Prima la musica! is delighted to support violinist Ada Witczyk's attempt to stimulate interest in historical instruments from living composers. We have just published the three winning entries for the 2020 contest: Samuel Howley's Yellow, Erik Valdemar Sköld's The Spectre and Oscar Tysoe's Ostinato in Seven. Submissions for the 2021 contest (if you fancy composing a piece for two violins, viola and cello!) are still welcome – you'll find more info here: https://www.adawitczyk.com/competition2021
I am very busy, transcribing and translating a volume of records from Anhalt-Zerbst, where Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758) was Kapellmeister for 36 years. In time, all of the surviving cantatas he wrote for a cycle in 1736 will be published, along with other pieces required by the liturgy there – masses, a Te Deum, and hymns by composers from Zerbst.
World's worst-kept secret
Ever since I was obliged to take composition classes as part of my music degree at St Andrews University in Scotland, I ha enjoyed the very occasional foray into the art of the tune smith. Nothing serious, of course – just for fun (mostly).
Recently inspired to write some music for recorders by my friend, the writer and musician, Michelene Wandor, I have foolhardily decided to publish two of them:
Waltz for Michelene is for five recorders (STrTTB)
follia (with an original cover illustration by my friend, Daniel Baker) is for four (STrTrTr) and is based on the familiar ground bass but throws a few rhythmic curve balls...
New home – new look
After more than 15 years in Arbroath, I am off back to Dundee.
With a considerable amount of help from my excellent Danish colleague, Niels Danielsen, I have come up with a new style for future editions – I hope you like it!
The first titles are Telemann's string suite "La Musette" (TEL025) and two sonatas for trumpet, 2 violins and continuo from the under-rated Engilsh composer William Corbett's op. 3 (the others will follow). Feel free to suggest other pieces that we could publish.
OUR FIRST 18TH-CENTURY OPERA
This opera caused a bit of a stir in 1719 – Heinichen hadn't quite finished writing it when two of the leading singers had a tantrum about the clumsy way he'd set some of the Italian text. When the Saxon Elector heard about the argument, he dismissed the singers and the entire project was shelved. With a cast of seven principles and an orchestra of horns, flutes, recorders, oboes and strings which Heinichen deploys with considerable skill, this three-act work can now be heard to full advantage on a recording by Il Gusto Barocco.
Buy before 1st June and save £20!
THE LATEST volumes of the Ensemble Diderot Collection are now available: two volumes of trio sonatas from Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville's op. 2 (recorded on Audax Records).
Be sure to check out their new page for further details.
Another exciting collaboration
Christopher Palameta and his colleagues in Notturna have been passionate champions of the music of mid-18th-century Berlin, especially trios and quartets by Johann Gottlieb Janitsch. Having provided many of the editions for their recordings, we are now beginning to publish them so that anyone can enjoy them. First up are two trios by Janitsch, and a third by Christian Gottfried Krause.
NEW CATALOGUE
Four years have passed since our last catalogue – literally hundreds of titles
have been added in that time. If you prefer a leisurely browse to scrolling
through website pages, you can save it to your device by clicking HERE.
latest additions
If you have any ideas for new editions, we would be delighted to hear about them!
Michael Pilkington: Figured Bass at the Keyboard (a step-by-step guide to accompaniment)
Johann Ernst Altenburg (c. 1770): Six keyboard sonatas
Corbett: Two sonatas in D for trumpet, 2 violins and continuo (op. 3 nos. 1 and 2)
Donati: Five motets for solo soprano (Hodie nata est, O admirabile commercium, O anima mea, Si bona suscepimus, Vidi turbam magnam).
Endler: Three sinfonie in D [END003, END016, END028], an Ouverture in D and an Ouverture in E flat with tenor oboes
Jantisch: Trio sonatas in G and A minor (oboe, violin, continuo)
Krause: Quartet in F (oboe, bassoon, violin, cello) and Trio in D minor (oboe, violin, continuo)Merula: Credidi (a psalm setting for SATB and continuo)
Mondonville: Trio sonatas op. 2 in two volumes
Quentin: 12 trios from his op. 8 and op. 15 sets of sonatas in three and four parts
Franz Xaver Richter: Sinfonia in G minor for strings
Stölzel: Two cantatas – Ich haben meinen König eingesetzt (for the 1st Sunday in Advent) and Befiehl dem Herrn deine Wege (for the 1740 funeral of dowager duchess, Magdalena Augusta of Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg)
Telemann: Ouverture in G minor "La musette" TWV 55: g1 for strings & continuo, Sonata [=Concerto] for 2 violins & strings TWV 52: B2, Passiontide cantata, Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus
[Page last updated 15 May 2021]