© Michel Cardin
The London Manuscript
Solo Sonata 22 in F Major "Le Fameux Corsaire"
(Smith-Crawford 28)
The complete and updated version of 'London unveiled' by Michel Cardin can be downloaded as pdf files: 'London unveiled'
Of the more than ninety sonatas known to have been composed by Weiss, only The Infidel and no 22 were given poetic titles. As suggested by Douglas Alton Smith, the pirate in question was, in all probability, Blackbeard (Edward Teach), whose life and spectacular death in 1718 were subject to intense journalistic coverage during the lifetime of Weiss. Another candidate would have been René Duguay-Trouin, a privateer of the same period who excelled in swashbuckling bravado of the same sort.
Noblesse and ease are the sentiments used to describe F major, clearly one of Weiss’s favourite keys. These descriptors apply equally to the previous sonatas nos 1 and 14. Le Fameux Corsaire exists in completed form in two manuscripts, the London ms and the Dresden ms. Both versions have certain melodic or rhythmic improvements, with the widest discrepancies occurring in the bourree and minuet, pieces which can also be found in the Vienna ms, written in the composer’s hand. The presto is known as an Allegro in the Moscow manuscript.
The Allemande poses a curious problem in that the notes of the second and third bars are notated in Dresden at double the speed of their London ms equivalents. Relying on the musical evidence, this would seem to be the result of compositional fine-tuning and not simply a copying error since the measures in question have a much better flow than in the London version. The initial version could have seemed slow and unbalanced with respect to larger rhythmic considerations. This is by no means an isolated example of a Weissian touch-up. There are examples of passages being re-worked in the same manuscript, as in the minuet of this sonata where the London manuscript shows two adjustments in Weiss’s handwriting. Equally, one notes slight changes from one manuscript to another. One possible explanation for the differences between the measures in question is that at the time of writing the London version Weiss would have been performing in ‘notes inegales’ with its attendant slowing down effect while, conversely, the Dresden version could have been produced during a period when his performance of the work relied on the inevitably faster technique of ‘notes egales’. This supposition can be made only in the light of performance practice.
The allemande is a veritable elegy, extremely contemplative by design, delighting the ear with the grace of its serene majesty. Contrary to custom, the repeats could not be observed in my performances. This is based on the perception that the work serves as a calm prelude to the sonata, preparing the listener for the energetic brilliance of the subsequent courante. Indeed there is no overture preceding the allemande. The first section seems abnormally short and, moreover, the whole piece is made of through-composed melodic lines. These three factors tend to obviate the need for literal repetition.
The Courrante seems to relate the epic of the famous pirate through long undulating phrases, possibly intended to suggest the movement of ocean waves. There are some clever hemiolas in addition to cadential sections which are heard with octave doublings, a colouristic device that would become a pianistic cliché in the latter part of the 18th century. The Bouree is also characterised by melodic wave motion, sometimes initiated by the bass voice. Again, in keeping with a certain propensity to seek thematic associations, it is worth noting that the aforementioned bass melody can be found in the C minor fugue of the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach. The order of composition would have been Weiss:1720 (?), Bach:1722.
A dark shadow permeates the discourse with the arrival of the Sarabande,
presented in the relative minor. Delightful triplet figures contribute a languorous (Mattheson would
have said ‘pious’) allure, mainly due to accurate placement, in alternation with the
neighbouring 
rhythmic motif.
This is followed by a Menuet of the most discrete
kind. Further proof, if needed, for the over-arching thematic unity of the sonata can be found
in the first two bars of the minuet which are identical to the opening of the allemande
(notwithstanding a bit of rhythmic camouflage). The Dresden and Vienna manuscripts
provide a gift in the form of an addendum with written ornamentation for the four closing
bars. An excellent example of grace notes through diminutions is offered in the process,
including a harmonic interpolation under the primary melodic line; a precious specimen for
an interpreter.
The final Presto, titled Allegro in the Moscow ms is
played more or less as such in
my concerts, that is to say, without undue haste. Adorned by long phrases, the movement
re-acquaints the listener with an atmosphere of joyful exhilaration. The initial theme could
have been adapted from the well-known hornpipe
The hornpipe, by definition a seaman’s song, provides an extra level of association with the title of the sonata.
Copyright © 1998-2006 Laurent
Duroselle, Markus Lutz
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