BOISMORTIER: 6 Sonatas for 2 Pardessus de viole, Op. 63

Featuring

Peter Wendland
Jacqui Robertson-Wade
Dialogue Viols
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
Marin Marais
François Couperin

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Composer Biography

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, the composer, was an immensely productive and versatile musician who published over 100 works and became wealthy from his compositions.

Recording & Production

The ensemble Dialogue Viols was formed during the Covid lockdown, with the performers Peter Wendland and Jacqui Robertson-Wade initially playing viols together online from different countries.

Performer Biography

Jacqui Robertson-Wade, one of the performers, is an established viol educationalist and author of the internationally acclaimed viol tutor series, Viol Player.

Compositional Technique

The sonatas on this album are Italianate in their lack of descriptive titles but quintessentially French in their musical style, using prescribed ornamentation and notes inégales for expressive effect.

Recording & Production

This album features the premiere recording of Joseph Bodin de Boismortier's 6 Sonatas for 2 Pardessus de viole, Op. 63.

Instruments

The pardessus de viole, a 'sopranino' viol, was popular in 18th-century France and could appropriate much of the contemporary violin's repertoire.

Composition History

Boismortier's 6 Sonatas for 2 Pardessus de viole, Op. 63, were only recently rediscovered and reproduced in facsimile, having previously been known only from the composer's catalogues.