Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto for Three Trumpets and Timpani in D Major, TWV 54:D3; Concerto for Recorder and Bassoon, TWV 52:F1
Telemann was a long-lived and incredibly prolific composer: his catalogue of musical works totals three thousand titles and well over a hundred orchestral concertos written for solo instruments or groups of instruments. These orchestral concertos represent the history of the genre of the concerto in Germany in the first half of the 18th century. This must be so as Telemann’s earliest works, associated with his Eisenach period, show that the composer was not yet familiar with the Italian innovations of the genre including Vivaldi’s concertos. On the other hand, the Frankfurt and Hamburg concertos composed later show great variety in the selection of solo instruments. Telemann’s ‘Concerto for Three Trumpets and Timpani in D Major’ was originally the opening movement (sinfonia) of a festive serenade (‘Serenata – Germania mit ihrem Chor’) performed in Frankfurt. The piece was written to mark the birth of Archduke Leopold Johann of Austria, who was heir to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047; Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041
The six concertos grossos (‘Six Concerts avec plusieurs instruments’) composed for various instrumental groups and ensembles are among the most popular pieces of Bach’s lifework. The carefully prepared manuscripts of these works were discovered long after the composer’s death. Bach dedicated the concertos to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt, but it is likely that the Margrave never actually performed any of them. The name of the works used today was introduced by a prominent 19th-century Bach scholar called Philipp Spitta. It is not known for certain when Bach composed the pieces in this cycle, but Christoph Wolff has good reason to believe that they date from before his service to the Margrave. The designation “various instruments” (plusieurs instruments) in “ ‘the title ‘Six Concertos for several instruments’ is a very modest description of reality since Bach uses the widest possible range of orchestral instruments. The title does not even hint at the daring innovation evidenced by the bold musical combinations, as Bach explores a new territory here as well. All six concertos set a precedent in orchestration – and nothing comparable to these works has been written since.” (Christoph Wolff).
Christoph Graupner: Sinfonia in D Major, GWV 538
Christoph Graupner was born in Saxony (Germany) (in 1683), and studied law in Leipzig and music with Director of St. Thomas Church Johann Kuhnau. Graupner left Leipzig in 1705 and went to the opera house in Hamburg to work as a harpsichordist. Shortly afterwards he moved to Darmstadt, where he spent the rest of his life at the court in Hesse-Darmstadt. His rich lifework includes concertos, operas, church music, and over a hundred symphonies. In his symphonies, Graupner often experimented with unusual combinations of instruments, and through these pieces he appears to be one of the forerunners of classical symphony.
Johann Friedrich Fasch: Concerto in D Major, FWV L:D3
Fasch (1688) – very much like Telemann and Graupner – was on the list of possible candidates for the vacant positions at St. Thomas School and St. Thomas Church. In the end, however, Fasch did not take up either of these posts. Fasch was an extremely prolific composer: most of his vocal works have unfortunately been lost, while a large number of his instrumental compositions have survived. His contemporaries – Bach as well as Telemann – greatly esteemed him. Fasch moved to Prague in 1721 to become the composer for Count Wenzel von Morzin. At Morzin’s court Vivaldi’s art was held in high esteem, and it was certainly here that Fasch was able to dedicate himself more deeply to studying the Italian master’s musical style. It is almost certain that Fasch was also familiar with the violin concerto cycle entitled ‘The Four Seasons’, although the series was not published in print until 1725. The piece entitled ‘Concerto in D Major’ has many features in common with the Italian concerto style.