© Michel Cardin
The London Manuscript
Solo Sonata 17 in B flat Major
(Smith-Crawford 23)
The complete and updated version of 'London unveiled' by Michel Cardin can be downloaded as pdf files: 'London unveiled'
This work is unique in that it is the only piece among the twenty-six solo sonatas and five duo-sonatas of the London ms that has been given a generic name. As was the case with the sixteenth sonata, no 17 could appear to have an overabundance of movements. Closer examination reveals that this is not the case. In actual fact, the Entrée is a close copy of the allemande, and the Saltarella sounds like a leaping gigue, all of which would indicate a perfectly logical movement flow since the six central ones are assembled in pairs, giving us the equivalent of seven 'real' movements. Though Weiss did not actually write Bourree I, Bourree II,etc, as he did in sonatas no 3 and 25, the composer's intention remains quite obvious in this respect. Usage of this reference formula was common with Baroque composers. If the Bourree I, Gavotte I and Minuet I were to be presented as isolated works, in the manner shown by the Dresden ms (the Bourree I also appears in the Munich ms) we would be left with an impoverished musical structure. Amputation of the second piece, which both allows for and makes compulsory the da capo reprise, would have the undesirable side effect of reducing the role of the first piece for that of a brief ditty.
Seen first with respect to the tenth sonata, the description of Bb major by Mattheson seems even more pertinent in the context of this work, with its “grandeur through simplicity”. Mattheson would doubtless approve of Weiss's use of the title 'Divertimento' for a sonata in Bb since it is the French sense of 'divertissant' (to divert, entertain) that would seem most appropriate to him. I also agree with Mattheson's use of the terms 'sumptuous ' and 'modest' to describe the Praelude, which, as is the case with so many other preludes, seems to exist only to create an appropriate mood for the listener. A touch of notes inégales lightens the first bars, seemingly sounding "Hear ye! Hear ye!" as a commencement to the musical discourse.
With all of the agogic inflections of the allemande, including some moments of tenderness, the Entrée is in fact less elaborate than the preceding allemandes, sparing us the sensation of a long dream. We find in it some melodic contours and a five-note initial chord that prefigure the allemande of the twenty-second sonata mentioned earlier. Other melodic configurations serve as premonitions of the Entrée found in The Infidel. In addition to ornamentation of the repeats, it would seem appropriate to begin each section by squeezing the anacrusis closer to the bar line, giving it more of a semiquaver feel as opposed to a quaver.
The first Bourée and the second Bourée are not preceded by a courante, a somewhat surprising turn of events since the first sixteen solo sonatas all have one (even no 11, with its ambiguous Air en echo serving the same function). It comes as an even greater surprise to note that of the ten remaining solo sonatas only three contain courante movements. After the sixteenth sonata the composer seems to have entered a second 'phase' of the London ms, characterised by 'broken moulds', unusual movements (rigaudon, passepied, musette, presto) and unconventional movement arrays. A manifest desire to break with convention would preoccupy Weiss from this point onward.
A single reading confirms that, as was stated previously, if the two bourrées were not written together, they were at the very least intended to be performed side by side. The second answers the first by means of a certain complementarity of musical atmosphere and development. The beginning of the second, with its harmonic structure of I-V-VI rather than I-V-I only makes sense in terms of a continuation of the first bourrée. This use of a coherent whole in two sections is shown to similar advantage in the gavottes and minuets. One notices in bourrée II some very judiciously chosen right hand fingerings, chosen to enhance the proper accentuation. The full beauty of the first Gavotte and the second Gavotte, involving as they do the resonances of suspended harp-like string sonorities, can only be revealed by the original instrument. Again this richness of sound is not immediately evident when reading (as opposed to playing) the score. The difference in time signature between the gavottes (no 2 is in 2/2 and no 1 in 2/4) provides justification for a softening of accent in the second, illustrating again the complementary relationship of the works. This softening of accent facilitates alternation between the graceful triplets of gavotte II, and the hammered rhythms of gavotte I. The two bourrées and two gavottes all have final repeats. We also note that these of the second bourrée and second gavotte are shorter than their first movement counterparts. This symmetry also reinforces the equilibrium of the entire work.
The Sarabande exerts a calming effect in the midst of more agitated flights of fancy. This time the proportions are more modest without the long anguished phrases that characterise the sarabande of the previous sonata. This meagreness of musical text is, paradoxically, ideal for the realisation of certain elegant arabesques, in the style of certain harpsichord pieces by Louis Couperin. Looking closely at the second part, the tablature confirms the essential features of this research into superposed sonorities. The resultant increase in musical tension is achieved with a deceptively simple musical notation, as we see in the sequential pattern of measure 17:
In lute music a bass line will often sound like two simultaneous and complete musical voices. This polyphonic aspect must by realised and controlled with great care in order to fully do justice to the 'real' piece, one that is often obscured by the written notation.
The first Menuet, which can be ornamented with diminutions similar to those of the first gavotte, might be readily enhanced by the use of notes inégales, including the lombard rhythm (inverted inégales) in the descending lines. Guitarists will find especially interesting the slurred technique just before the end of the second section. This method of straddling the strings actually prefigures the technique used a century and a half later by the famous guitarist/composer Francesco Tarrega. In those measures with second beat minims, a sharp attack on first beat chords will create a desirable effect. C.P.E. Bach in particular was careful to explain that baroque scores were intentionally imprecise with durations being dependant on the context of the phrase. Certain notes can even be played extremely staccato.
As with the second gavotte, the second Menuet is presented in a different meter; 3/8 instead of 3/4. This helps to convey the flowing nature of the phrases, in contrast with the leaping themes of the first minuet. With the exception of measures three to five one is obliged to cease accentuating the second beat that is so typical of a minuet. In the second section we encounter a type of echo created by the mixture of strings in high position whilst seemingly travelling through a violent but brief thunderstorm. Most would concede that the resultant sound is not unlike that of a "phlanged" electric guitar! The return to a light touch is both swiftly achieved and natural, bringing Mozart to mind. The graceful concluding Saltarella is an exquisite little gigue full of the rebounding joyfulness implicit in the latinesque cognate of the title (saltare - to dance).
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