Italian violin sonatas

The violin was one of the instruments that took central stage when in Italy the seconda pratica came into existence. Composers started to write virtuosic music for it, sometimes exploring its features in such a way that pieces were not playable on any other instrument. Italy remained one of the centres of composing music for violin solo during the 17th and 18th centuries. So much was written that today we know only the tip of the iceberg. This review discusses some recent recordings of sonatas for violin and basso continuo by composers from the first half of the 18th century, including some most music lovers may never have heard of.

Diogenio Bigaglia (1678-1745) [1] is one of many Italian composers who have remained largely unknown because they were so unlucky to be contemporaries of the likes of Antonio Vivaldi, Tomaso Albinoni and the Marcellos. Some of his vocal music has been recorded, such as a handful of cantatas, and a few sacred works. It seems that the set of twelve sonatas that were printed in Amsterdam around 1722 as his Op. 1 is his best-known work. However, I can't remenber ever having heard them, and it seems that no complete recording was available until the one to be reviewed here.

These sonatas were intended for recorder or violin which means that they omit the features that are connected to one of these instruments. That goes especially for the violin, as it has a wider range than the recorder and can play polyphonic passages, unlike the recorder. As the recorder was mainly popular among amateurs and there was no need for technically challenging music for it, the solo part does not require great technical skills. That does not imply that they are mediocre; they are well-written, but are probably more interesting for the performer than for an audience. It is advisable not to listen to them at a stretch. The physical production comes with two discs, which each take a little over 53 minutes. Listening to one disc at a time seems a good way to enjoy them.

I Solisti Ambrosiani play them well; the performances are as good as the sonatas are. I hope that some time we will see a thorough exploration of Bigaglia's oeuvre. Especially the sacred music that I have heard suggests that it has much to offer.

After 1700 quite a number of Italian performers and composers went abroad. One of them was Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) [2], who was from Lucca and travelled to London in 1714. England was fertile soil for Italians: since the publication of Corelli's sonatas Op. 5, the country had come under his spell, and that may have been one of the reasons that Geminiani claimed to be his pupil. Although there is no documentary evidence of this, he certainly was of Corelli's school, and he emphasized the connection by arranging Corelli's sonatas Op. 5 as concerti grossi.

Only a few years after his arrival Geminiani published a collection of sonatas for violin and basso continuo of his own. This is notable as composers usually started by publishing trio sonatas, which were intended for amateurs. That was profitable, and also gave them the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in the field of counterpoint. Solo sonatas were usually written for advanced amateurs and for professionals, and were mostly technically too demanding for the common amateur. That is also the case with the sonatas Op. 1 by Geminiani, in which he frequently uses double stopping. Seven sonatas consist of four movements, the others have three. In the latter case, some movements are divided in several sections contrasting in tempo.

Geminiani is one of the best-known composers of the baroque period, but the interest in his oeuvre is rather one-sided. His concerti grossi after Corelli's Op. 5 and his cello sonatas are among his most frequently performed works, but his violin sonatas are not that well represented on disc. In fact, the recording by Igor Ruhadze and Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya is the first that has crossed my path, and it is a very good one. Ruhadze is a virtuoso on his instrument and shows a thorough understanding of the style of the period; his performances are nicely differentiated in articulation and dynamics. Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya plays the basso continuo in accordance with the ideals of the time, which require a strong and dynamic accompaniment. This is an entirely convincing interpretation of Geminiani's first collection of music, and the performers seem to plan to continue exploring his oeuvre, as this disc was followed by a recording of the Op. 4 (which I hope to be able to review later).

After 1700 France also opened up to the Italian style. Some French composers admired it, but until the turn of the century there was not much opportunity to write in that style. The violin, that typical product of the Italian style, played a minor role in France, and it took some time before French violinists were able to play Italian music. The fact that in the early 18th century several Italian composers settled in France attests to the changing climate. One of the best-known was Michele Mascitti, who has left a considerable oeuvre in which his own instrument, the violin, plays the main role. Far lesser known is Giovanni Antonio Piani (1678-1760) [3], who was from Naples. From 1704 to 1721 he was active in Paris, and then went to Vienna, where he entered the service of the imperial court; there he became the highest-paid instrumentalists. It is not known how much he has written; only a set of twelve sonatas Op. 1, published in Paris in 1712, has been preserved. They are intended for the violin, but six of them can be played on the recorder or the transverse flute.

The differences are clear: the sonatas which can be played on the latter are less technically demanding, and in the sonatas for the violin Piani does make use of double stopping, which makes them unsuitable for any other instrument. All but one of the sonatas open with a preludio. This is followed by three or four movements most of which are dances, which may well have been intended as a way to pay tribute to the French style, in which dances played a major role. The printed edition is especially interesting for the extended preface, in which Piani explains the meaning of the many markings in the music. That offers much information about performance practice at the time.

