104 CD Rotterdi iii L'Esprit Italienne arent ste g fearonL’Esprit Italienne Sivius Leopold Welss 1687 (Grottkau) - 1750 (Drescien) Suite in La maggiore Menno, Osloeicesche Nattonabialatnek Ms. Mus, 1876) Pantie Esp iene ole Mr Weis 286° 2 Alemonce Pas" 3 Courente (Courante} aw 4 Menuota P25" 5 Gavotte nr © Rondecu-culge (Gigue) 406 Suife In Do minore (enna) 7 Phantase sis 8 Atemande 407 9 Courente 267 10 Sarabande 2a M Boure. v2 12 Menuetto me 13 Gage 230" 2 2 Suite In Sot maggiore Prantasl de Mt Wes ‘Alernancie Sarabande Gavoire Menverte Guige Fantasia © Fuga in Re magglore “composées pai M, Wes 8 Rome" Park, blomBaue Natonese Res, Vina rs 1213, Fantasa Fuga Prelude © capriccio in Re maggiore Preto Dal Sige W Czech Rap. Ms, Podbrady Capriceio London tin any, Ado 00387 Prelude in La maggiore Drescen 284/01 Prelude del signer Woks composta coma Suite in Fa diesis minore (enna) Prantaie de MF Ws ‘Alemando Cuige oy mi sw ras 395° 235° ziePaul Beier liuto barocco/baroque lute/luth baroque Baborarlone musloale / Must ection: /Eclton Musicols: 9 Poul Srumento /nsturont ‘Stephen Gotien, 1991 Regitrarlone / Recorcng /Envonisiement: 8, Vine, Euplo, Halla, 8 2004 Teeniee del Suono / Receraing Engineer / Piso de son: Robert Chineliaio (ano) Diezlone Aisica/ auc superior / Drocton arsique: Andrea Dandolo ‘Coperina J Cover Jean de Rey, Syonatore cltuto Fela / Proto Robetla Chiesa 1 ‘glovane Weiss ¢ Io "spiio italiano” suo prime massto fu Il padke, che ho candusse fo splendido, naturale talento {20 un gtado tale che gid a sete anni suoné per limperatore Leopold’: cos sorise Luise Adelgunde Victorle Gottsched, nata kkumus, in una delle prime blogratio oi Sivius Leopold Weiss, apparsa poco dopo Ia suc motte.’ Luse Gollsched, che conosceva ‘Weis ci persona e fu con lin relazione ep sfolare, fra le motte notizie interessant cl da {quella felativa alla sua nasotta: nfatt sl pen: ava che egll ose nato a Breslau|Wrokiaw] tra I 1684 @ 1 1686 (cid che fo rendeva un ‘quat! esatlo conlemporaneo ai JS. Bach), mente ofa, giazie a Luise, sappiame che acque a “Grottkau [Groak6w], un piccolo vilaggio dota Slesia, nel 1687", Il piccolo Wels dovelto essere un vero ‘enfant prodige s suond per 'imperatore {ad un’eta cod teneta, © suo padre Johann Jocob Weis, luisa di professione, fu penz‘attio un maestro dl grande. valore, Vergo 11705, ma forso git prima, all'’epoca de} fattl narrail da Luge Gottsched, Weis ‘fo al servizio di Kat Philipp von Neuburg, cognate delimperatore © Marescialo ai ‘Campo Imperiale. Mancano document proban‘! al riguardo, ma possiamo presu- Mere che Wels rest rosso Katl Philipp (Gon una parentes! a Roma tra 111710 6 i 1714), fipo-@ quando nel 1718 assunse posto permanente di *Musicista dl camera Gel Eletore di Sassonia © del re di Polonia” ‘ie corte di Dresca di Augusto l Forte, dove timase fino alla morte, nel 1760, Cosi, quan ‘do Kati Philipp fu nommnato governatore Impetiaie del Trolo, Welss probabimente io s2gui nella nuova corte ai Innsbruck nel 1707, @ io raggiunso dl nuovo dopo i suo soggiorno ltaliane. Forse, il benevolo Marescialo di Campo impetiale usd pertino {a propria influenza per dare al suo glovone ‘e bilan lista un'opportuntta di perfezio- Farin aia. Nol rattempo, nel 1707. pres- 40 a corte di Dusseldort del'Etottore Palatino Johann Wihelm von Neuburg {feo- tele di Kat! Philipp), erano stall ingaggat! come huts! I padre © ¥ fratello minore a ‘Wes Johann Sigsmund: ess rimasero a Dusteldart fincne I'Bettore mor senza ered, vyenendo sostitullo dol fratello Kari il quale net 1718 pensd che fosse opportuno fraste~ fie a Mannnolm ia corte Palatina, portando ‘con #8 fa Musca del detunto Wilhelm, tra Cull Guo Wels. Questo fatto colncise con la portenza i Sivius Leopold per Dresda: Johann Wilhelm avova mandate la corte in ‘pancarotta, © Wes certamente non vole soppiantare sue padte o su fratello, Risale supper al 1718 un altro importante ‘wenimento commentato da Luise Gotisched: "81 pub dite che questo grande isa fu, In una certo misura, Il padre det lulo, peichd ess con lui acquit uno forma completamente diferente [..] Egl ‘aurnenté Il numero dei cori da nds a tre- diel". Parma cl quosta data, possiamo sup- ore che Wels suonasse, © componesse. er uno stiumento a undicl cot, tipico Fel'Europa continentale @ nord dello Alpl fin data meta del Selcento, Questo potieb- 'be sembrare un prezioso indizlo per dscet- 4Paul Beler B ‘rly Weiss and the ttallan Spit “His fist teacher was his own father, who advanced him so far wits his splendid natural talent, thot alteady in his seventh year he nad piayed before Kaiser Leopold,” ‘wrote Luise Adolgunde Victotie Gottsched, fée Kulmus, one of the fis blographies of the composer 10 appear shorlly after his death. Gottsched, who knew Wotss person- Aly and corresponded with him, provides us vith more interesting tidbits, not the teast of which s the lus year and place of his ait, previously thought to have been in Bresiou {Wioktav] sometime Detween 1684 and 1686, thus making him an cimost exact con- temporary of J. Bach, bul now known to have bean In “Grottkau [Grockéw, a small village in Sosa, in 1687". The seven years old Wolss must have boon duite an enfant prodige to have played for Emperor Leopold | af such o tender age, {ang without doubt his father, Johann Jacob Weiss, also a professional lute player, was a vety good teacher indeed. By 1706 but per- haps as early as the event described by Luise Gotiscned, Wels was in the service of Imperial field marshal Karl Philipp von Neuburg, brother of the Emperor's wite Despite the lack of conclusive documen aly evidence, we can probably assume that he stayed in Karl Prilpp’s sorvico, with "leave of absence” in Rome between 1710 {and 1714, unt he took up his permanent ost as “Electoral Saxon and Royal Polsh ‘Chamber Musician” af the Dresden court of ‘August the Strong in 1718, whore he stayed unt hie death in 1750. Thus, when Karl Philipp was appointed imperial governor of Tyiol, Wels probably followed him to his new cout a! Innsotuck in 1707, and rejoined nn there afier his Halen sojourn. Indeed, the benevolent Imperial fled marshall roy ‘even have been instrumental in allowing his brilant young lutenist an opportunity for fur ther study in Maly? Meonwhie, in 1707. Weiss father and younger Drother, the lulonist Johann Sigsmund, were engaged ft the Dussoldor! court of Karl Phiipp’s brother. Johann Withelm, Elector of tne Palatinate. Both fathor and son remained in Dilsseldort until the chidless Elector dod ‘and was replaced by his brother Karl wno thought I wise to move the Palatinate court to Mannneim In 1718, taking his brother's rmusleal estabisnment with him, Including the two Welses, This coincides, of course, with Siius Leopold's move to. Dresden’ Johann Wilheln had bankrupted the court ‘and Weiss surely didn’t want to dsplace his rather or Brother, The year 1718, or hereabouts, marks anoth ce mportant development in Weiss blog phy commented upon by Luise Gottschad! FOne can call this great alist to some extent the father of the Tuto, for with him has taken a completely different form. He [ial Incteased tt ftom eleven to thirieen Courses |.” Before this date, we can Gmume that Weis played Gnd composed for an elever-course insitument, typical in Continental Europe north of the Alps since the mid-sevesteenth century, and this (could provide us with @ kid of limus fest for Wseparating his "mature" works ttorn “arly” ‘ones, t would be a very porous test, how: ‘ever, While we can be sure that 18-course Works wore only copied after 1778, we can- not know oxacily when