Many French chamber music publications of the mid-18th century, including Baur's Op. 8, were designed with flexible instrumentation, allowing different instrument combinations.
Historical Context
The cello became popular in Paris in the 1730s, and sonata publications for the instrument proliferated from the 1730s through the 1750s.
Compositional Technique
Baur's writing for harp and keyboard in his Op. 8 Sonata No. 3 is idiomatic for each instrument, with frequent arpeggios and simpler textures for harp, and thicker textures and more ornamentation for keyboard.
Instruments
A small cello, now called violoncello piccolo, was sometimes used to substitute for a violin or flute in trio sonatas, and reading treble clef an octave below pitch was a common skill.
Composer Biography
Jean Baur, born in 1719, was the first in a family of harpists who contributed to the development of the harp and its music.
Composer Biography
Jean Baur is noted for being the first composer to write and publish music that distinguished between the harp and keyboard.
Composition History
Baur's first publications likely sought to capitalize on the cello's burgeoning popularity in Paris, as the harp's popularity began later.
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