Delicacy

»The greatest Masters allow the Tenor Violin to have a particular Delicacy of Tone«

This sentence can be found in the introduction to the sonatas for viola and continuo by William Flackton (1709 – 1798), published in 1770. The author also mentions that he had not been able to find any solo works for the instrument in any of the London music shops, concluding that his pieces must be the first ones to be written. He is however happy that more sophisticated chamber music in which the viola plays a more prominent role was starting to be published - he mentions quartets and quintets. We cannot blame the author for not knowing Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, which only exist in manuscript form, or for not being aware of the Italian literature from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, or the German literature from the 17th century onwards. A few sonatas for violin and viola can be found in the Codex Rost manuscript, which was probably written in the 1680s, and the second violin part of a sonata for two scordatura violins by Jan Voita should „der Lieblichkeit halber auff einer Brazzen gespielt werden“ („be played on a viola for loveliness’s sake“). Still, Flackton was not entirely wrong: the viola did not (yet) have the out-and-out solistic role enjoyed by the violin.


The instrument has gone through a few changes since its conception: it has several names and a variety of sizes, sometimes alto, others tenor. Sometimes it is called viola, sometimes violetta. It is the natural middle part in an ensemble, a part that was sometimes played on a small viol and at other times on an instrument of the violin family. The part was occasionally added by a „secretary“ rather than being written out by the composer himself, as can be seen in the orchestrations of Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687): there are both smaller and larger violas, each with their part in a five-part ensemble. It is not easy for the viola to leave this middle and be promoted to soloist: occasionally it is given the second part in trio sonatas and from the late 18th century onwards there are some more sophisticated parts and even a viola concerto (Johann Stamitz), but sometimes pieces for other instruments have to be adapted for the viola in the baroque repertoire. It was not unusual at the time to adapt instrumental works for other instruments, as is evident from the front pages of sonatas that propose several possible instruments for performances. Add to this that every musician in the baroque era was adept at transposition, so it may be assumed that it was common practice to play a different instrument to the one proposed. This is the case here too, „umb der Lieblichkeit willen“, or „for loveliness’s sake“, as was said at the time. Because William Flackton was certainly not alone in his opinion about the sound of the viola.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Suite No.1 for Violoncello Solo BWV 1007
Prelude – Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – Minuet I/II – Gigue

The six Suites for Violoncello Solo, or for „Viola basso“ as they are called in Johann Peter Kellner’s manuscript (a name referring not to the viola da spalla, but rather to the cello, which was often referred to as „viola“ or „viola basso“), are standard repertoire, not just for the cello, but by now also for the viola. Each suite starts with a prelude, followed by different dance movements. The music is quite experimental for an instrument for which (similar to the viola) the repertoire was still very limited: one of the suites is written in scordatura, another is for a five-string cello. The suites are a great example of the „Vermischter Geschmack“ (mixed taste), which at first sight appears very French, but mixes in Italian elements resulting in a rather German synthesis. Artful polyphony and apparent polyphony are always present in Bach’s work, and his cello suites push the boundaries of an instrument that was still relatively new at the time of their composition: assuming Bach wrote them in Köthen, the instrument had only been around in this form for about 60 years – hence the occasional confusion about the name. The cello suites form a worthy companion to his sonatas and partitas for violin, making full use of the instrument’s potential and characteristics. They can be performed wonderfully on the viola too, giving them the opportunity to come into their own without coming across as a mere „translation“.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata in G minor BWV 1029
Vivace – Adagio – Allegro

Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba are not a single entity like the cello suites or the sonatas and partitas for violin. They have not come down to us together. It is not clear when they were composed or whether they were all written around the same time or over a longer period. What they do have in common is the obbligato harpsichord part. There exists an earlier version of the first viol sonata for two flutes and continuo (BWV 1039), which itself appears to be based on an even earlier work with yet another instrumentation. It may be assumed that there are earlier versions of the other sonatas for viola da gamba with different instrumentations too, with the viol version definitely authored by Bach himself – at least for the first sonata we have an autograph. At the time the old Bach edition was published, there was also still an extant set of parts for BWV 1029 in Bach’s own hand, but this has now been lost. The possibility that the works were originally trio sonatas for other instruments with basso continuo (perhaps even organ trios) is interesting. This is a parody technique Bach used again and again. We do not know what the original instrumentation of BWV 1029 was. For this CD, a version in which the two upper parts are played on a violin and a viola was chosen – an instrumentation that was not unusual at the time. The harpsichord (in this case together with a viol) serves as continuo instrument.

