Sammartini: Four Concertos

The Milanese composer Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1700/1701–75) played a central role in the stylistic changes observed in instrumental music from ca. 1730 onwards. The four concertos in this volume (Violin Concerto in F Major, J-C 74; Flute Concerto in D Major, J-C 71, versions A and B; Violin Concerto in E-flat Major, J-C 73.1; and Violin Concerto in A Major, J-C 77.2), date from the composer’s early, middle, and later creative periods. They show in exemplary fashion Sammartini’s stylistic and formal development of the concerto over a period of about twenty-five years (ca. 1735–64). It is significant to note that already in his concertos composed before 1740 a formal approach is developing that, while based on the model of Vivaldi, is original in details and shows close resemblance to his symphonies, the genre most important in Sammartini’s historical position. The two late concertos in E-flat and A (dating from 1762 and 1764, respectively) allow insights into the composer’s late style, which has hitherto been little known. For the interpreter, the works present special challenges, due to the high degree of technical and interpretive difficulty.

Concerto for Violin in F Major, J-C 74

  Allegro

  Grave

  Allegro

Concerto for Flute in D Major, J-C 71—Version A

  Allegro

  Andante piano

  Allegro

Concerto for Violin in E-flat Major, J-C 73.1

  Tempo moderato

  Andante cantabile

  Allegrissimo

Concerto for Violin in A Major, J-C 77.2

  Tempo giusto

  Andantino cantabile

  Allegrissimo

Concerto for Flute in D Major, J-C 71—Version B

  Allegro [variant readings]

  Andante affettuoso [variant readings]

  Allegro [alternate version]

Concerto for Violin in A Major, J-C 77.2

  Allegrissimo [original ending]

Peter Holman, Early Music, February 2004