they wore com- posed, ori nay tist existed in 11-course ver sons, Likewse, not everyone started using ine 1S-coure lute immediately after iis Invention, and some colactions of music for 11 courses were astombled wellinto the fo- lowing decades, To complicate things, many worts with ind cations hat they were composed in Wels's Yyouth ore found! In late sources and some- times utllze 18 courses. One such piece is the c-minor sonata, marked in the compos- fer'shand “From tne year 1706 in Dusseldorf, thus our youth presents isolt" This charm: Ing wotk, only found in the felatively late London ond Dresden manuscripts, the two main sources of Wolss’s mus, presents the young musician as a serious composer Steeped In the traction of French lute sie, ‘whien German players Inherted fuly by the {otter naif of the seventoonth century, but ‘aiteady well on his way foward the devel ‘opment of his mature “itakanate” sive. Ths would make sense for a young composer {growing up In Germany in the fist decade Of the eighteenth contury. For it was pre- sel of this time that a revolution in musical Composition was. gtipping transaipine Europe: the new language of harmonic folganization and structural simptfication brought 10 matutily by the generation of Italian composers around Arcangelo Corel ‘and Alessandro Scariatl.n fact, the princ- pal contribution to the development of lute fyle by Welss and his generation might be Said to be the neatly fotal replacement of the old stylo rooted In French tradition with the new train musical language, whl sit maintaining the traditional dance forms of the French suite (e-baptized “suonata” ina tip of the hat to ltalan modernity). Apatt from the above-mentioned work there Is tio evidence of Weis‘s musle from before his tip fo Rome in 1710. This is strange, because, if we are 10 believe its Insctioion, whicn, camittediy, comes from rather late in Wess'sifetime, then we must ‘assume tha! by the age of nineteen Weiss ‘was aready o highly skilful ond Innovative composer. Yot a glance at the over 44 sources (at last count) of Woiss's music reveal that only @ handful originate trom before the 11-/13-couse divide, and of ‘those, only one is hhought to originate from before hisitalan tip. This manuscript, known ‘5 Ms, Mus. 18767 in the National Uibrary of Vienna, § the main subject of the present recording, The current eaiter of the ongoing complete edition of the works of Weiss, Timothy Crawford, has suggested that oliginated In central Germany in tho fist decade of the eighteenth century, based Con the few rare concordances (is works are ‘mostly unica} and on iis handwriting, the singulatty of ths manuscript can not be overemphasized. Separated by at least 10 years from most of the main. Welssian sources, Iie musc fs unlko anyining else in the Welss couvce. Siisticaly, it seems even ‘more antiquated than the c-minor sonata (91 1706. iis dances offen retain the brevity ‘and loose harmonic structures typical of the generation of lute composers wno had already recched maturity by the fist decade of the oighteenth century, such os \Welss's felow Silesian, Philipp Franz Le Sage {do Richéo, oF their southern contemporaries count Johann Anton Losy and. baron Wenzel Ludivig von Radolt This could Indeed ead one to Imagine the young Weiss fist mastering the sivie of his elders, before being completely swayed by the new ltofan idiom, wore It not for ne fact that the 1708 sonata suggests otherwvse: it suggosts that ‘ready in his adolescence Weiss had started to abandon the older syle. The stylistic difference between these two. sources nas lod some players and scholars to question the authenticity of the Silesian master's authorship, Indeed, a case can be made thot the four suites of the Viennese: manuscript ate so confident, co