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767)
Fantasia 1. TWV 40:14 (from Fantasie per il violino senza Basso, Hamburg 1735)
Largo – Allegro – Grave – Allegro da Capo
Fantasia 2. TWV 40:3 (from 12 Fantaisies à Travers sans basse, Hamburg 1732/3)
Grave – Vivace – Adagio – Allegro
Fantasia 6. TWV 40:7 (from the same collection)
Dolce – Allegro – Sprituoso

In late 1732 or early 1733 Telemann self-published a collection of instrumental solos without continuo, followed by two more in 1735: the first on (1732/3) for the flute, the other two for violin and viola da gamba respectively. The latter was believed to have been lost until its rediscovery in 2015.

Telemann was a very skilled composer, adept at all musical genres and styles, who also cultivated extensive contacts with the leading enlightened intellectual (especially literary) elite of his time; a true man of the world. Although he also composed sacred music in his capacity of cantor, his all-encompassing oeuvre is to a large extent secular as well. Only later in life, from the mid 1750s, did he limit himself to writing (larger) vocal works.

His instrumental chamber music was for the most part self-published: Telemann was a prolific publisher, especially when he lived in Hamburg, right up to 1740, at which time he sold all documents and data related to his publishing business. During this time he published several of his own works, including magazines with music for a variety of instrumentations. With the exception of the sacred music, represented by several cantata cycles, these self-published works were aimed at the large market of „better amateurs“. This also includes his volumes for unaccompanied solo instruments. The quasi-programmatic titles are interesting: Italian was used for the violin, French for the flute and the viol. The fantasies are relatively short works displaying an abundance of wit, which appealed to the early Enlightenment taste of audiences in Hamburg and beyond: they are clearly modern works aimed at well-educated players.

Jean-Daniel Braun (ca.1700 – 1738) ?
Opus XI (posthumous 1740)

Very little is known about the life of the Alsatian flutist and composer Jean-Daniel Braun (Strasbourg, ca. 1700 – Paris, 24 February 1738). He was a protestant and was buried in the „cimetière des protestants étrangers“ in Paris (Lutherans from Alsace could also be buried there at the time, Braun was the first or one of the first). He was a musician in the ensemble of the Duc d’Epernon and was granted the privilege to publish his music in 1728; within a few years he published opus 1 to 8 in Paris: solos and trios, mainly for the flute and the musette. His younger brother Jean-Frédéric („Braun le cadet“) published a number of his works posthumously. Quantz met both Brauns in Paris during his trip to France in 1626/7 and counted „die beyden Bruder Braun“ among the better musicians in the capital. Although Braun primarily wrote for the flute, he adds the option of playing his works on other instruments, including strings, to the front pages of his publications. The pieces for solo flute that were published posthumously are etudes, some of which are quite virtuosic and always have aesthetic value. Even though they were primarily composed for flute and bassoon, they can also be played on other instruments.

William Flackton
Sonata for Viola and Basso Continuo No. 6 in G major from Six Solos, Three for a Violoncello and Three for a Tenor accompanied either with a Violoncello or Harpsichord… Opera 2, London 1770
Andante – Allegro – Menuet I/II

William Flackton was a musician and bookseller who was born and died in Canterbury. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral until 1725 and after completing his apprenticeship as a bookseller, he opened his own shop in 1727. From 1735 to 1752 he was organist at the church of St. Mary of Charity in nearby Faversham. In 1737 he wrote an anthem for the inauguration of the new organ there. He also wrote hymns and services as well as instrumental music, including four sonatas for viola, the third of which is included on this CD. It was published in 1770 as part of a volume with three cello sonatas and three sonatas for viola and continuo. Flackton also served as one of the organisers of public concerts in Canterbury from the late 1730s into his later years. Perhaps his collection of music which is now housed in the British Library arose out of his activities as an organist and concert organiser. The three viola sonatas are rather conservative in style, indicative of the musical tastes outside London. But Flackton’s knowledge of the newer developments in the music of his time should not be underestimated.

Greta Haenen, Bremen, March 2022

Recorded January 12-16, 2022

Location: Theodor-Egel-Saal, Freiburg (Germany)
Balance engineer & recording producer: Jonas Niederstadt
Corporate Design: Tim+Tim, timandtim.com
Cover painting: Johann Georg Seitz „Stilleben mit Kürbis und Rose“
Booklet photography: Jonas Niederstadt

Produced by Jonas Niederstadt

©+℗ 2022 Carpe Diem Records