Haydn: Divertimenti per il pariton a tre

Featuring

Guido Balestracci
Alessandro Tampieri
Bruno Cocset
Joseph Haydn

Did you know?

1/7

Composer Biography

Haydn secretly practiced the baryton to master it, despite his wife's complaints, but gave up becoming a virtuoso after Prince Esterhazy's indifferent reaction to his playing.

Composition History

Joseph Haydn was obligated to compose for the baryton because his patron, Prince Nicolas Esterhazy, was passionate about the instrument.

Compositional Technique

The metal sympathetic strings of the baryton are typically tuned to F sharp and C sharp, which limits the trios to sharp keys like G, D, and A major.

Instruments

The baryton, an instrument featured on this album, is a member of the viol family, borrowing features from the viola da gamba and viola d'amore.

Instruments

The baryton has both gut playing strings and metal sympathetic strings, which can resonate or be plucked by the thumb, increasing its polyphonic capabilities.

Composition History

Haydn composed a significant amount of music for the baryton, including 126 trios for baryton, viola, and cello, between 1765 and 1776.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Haydn infused these baryton trios with his characteristic personal humor, imaginative themes, and a balance of energy in fast movements and sublime illumination in slow ones.