exquisitely Cratled, and display such a variety of com- ppautional nuance that they have more the feol of a mature composer at the height of hs powers than of an upcoming youth on the verge of radically changing his musical siyle, I we are fo accept this hypothesis, tho bee! candidature for Guthorship would nat Lurally fal on the shoulders of Johann Jacob, Welss's father, “ein profounder Musicus* who 's otherwise unknown to have com- [Posed any lute music. Certainly, It would be ‘unusucl fora fe-long professional lufenist at the Coutt of the Elector of the Palatinate not to have composed any solo music for his Instrument, and equally s0 for the principal Instructor of the prodigy Weiss no! to have aught composition as wel as lute playing. Thus. imagined as the work of Johann Jacob, the Vienna repertoke could seive well as loading example of the style of Weits's elders for the budding composer, ‘and the most direct influence on his musical ‘development. And yet... pethaps we should not rush so ‘quickly t0'this conclusion! Let us remember that the 1708 sonata is under some strain os to the credilly of lis date. This is a work ‘that seems to have been piayod by Woss Into his later years it could have served as a reminder of his youthful origins, or perhaps it Was © solf-conscious attempt at preserving the legacy of his musical development. Although It seems ofiginaly to have been witfen for on 11-course lute, tho stray ina Cations for @ twelfth course in both of iis S0urCes show that I is, In any case, some fof of later revision, for the convervence of the player who is ceady in the possession of a T3-course instrument. And lite many a wellmeaning autobiographical oxerciso, ‘we may, Instead. be dealing with an ideo Bed reminscence of that youthful sojourn to play before the Flector in Dusseldort, a moment termembered by the now famous ‘musiclan, perhaps, as a turning point in the networking of the powerful so essential to the career of any eighteenth century court ‘musician. In this ight, the main objection to. Weiss's authorship of the Vienna sulles is weak: 12 13‘ened. And, musicaly, there Is much to rec: ‘ommend them as beating seeds of tne musical siyia thot Weiss was eventually to develop, especially In the four magnificent fantasies ‘het preface each suite ils here that wo see most intensely the shiving for on embodiment of the flamboyant and dro- ‘matic aion style, n much the same way a8 the eatly Keyboard foccatas of J.S.Bach, Which date from the same period. And It's ‘iso in the fantasios that we find the great st_continutios with pieces in other early manuscripts whose Welsan authorship is rot In question. A good example isin the A- major Fantasia [rack 1] whose title, signit- ‘cantly, speaks of the “italian Spin”. The piece ‘s divided in half by on impressive ownward figuration staring on tne highest sings and sweeping through to the lowest bbatses and beyond, ending. after a leap from the 11th up fo the 4th course, on the tonke A (ah, we think, alteady the need is {el for a 13-course instiument, whose lowest ‘bass note Is A). The same figuration ina sin liar downward sweep, ths time ending on D. ‘and used for the same thototical effect of pphrase culmination and sectional division, is found In the remarkable D-mojor Fantasia (Wack 21), om @ manuscript in the Pars National Library bearing the Mle “Fanaisies ‘81 Préludes composées [sic] par Mr Weiss & Rome."