controlled rhythmic displacement rather than a more meticulous seeding of dotted rhythms.
Another kind of rhythmic inequality is often obvious, this time in the sarabandes. The
long meditative sighs at times lengthen the measure, but in our defence against critics who
deplore a measure that is not always strictly held, we would respond, ‘How can one be
expressive while playing metronomically from beginning to end?’ Let us not forget that
several authors of the time, some as early as Caccini in 1601, made mention of this
throughout the entire Baroque era. No lesser than François Couperin is known to have
opined, “One must not tie oneself too precisely to the metre ; one must sacrifice everything to
taste, to the clarity of the passages and to attenuate the accents”. This sarabande reflects the
principle quality attributed to C minor at the time, “A charming timbre in spite of its
sadness”. The same can be said of the Menuet which by its style favours
another kind of
rhythmic inequality typical of the Baroque - notably the Lombard rhythm, which consists
simply of inverted “notes inégales”:
, with the shorter value preceding the long, this
being made naturally and more often in a descending line. The music itself dictates the
utilisation of this device at the start of the second section as well as at the reprise.
The final Gigue resembles the courante; it is serious but very dynamic. The diatonically descending basses take on a dramatic amplitude that has provoked the commentary of historians that the Baroque “was ruled by the bass”. This affirmation concerns of course the writing style but also serves to acknowledge the rich bass tones that were the result of innovative instrumental design. A final comment concerning this sonata has to do with the astounding versatility of the right-hand technique. At the age of twenty, Weiss’s right hand technique was already perfect, although he did not yet have the compositional stamina that would characterise his later works. Proof of this can be seen in his usage of audaciously difficult interval leaps.
Copyright © 1998-2006 Laurent
Duroselle, Markus Lutz
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