Tommasso Giordani (1733-1806) Duetto in D Major

Born in Naples, the son of an impresario who seemed always to be on the road with a traveling opera company (made up mostly of members of his own family), young Tommasso ended up in England when he was twenty years old and gravitated to Dublin, where he married, retired and died. 

His composing style was still of the late Baroque galant style made popular by J. C. Bach. Working often in London, he was very aware of and influenced by the great Joseph Haydn, who had become a superstar in London’s thriving concert world. Giordani wrote many operas, some of which were successful. He was also referred to as the “best cavatina composer of the time,” and it is in this more modest vein that we find this charming duo. 

Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764) Violin Sonata in C Minor, Op. 6, No. 5

Locatelli was born in Bergamo, trained in the conservative Roman school, and was a permanent resident of Amsterdam for the second half of his life. During his lifetime Locatelli was best known as a virtuoso violinist, but after his death he has become most respected as a composer. He wrote sonatas and concertos almost exclusively; the twelve sonatas of his Op. 6 are considered his best.

In this Sonata, the lyrical opening movement is almost a Sicilienne with its gently rocking rhythms. In contrast, the second movement is contrapuntal and virtuosic. The Finale, as were many of Locatelli’s last movements, is a set of variations on a theme marked “Aria.” Each of the three variations give an increasing degree of ornamentation of the original aria, culminating in double stops which give a distinctly maestoso crown to this impressive work.

Luigi Boccherini (1732-1804) Trio in C Major

Luigi Boccherini was born in Lucca and died in Madrid, his home for thirty-seven years. Here he enjoyed the friendship of the painter, Goya. “The Italian musical conquest of Spain,” wrote Paul Henry Lang, “abetted by the ruling classes, became as real and as devastating as a military invasion.” 

Boccherini was a cello virtuoso, most likely the first truly great performer on that instrument. He was also an extraordinarily prolific composer. Among his massive output (symphonies, concertos, secular pieces, etc.) are no less than one hundred quintets and about ninety string quartets. His textural style, giving all four voices equal status, so resembled Haydn’s that amused colleagues dubbed him “Haydn’s wife.” There is no record of the two composers having met but they did exchange greetings through their publisher. 

This Trio stars the harpsichord in a truly virtuosic display of keyboard writing. Uncharacteristically, he didn’t put in a showy cello part; he often enjoyed showing off his abilities on that instrument.

Bernardo Storace (flourished ca. 1664) La Monica (Aria con Variazioni)

Very little is known about this remarkable composer, whose works are, as far as we know, nearly completely composed for the keyboard instruments. He served as Vice-Maestro di cappella to the senate of Messina. Messina was devastated by major earthquakes in 1783 and in 1908, so archival research is not possible. There is only one surviving collection of his music, Selva di varie compositioni. His compositions are generally sets of variations on a theme. 

Selva di varie compositioni, a collection of more than twenty works, was published in Venice and his style is more like the northern Italian composers, so it is possible that he came from northern Italy. His major compositions are amazingly complex — there is a triple fugue in his first Ricercar, for instance, and some of his works have up to 72 variations; one has 91 variations. Historically, he represents a transitory stage following Girolamo Frescobaldi, but before Bernardo Pasquini.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Violoncello Sonata in A Minor, RV 43

Antonio Vivaldi, one of the finest violinists of his day, was born and spent most of his life in Venice. With a shock of red hair, he was known as il Pretto Rosso (The Red Priest). He was called to the priesthood but was unable to fulfill the demands of priestly duties — incense tended to make him faint; he was most likely asthmatic. He devoted himself instead to music, for which he had a brilliant genius.

In 1704 Vivaldi began a long association with the Conservatory of the Pietà, a famous Venetian institution which sheltered orphans and illegitimate girls. Under his leadership, music study and performance were at the heart of life at the Pietà and respected throughout Venice. It was here that he composed (as stipulated in his contract) two concertos a month. He experimented constantly with a variety of forms, and he was able to utilize to the fullest the resources of his well-trained student orchestra. 

This sonata is in the slow-fast-slow-fast form typical of the Italian Baroque sonata, which sprang from the so-called “church sonata” originally developed by Arcangelo Corelli. It shows off Vivaldi’s gift for inventive and imaginative writing, in a declamatory first movement, a jaunty second movement, a lyrical third movement, and a virtuosic Finale.