® This manusciipl § One of several ‘musica! sources connected to Weiss tatan ‘adventure, and Is thus very close in date to the Vianna work. Starting in 1710, under the protection of the Polsh prince Aloxander Soblesti, Wolss was part of a large musical feefabishment at Palazzo Odescaichi, 163 ‘dence of the piince’s mother queen Maria Casimita, dedicated to the production of ‘operas by Domenico Scart. Indeed, the two fantasios, side by side, have so much in ‘common in sive and technique, as well os in their Hlan yearnings, that if would be hard to make a case, based solely theit intemal musical content, for authorship by two different composers. We alo find some strking musical core- spondences between this Roman D-majot Fontasia and works in the halowed terttory ff the London manuscript mentioned ears. ‘et, one of the Iwo pincipal sources of Weiss's oouvre, As an example, | have Included on this recording the D-major Capticcio [track 24), whose sacond section satting on bar 18 unfolds In c sequencing ‘bass motive adomed with a siteenth-note ‘aipeggio figuration inthe treble that strong- ly resembles a similar passage in the middle ‘of the second hat of the D-major Fantasia. (wil confess straight away that to Include this Capriccio In the present recording, | had fo transtorm the 1$-coutse London ver- son into ils probable original form as an 1- ‘course piace) And the D-major Fantasia shares material, 100, with the prelude in that key found in the 11-courge section of the ‘C2bch Podébrady manusciipt, also Includ- ‘ed here on faek 23, Indeed, this prelude. ‘ould almost be dosctibed as a telescoped Yerslon of the Roman fantasia: it was proba- biy composed in Bohemia shortly catter Walss's return to Innsbruck in 1714. The Dresden manuscript, compiled at a retative- Iv late dote by a high Dresden court official ‘ato contains some intoresting evidence of ‘early Wels In. group of mosty 11-course pleces in A-majot that carry the inscription Suonata dol Sia. Weiss compasto o Roma.” have included the prelude [lrack 25] from tls group as another point of comparison with the’ Vienno fantosias. These free-form, places, and others like them found occa: sonal In some of the more oul-of-the-way Bohemian goutces, show how the young Wels (and perhaps his father) Investigated ‘the possbillies of expression and dramatic ‘gesture In the new, luxuriant italan style that Was taging through Europe at the begin: ring of the eighteenth century. they aso show that, from the very beginning of his career, Welss especially cultivated the Hoan fantasa, and would be remembered fo: his mastery of it by none other than the indefatigable Luise Goitsched: “His touch ‘was very soft; one heard il, and didn’t know from whence the tones came. In ploying antasias he was Incomparable, the piano ‘and forte were completely in his grasp. in shot, he was the lord of his instiument anc ‘could do anything he wanted with i.” Whe we are not able to conclusively resolve the fsua of Wat's authorship of the four suites ftom the Vienna manuscript pre- sented in this recording, | wil let the music sp e0k far iso Fs Gskluly wrought exam- le of a styie of music not normally assoc ied with Sivus Leopold Wess, a sivie that he would have known in his youth, a style that surely would have been taught to him by that forgotten musician: Johann Jacob Woks. 1 From. Cht Gotched: Handlescon.. der sce nen Wiserachatton und feyen Kirso, Lop. 1740, acenty brought o ig by German nstoran Frank Log. Englsh trarélaton by Oougias Allon ‘Smith "A Blography ef Sivus Leopold Wess” “Journal of the late Soclaly of Am@tce, vot 208 (0990), 2 na doa war suageston to me by American Wess specials, Dougios Aton Sra 8 London, with bray, Acid 20367, 89-65. hs sonata, No.7 Inthe catalogue of Wee's works by D. ‘sinh anf, Crawford has boon the subject of evaras recent records 4 te ony ole tnown compose fo shore space vin “tt Woie In tha Vienna manusedp Is count 5 aMter the death of fs last known ownSK. 6. Tbout-de Chambure (1975), al ace of ths ‘manuscript Unt 1995, when It folned he Clacton of he National brary Pars, unc the tdasraton R6s. Vina ms 1213. Paul Beier 14 15