Steffan fled to Vienna in 1741 when the Prussian army invaded Bohemia and later became the piano teacher of Maria Carolina and Marie Antoinette.
Composition History
The original harp concertos on this album are dedicated to Steffan's student Marie Antoinette, who was herself a harpist.
Composer Biography
Joseph Anton Steffan, an important Bohemian classical era composer and harpsichordist, was born in Kopidlno, Bohemia, in 1726.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Steffan's works influenced contemporaries like Joseph Haydn, Jan Křtitel Vaňhal, Leopold Koželuh, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Compositional Technique
Stylistically and formally, Steffan's concertos follow the model of G.C. Wagenseil's concertos, representing the Viennese classical style, and include dances and plentiful ornamentation.
Compositional Technique
Steffan's harp concertos are accompanied by a conventional string trio and horns, with the use of horns revealing a continuity with the Baroque period.
