EARLY MUSIC FROM LOW COUNTRIES LIBRARIES
PART I: CONCERTOS BEFORE 1820
On microfiche
The Project
In cooperation with major music research libraries MMF Publications is making available on microfiche rare musical compositions for the period before 1820 held in Dutch and Belgian repositories. Currently there are nine parts available.
The cooperating libraries are:
— the Toonkunst Library Amsterdam
— the University Library Utrecht
— the Music Library of the Haags Gemeente-museum (Municipal Museum, The Hague)
— the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels
In addition, many other Dutch and foreign libraries have lent their support to assure the completeness of the project.
Part I: Concertos before 1820
The Baroque Concerto
The concerto was essentially a creation of the late baroque. Its development starts with Corelli's Concerti Grossi (op. 6), played in Rome as early as 1682. These works were written for a divided orchestra consisting of a concerto grosso ("large ensemble") and a concertino ("little ensemble") of two violins, a violoncello and a basso continuo. In fact Corelli's concerti were trio sonatas whose sonorities were amplified in certain passages by extra string players. They became a model for many other composers and not only for his pupil Geminiani and other Italians. The concerto grosso became particularly popular in England with Handel as its most important composer.
It had its counterpart in the concerti a quattro by Torelli, which were orchestral concertos, later imitated by Albinoni, Dall'Abaco and Vivaldi. Vivaldi was of course the most influential composer of the baroque concerto, his collections also containing many solo concertos for a variety of wind and string instruments (chiefly violin).
The Classical Concerto
Wind instruments and notably the violin were also used for the (pre)classical concerto, but during the period 1750-1800 the preference shifted to keyboard concertos. C.Ph.E. Bach and J.Chr. Bach are well remembered for their works in this genre, which were also played by Mozart. Mozart's concertos reveal a composer for whom beauty of melody and form are more important than mere technical display, as is often seen in the works of his contemporaries. The repertoire of this period also includes many works in the sinfonia concertante form, particularly popular in Paris with I. Pleyel as an important composer.
The Composers in the Microfiche Collection
Early editions and manuscripts of many works by the composers mentioned here are included in this microfiche collection. Not only the concerti by Italian composers like Corelli, Dall'Abaco, Albinoni, Vivaldi, Geminiani, Locatelli and Tartini, but also composers in Germany (Hasse, Weideman, etc.) and England (Händel, Stanley, Avison, etc.) are represented here. Also included of course are De Fesch, Hellendaal and Van Wassenaer, whose concertini armonici — the autograph and the first edition are in this set — were recently attributed to Pergolesi. From the classical period there are several concertos by Mozart in first or early editions, but also by his predecessors and contemporaries like J.B. Cramer, C.A. Fodor, J.S. Schröter and A. Stamitz. They are written for keyboard, but also for violin and wind instruments. Some are in the form of the sinfonia concertante (for example Abel, Pleyel and others.
The Libraries
The scores and (mostly) parts of these works come from the Toonkunst Library in Amsterdam, the University Library in Utrecht and the Music Library of the Haags Gemeentemuseum (Municipal Museum, The Hague). The library in The Hague enjoys international fame as the former private collection of D.F. Scheurleer. Other concertos were found in the Royal House Archives and the music collections in the Castle of Amerongen and of the Evangelical Society of Brethren.
Also available
Part II: Orchestral Music before 1820
Part III: Church Music 1750-1820
Part IV: Vocal and Instrumental Tutors 1600-1900
Part V: Historical Organ Archive
Part VI: Vocal Music 1650-1820
Part VII: Keyboard Music 1620-1820
Part VIII: Solo Instrumental Music 1660-1820
Part IX: Ensemble Music 1680-1820