This CD contains the first nine sonatas for gallichone from the Dresden manuscript and is the first recording ever made using an authentic instrument.
Instruments
The term "gallichone" used by Brescianello refers to an instrument similar to a lute, with various names like mandora or colascione, common in 18th-century Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria.
Compositional Technique
The compositional style of these sonatas demonstrates Brescianello's ability to assimilate the musical language of the 'stile galant,' characterized by short, cantabile melodies and clear, balanced structures.
Composer Biography
Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello, the composer, was appointed musique directeur and maître des concerts de la chambre at the Württemberg court in Stuttgart in 1716.
Composer Biography
Brescianello lost his positions as Rathkapellmeister and Oberkapellmeister in 1737 due to the economic collapse of the court, but was reinstated in 1744.
Composition History
The sonatas for gallichone were likely composed around 1740, during a period when Brescianello was free from his court duties, or possibly to gain favor from wealthy patrons.
Composition History
The 18 sonatas for gallichone by Brescianello, conserved in the Sächsische Landesbibliothek of Dresden, were written in lute-type tablature and do not specify designations like "sonata," "partita," or "suite."
