JOSEPH BODIN DE BOISMORTIER, SONATAS FOR BASSOON AND CONTINUO OP. 50 & PIECES DE CLAVECIN - PAOLO TOGNON, PIETRO PASQUINI

JOSEPH BODIN DE BOISMORTIER, BASSOON AND CONTINUO SONATAS OP. 50 & PIECES DE CLAVECIN (CVLD208)

Composer: JOSEPH BODIN DE BOISMORTIER
Performers: PAOLO TOGNON PIETRO PASQUINI

Tracks

1 L’Imperièuse (troisièeme suite de pieces de clavecin) (1736) 3:03
Sonata Ia in E minor for bassoon and basso continuo op. 50 (1754)
2 Andante e Staccato 1:24
3 Allemanda (allegro) 2:26
4 Aria (affettuoso) 2:41
5 Gavotta (presto) 2:35
6 La Rustique (seconde suite de pieces de clavecin) 2:09
Sonata IIa in G major for bassoon and basso continuo*
7 Largo 2:41
8 Allemanda (allegro) 2:44
9 Largo 1:24
10 Giga (staccato) 1:54
11 La Veloutèe (quatrième suite de pieces de clavecin) 1:54
Sonata IIIa in D major for bassoon and basso continuo
12 Moderato 2:22
13 Corrente 2:24
14 Aria (affettuoso) 2:29
15 Minoetto 1:10
16 Variatione Ia 1:07
17 Variatione IIa 1:00
18 Variatione IIIa 0:57
19 Variatione Iva 1:12
20 La Serènissime (seconde suite de pieces de clavecin) 2:07
Sonata IVa in D minor for bassoon and basso continuo*
21 Andante 2:15
22 Allegro 2:29
23 Sarabanda 1:31
24 Giga 2:22
25 La Marguillièere (prèmiere suite de pieces de clavecin) 2:51
Sonata Va in C minor for bassoon and basso continuo*
26 Largo 2:16
27 Gavotta 1:35
28 Largo 0:47
29 Allegro 1:41
Total Time 57:45

Classical. Original compositions by Joseph Bodin De Boismortier. Paolo Tognon baroque bassoon, Pietro Pasquini harpsichord. 24bit/88.2kHz original recorded, mixed and mastered at Areamagister Studios, Preganziol, Italy, on December 7, 8, 9, 2010

In 18th-century France, the bassoon was widely used for its expressive efficacy. Its initial constructive development is probably due to Jean Hotteterre. As early as 1674, the bassoon is mentioned in a Lully score, and the first evidence of a four-keyed bassoon (later also five) comes from two original instruments dated between 1730 and c. 1750, documented by makers like Eisel in 1738, up to the famous illustration in Diderot and D’Alembert’s Encyclopédie in 1751. J.B. de Boismortier introduced the three-movement concerto of Italian origin to France, with Vivaldi and Albinoni as precursors. He also contributed to the improvement of flute technique. He began his music studies under Joseph Valette de Montigny in 1714. He initially worked in Metz before moving to Paris in 1724, where upon his arrival he published 12 trio sonatas for 2 flutes with basso continuo, 12 sonatas for 2 flutes, and 4 cantatas. He embarked on a high-quality instrumental production, catering to the elegant tastes of aristocrats. He also composed 3 operas and various cantatas. His music was played at the Concert Spirituel on Christmas and Christmas Eve from 1740 to 1770. A connoisseur of low-pitched orchestral instruments such as the cello, bassoon, and viola da gamba, he came into contact with the world of the cello around the late 1720s when Jean Zewalt Triemer, originally from Weimar where he was a member of the court orchestra, came to study with him; he emigrated to Paris and between 1726 and 1729, he was also a student of Boismortier. The collection of five sonatas op. 50 can expressly be played by the cello, bassoon, or viola da gamba, according to the well-established printing custom of the time, which could thus guarantee greater circulation and interest in the compositions among musicians of the era. The collection used for this recording comes from the historical printed edition of 1735 preserved respectively at the Bibliothèque National de France and the British Library in London. The compositional structure of the sonatas skillfully blends the alternation of slow and fast movements in the Italian style, and typical French dances are present in all the sonatas, such as: allemande, gavotte, gigue, sarabande, corrente, minuet. Interesting is the presence of the affettuoso in the first and third sonatas, where the blend of cantabile and the peculiar timbre of the bassoon in the tenor register, slightly melancholic, enhances its expressive component. Boismortier perfectly embodies the spirit of the “Goutès Rèunis,” that 18th-century French musical movement that aimed for an ideal musical union between melodious cantabile and Italian-style virtuosity, with the refined French ornamentation typical of the comédie-ballet. The bassoon is explored in all its resources and adapts perfectly to the performance. To complement the recording, some short “pièce de clavecin” from the collection of four harpsichord suites of 1736 are included. These are rather short, closed-form pieces which, already in the titles given by the composer, aim to evoke a precise atmosphere: L’Impèrieuse, la Veloutèe, la Rustique, or a kind of implicit homage to some personality: La Sèrenissime, la Marguillière. Often, in these pieces, the rondeau compositional form is present, which, alternated with the couplet, makes listening to the music itself more varied.