Single sonatas have been included in anthologies, but the recording of the complete set by the ensemble Labirinto Armonico seems to be the first. It is a big shame that the performances don't do them justice. First, the playing is often too straightforward. There is too much legato, too little dynamic differentiation, and too little contrast between good and bad notes. The violinist, Pierluigi Mencattini, uses more vibrato than is common in performances on the baroque violin these days. What is even worse is that in some movements percussion is added. This is ridiculous; it is not something one can imagine to have been used in the time these sonatas were written and performed. It is a gimmick, which has nothing to do with historical performance practice. The performance make it hard to assess the quality of these sonatas. I hope that some time a really good recording will be released.

Another violinist who settled in Paris was Pietro Gian(n)otti (?-1765) [4], who - like Geminiani - was from Lucca. It is not known when he was born, but as his first set of sonatas was published in Paris in 1728 he must have been there from pretty early in his career. He was not a professional violinist, but rather a double bass player, and acted in this capacity until 1759 at the Académie Royale de Musique. He was a prolific composer: seventeen collections with an opus number of his pen are known; some of them have been lost. He also published several treatises, such as Le guide du compositeur (1759). As the violin dominates in his works, it is reasonable to assume that he played the violin himself.

One of these is the set of twelve sonatas Op. 1. All but two of them consists of the usual four movements; one sonata has three and one has five movements. It is notable that most of the movements have the titles of dances, mostly with an additional tempo indication. The names of these dances are in Italian (allemanda, corrente, sarabanda), but it is likely that - like those in Piani's sonatas - were inspired by the French music scene.

In New Grove Michelle Fillion writes that Giannotti's compositions lack in originality. I always take these judgments with some scepticism, as they are mostly based on looking at the notes. For a fair assessment one needs to listen to them in a performance which does justice to the performance practice of the time. And here the recording by the ensemble Labirinto Armonico fails miserably. I was not happy with their performance of Piani's sonatas, but what we have here is even worse. All the notes are played the same way, there is no difference between good and bad notes, and there is little dynamic shading. The lack of articulation makes especially the fast movements, often played at breakneck speed, nearly unbearable to listen to.

Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1700/01-1775) [5] has become best-known for his symphonies, which are assumed to have influenced Haydn. However, there is more to him than the symphonies. His oeuvre is large, and includes works in every genre in vogue in his time. The Oinios Baroque Trio recorded six sonatas for violin and basso continuo, which have been preserved at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna; hence the title of this disc. They were never published; all the sonatas have come down to us in manuscript, not in the hand of the composer himself but that of a copyist. As was common, they are not dated, and it is on the basis of stylistic features that they are assumed to have been written before 1759, which is considered the beginning of Sammartini's 'classical' period. They are in three movements, except one, which is the most 'old-fashioned', as its first and third movements are marked grave.

Sammartini was not a violinist, but rather a professional oboist, like his brother Giuseppe and their father. This may well explain why the technical demands of these sonatas are modest. Danilo Prefumo, in his liner-notes, mentions that only now and then Sammartini makes use of double stopping. However, I have heard quite a number of moments where he uses it. It is true that it is not a dominant feature of these sonatas. As Sammartini is not known for his chamber music, that part of his oeuvre may have been overlooked. In 2023 Brilliant Classics released a disc with eight sonatas for cello and basso continuo, and these turned out to be fine works, written in the 'galant' idiom. That is also present in these sonatas for violin, although the basso continuo has more independence than in most galant music.

These works are of unmistakable quality, and we have to be grateful to these three artists for bringing them to light in such a convincing manner. These are differentiated performances, well articulated, even in the fastest passages. The tempi are well-judged as is the use of dynamics. In four sonatas the basso continuo is played on he harpsichord, alongside the cello, and in the two remaining sonatas on the fortepiano, which works well.

[1] Diogenio Bigaglia: 12 Sonate a violino solo opera prima
I Solisti Ambrosiani
Tactus TC 670291 (© 2023) details

[2] Francesco Geminiani: "Violin Sonatas Op. 1"
Igor Ruhadze, violin; Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 96524 (© 2022) details

[3] Giovanni Antonio Piani: 12 Sonate a Violino solo e Violoncello con Cimbalo, 1712
Labirinto Armonico
Tactus TC 671690 (© 2022) details

[4] Pietro Giannotti: 12 Sonate per violino op. 1
Labirinto Armonico
Tactus TC 690790 (© 2024) details

[5] Giovanni Battista Sammartini: "Six Viennese Sonatas"
Oinos Baroque Trio
Dynamic CDS7959 (© 2022) details