Fortunato Chelleri (ca. 1690–1757) began his career as an opera composer in Venice, but for most of his professional life he found employment as kapellmeister at various Northern European courts. He travelled to Venice, Barcelona, Würzburg, Kassel, London, Düsseldorf, Florence, and Stockholm, and his associates included Vivaldi, Agrell, Sandoni, Platti, Ariosti, Cuzzoni, and Pilotti. Chelleri's considerable corpus of instrumental music shows evident signs of cosmopolitanism, and the harpsichord sonatas presented in this edition combine elements of the suite-based works of both the French clavecinistes and the German keyboard composers. At the same time, his music is also very much characterized by the italianate spirit of the galanti composers who were to be the next phase in harpsichord music. Chelleri's best moments may be looked for in the intimate Andantes, the often volatile Gigas, and, not least, in the eight elegant Minuets and their interplay of gesture and repetition.

Contents

Fughe per l'organo et sonate per il cembalo (ca. 1729)

Introduzione in C Major

Fugue No. 1 in C Major

Fugue No. 2 in G Major

Fugue No. 3 in D Minor

Fugue No. 4 in E Minor

Fugue No. 5 in B-flat Major

Fugue No. 6 in F Major

Sonata No. 1 in A Major

Sonata No. 2 in F Major

Sonata No. 3 in A Minor

Sonata No. 4 in D Major

Sonata No. 5 in G Major

Sonata No. 6 in E Major

Sonate di galanteria per il cembalo (ca. 1732–34)

Sonata No. 7 in G Minor

Sonata No. 8 in F Major

Sonata No. 9 in E Minor

Sonata No. 10 in D Major

Sonata No. 11 in C Major

Sonata No. 12 in G Major