Bladmuziek
Componist(en):
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Uitgavenummer:
HH286.FSP
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edited by Chr.Hogwood
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The Viennese composer Anton Eberl (1765-1807) seems largely forgotten by today's concert audiences, and he is little mentioned in reference books. This might be due partly to the fact that Eberl's short life was overshadowed by that of his famous contemporary, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Mozart and Eberl families knew one another. Eberl probably studied with Mozart, and the two were friends despite their age difference; Eberl was nine years Mozart's junior. The young Eberl's first keyboard compositions were published from 1788 onwards, and he gave his first performances in Vienna at the age of eight. Perhaps it was only natural that some confusion should exist between the two prodigies, as to who was responsible for which compositions. It seems that several of Eberl's works were wrongly attributed to Mozart, although it was only after Mozart's death that Eberl felt able to comment publicly on the misattribution: However flattering it may be for me that even connoisseurs were capable of judging these works to be the products of Mozart, I can in no wise allow the musical public to remain under this delusion' (Hamburgischer Unparteiischer Correspondent 1798). It was only due to a stroke of financial bad luck that Eberl fulfilled his musical potential. His father had intended him to study law, but ultimately was unable to pay for him to complete the training. Musical studies were evidently less expensive, and Eberl made his public début in 1784, aged 18. Although a considerably gifted pianist, it was his first staged work, Die Marchande des Modes (1787), which attracted ctritcal acclaim. Eberl composed symphonies, various stage works (mostly lost), some vocal compositions, many keyboard pieces and chamber music for various combinations. The Grand Duo op.26, composed in 1804, falls within this latter category. In 1804 there were relatively few cello sonatas with a fully written-out piano accompaniment. Until Beethoven's cello sonatas of the 1790s, most of the repertoire for cello was performed with continuo accompaniment, in which the keyboard player had only a figured bass line to work from. By the turn of the century, developments in both bow- and instrument-making meant that string instruments became more powerful and capable of a more sustained lyrical and melodic style of playing. The same was true of the piano, and thus the cellos and pianos available to Eberl in 1804 were capable of achieving the powerful and sustained sounds which are typical of the early romantic style. The Grand Duo is a work in three movements, which fully employs the more advanced cello technique of the time. Eberl utilises the entire range of the instrument, from its wonderful lower bass sonorities to its lyrical treble register. The work is unusual in that it features a Rhapsodie as its third and final movement, in which a slow, improvisatory introduction soon gives way to a lively gigue-like movement. Christopher Hogwood has written a detailed preface to the work, which is provided in both English and German. He includes background information about Eberl, and a helpful account of musical style and conventions of the time. In addition, Hogwood reproduces some facsimiles of the original cello, violin and keyboard parts. These look to be remarkably clean and clear, and no doubt a period instrument performer might wish to have access to the whole facsimile for performance. Hogwood is clear about his editorial method, which is particularly helpful where there are inconsistencies concerning such markings as slurs and dynamics. He also explains the late 18th- and early 19th-century convention whereby some passages in the cello part are notated an octave above their sounding pitch. This has been corrected in the printed cello part. A violin part is also included, which occasionally varies from the cello part, taking into account the different range and tessitura of the two instruments. Eberl included the violin part alongside the cello part in order, no doubt, to make the work more marketable and so that it would reach a wider audience. Hogwood explains many of the differences between the two parts, and refers the player to both, in order to make their own ultimate decisions. Editorial markings and insertions are clearly identifiable, following the standard conventions of square brackets and dotted slurs. The parts are printed on thick cream paper and are well laid out in respect to page turns, apart from a rather tricky one in the cello part in the lengthy first movement. In addition, the score's thicker cover, with its engraving of Vienna, makes it both durable and attractive. Musically, this is an extremely attractive piece, which offers a tantalising glimpse into the development of Eberl's style: in many ways he bridges the gap between the classicism of Mozart and the early romanticism of Beethoven. One can only wonder what else Eberl might have produced, had his life not been so tragically cut short.
Componist(en):
Uitgever('s):
Uitgavenummer:
HH286.FSP
Instrument(en):
ISBN:
Volgnummer:
205580
Overige informatie:
edited by Chr.Hogwood
