© Michel Cardin
The London Manuscript
Solo Sonata 13 in D Major
(Smith-Crawford 18)
The complete and updated version of 'London unveiled' by Michel Cardin can be downloaded as pdf files: 'London unveiled'
The solo sonata no 13 inaugurates a series of five sonatas that are found in the middle of the London Manuscript. The year of composition, 1719, was a particularly fecund one, especially when one bears in mind that three other isolated pieces found in the manuscript bear the same date of completion. These five sonatas were written in the hand of two copyists, but as is frequently the case in this manuscript, the correspondence between a specific handwriting and a particular piece is not always regular (see the General context section). Most movements are post-scripted Weis or Weis 1719 or S.L.Weis 1719. Another typographical curiosity is the consistent use of a single 's' up to the last four signatures where upon we note the use of Weifs , as found systematically in the Dresden manuscript.
In the Vienna Manuscript this sonata begins with the prelude of the Second Sonata and ends with the angloise, omitting in the process the passacaille (which is nonetheless contained in the Haslemere Ms.). As I said in the General context, it would be quite natural, even necessary, here as for any other sonata having no prelude, to concoct one from ideas taken from the other movements. The D major tonality was described in my presentation of Sonata no 2 as a key with two opposing characters; the one “brilliant and forthright”, the other “delicate during calm moments”. These calm moments seem to be found only in the allemande and at the beginning of the passacaille, the sarabande being more of a nervous and feverishly agitated disposition. In the Allemande, which begins with a typically Weissian harmonic pattern, one cannot fail to notice the usage of parallel octaves in the classical style, suggestive to some extent of the use of this device in the music of Haydn and Mozart. Whilst working on an allemande written by Weiss one can imagine the making of a crystal sculpture. Each note must be carefully chiselled with the appropriate tone colour in the way that the reflections of light on a crystal surface would be affected by the trimming of the glass.
Playing the courante (Cour:) is bound to leave the
performer feeling a bit breathless
due to the inherent virtuosity of the work. In three of the five manuscripts the Angloise
is titled as such (London, Vienna, Buenos Aires) but on two copies (2nd copy Vienna, Warsaw)
the piece is listed as a paysanne. This work, characterised by fresh, short phrases, in contrast
to the long elaborate gestures found in the courante, shows the extent to which a lighter
interlude can lift the mood of a predominantly serious sonata like this one. The construction
of this oeuvre appears more Classic than Baroque, indeed it has an allure quite redolent of
Haydn himself. The seamless flow of 'notes égales' and 'notes inégales' is dictated naturally
by the inherent musical and technical features of the work. Indeed the right hand fingerings
beckon us to spontaneously perform the rhythm
as opposed to the strictly notated version
which, if performed relentlessly, would no doubt cause considerable
boredom, unless it is very fast. Alternate sources of this piece have yielded a pleasant
surprise. My intuitive desire to repeat a two-bar pattern found near the end of the first section
has been justified in that one of the Vienna manuscripts contains a strictly notated version of
this repetition. The second section begins with a harmonic progression based on the
pentatonic scale that is curiously reminiscent of a rock&roll cliché.
Technically speaking, the sarabande (Sarab:) is fairly difficult in that it requires a constant legato touch, interrupted only by the repeats. The necessary legato technique requires extraordinary finger dexterity in the left hand. The ornate ending to the repeat of the first section, which extends beyond the normal measure, was indeed notated as such, and not arbitrarily modified, confirming once more the degree to which rhythmic elasticity was permitted in the service of higher musical expression. The Menuet certainly brings to mind the 'warrior' imagery used by Mattheson to describe the key of D major. The opening bars of the minuet and the sarabande are melodically identical, though rhythmically different. This opening theme re-appears at the end in what is called a ‘hidden theme’ (the fugitive reappearance of the first theme). The first measure also appears in another minuet by Weiss.
All guitarists are familiar with the concluding Passagaille, which reveals admirable compositional maturity in full flower. This passacaglia, provided that one plays all the repeats, including the one of the concluding section - as written-, evolves through a steady increase in dramatic tension which, while uplifting, is yet well-controlled, one of the few pieces in this large volume to have been performed by numerous artists. The work can be found in the syllabi of most guitar classes the world over. One of the most appealing attributes of this composition lies in the versatility of the bass line, with its continuous syncopations giving forward propulsion to the musical discourse.
Copyright © 1998-2006 Laurent
Duroselle, Markus Lutz
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