Album insights
Until the mid-17th century, the trumpet primarily served ceremonial purposes, played by soldiers and court servants rather than musicians. Initially, it featured in ensembles providing fanfares and popular melodies with improvised accompaniment. German composers like Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz started experimenting with trumpets in composed art music around 1620. Post-1650, individual composers delved into writing concertante sonatas for one or two trumpets with string instruments and continuo.
It is generally believed that the first trumpet sonatas originated in Bologna, with the earliest known printed editions published in 1665 by Maurizio Cazzati. Manuscripts containing trumpet sonatas also exist in northern European libraries. Alessandro Melani's sonata stands out for its old-style composition in C major, a rarity for Italian trumpet music. Additionally, it requires the violin parts to be tuned differently for a unique and appealing sound.
Alessandro Stradella, a significant early composer of trumpet music, notably composed the wedding cantata "Il barcheggio" in 1681. A contrasting piece is Andrea Grossi's 1682 trumpet sonata, featuring archaic traits and an expressive, rather than virtuosic, trumpet role in the central Adagio. These early works exemplify evolving trends in trumpet music around 1700.
Giuseppe Maria Jacchini's sonata showcases a more traditional structure but integrates a solo bass part for the trumpet player. Following this, Lazzari and Torelli's sonatas exhibit a shift towards virtuosic and idiomatic composition, reflecting the trend of the early 18th century. These pieces highlight the evolution of trumpet music styles during that period.
Vivaldi's notable trumpet concerto, characterized by its distinctive C major tonality, aligns stylistically with works from Bologna. Alongside lively trumpet compositions, the program includes contemporaneous four-part string sonatas, offering introspective and compelling works in minor keys. Such sonatas, exemplified by Cazzati, Vitali, Legrenzi, and Scarlatti, reveal a richness of musical expression and form, with each composer contributing distinctive elements to the genre.
The recording's unique feature includes performing all works using one instrument per part, underscoring the chamber music essence prevalent in the early 18th century. Moreover, the decision to use a single Italian-style organ by Goetze and Gwynn adds a robustness to the sound, departing from modern practices relying on portable organs.