Leclair, the composer, was irritated by violinists who played his music too fast, stating that 'Allegro' meant a 'gay movement' not a 'very fast' one.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Leclair's music aimed to fuse French and Italian styles, known as 'les goûts réunis,' which was a significant aspiration of his era.
Instruments
This recording uses a viola da gamba and harpsichord for the continuo, with the gamba's low A extending a third lower than a cello, allowing for varied bass lines.
Performer Biography
Adrian Butterfield, the baroque violinist on this album, is also the Musical Director of the Tilford Bach Society and Associate Musical Director of the London Handel Festival.
Composition History
Leclair's first book of violin sonatas, Op. 1, was published in Paris under the patronage of Joseph Bonnier, one of the city's wealthiest men.
Composer Biography
Jean-Marie Leclair, the composer, was born in Lyon, the son of a lacemaker, and also studied dancing and the violin.
Compositional Technique
Arcangelo Corelli, an Italian composer whose Op. 5 violin sonatas were reprinted over fifty times, heavily influenced Leclair's Op. 1.
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