Carlo Tessarini (c.1690-c.1767)
Sei Sonate Op. 14, Il Piacier delle Dame
Eriko Oi (transverse flute), Tung-Han Hu (harpsichord)
rec. 2024, Auditorium S. Maria Maddalena, Isola della Scala (VR), Italy
Reviewed as a download
Tactus TC 692006 [69]

During the first half of the 18th century, several Italian composers travelled across Europe as performing virtuosos. Among them were Pietro Antonio Locatelli and Francesco Maria Veracini; another is the subject of the present disc. Like Locatelli and Veracini, Carlo Tessarini was trained as a violinist, but – unlike them – he is nearly forgotten today.

He was born in Rimini, but about his formative years very little is known. For two periods he acted as maestro di cappella at the Ospedale dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, and for thirteen years as violinist at St Mark’s. From the 1730s onwards he was in the service of the cathedral in Urbino, and during that time he had the opportunity to travel across Europe. He is known to have appeared as a violinist in Camerino, Brünn, Rome, Naples, Fano, Assisi, Paris, the Low Countries, London and Aix-la-Chapelle. It seems that he died in the Netherlands, probably in 1767. His last documented performance as a violinist took place in Arnhem, a small town in the east of the country, in 1766.

Tessarini has left a sizeable oeuvre. He himself published some of it, as well as music by others. However, a considerable number of collections of sonatas was printed by some of the main publishers of his time, mostly without his permission or even knowledge, which attests to the popularity of his music. As one may expect, most of it is for his own instrument, although he also wrote some music for larger ensembles. Later in his career, he sometimes suggested the transverse flute as alternative to the violin, undoubtedly under the influence of the growing popularity of the latter instrument among amateurs.

The VI Sonate à Violino o Flauto Traversiere e Cembalo op. 14 are an example. They were published in Venice around 1748 in commemoration of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which brought the War of the Austrian Succession to an end (24 April 1748). The sonatas were dedicated to the ministers who signed the treaty. In 1750, the collection was reprinted in Paris, without the dedication. The title-page mentions the transverse flute as the alternative to the violin, and for that reason Tessarini avoided typical features of violin music, such as double-stopping. As they are intended for amateurs, they are technically less demanding than some other works by Tessarini.

Five of the six sonatas have three movements, usually in the conventional order of fast-slow-fast. The exception is the Sonata No. 2, which opens with an andante, followed by a vivace and a minuet. There is quite some variety within this set of sonatas. It may be useful to point out some of the sonatas or movements. The Sonata No. 3 opens with an exuberant presto, whereas the middle movement of the Sonata No. 4, marked adagio, is melancholic. It is followed by a sparkling allegro, which includes a kind of fanfare figures. The Sonata No. 5 is the only one in four movements, and has the character of a sonata da chiesa, opening with a solemn adagio. The Sonata No. 6 is, as is so often the case in baroque sonata collections, the most brilliant one, and the closing presto has the character of a Kehraus. It also includes some of the highest notes in the entire set.

Little is known about the other collection in the programme. Il piacer delle dame, facile ariete instrumentali, without opus number, was first published in Paris around 1745, and reprinted in London in 1751 as Easy and Familiar airs. Again, these pieces are scored for transverse flute or violin and basso continuo. The original title, translated “the pleasure of ladies”, suggests they were intended for amateurs, probably with a pedagogical intention. The variety in length, tempo and character, as well as the fact that some sonatas include high notes and wide intervals, points in that direction. That would also fit the time of publication: we are in the era of the Enlightenment, a movement among whose ideals was the education of the people. That does not mean that these pieces are musically uninteresting. Far from it; they are just as good and entertaining as the sonatas Op. 14.

The latter have been recorded on the violin by Valerio Losito (Brilliant Classics, 2019). It is nice that they are now available in the alternative scoring as well. They fully deserve it, and Eriko Oi delivers an excellent performance. The biography in the booklet says that she “was awarded the 2nd prize (first prize not assigned) at the 34th International Competition for Early Music in Yamanashi.” That is easy to understand. I am impressed by her playing. She produces a beautiful tone, and explores the entire range of her instrument and dynamic capabilities to good effect. She shows a good feeling for the rhythm of each movement and the rhetorical nature of these sonatas, which is exposed in her articulation and the differentiation between good and bad notes. She receives excellent rhythmic and harmonic support from Tung-Han Hu.

This is one of those discs to which I shall return, for the fine music and the outstanding and compelling performances.

Johan van Veen

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Contents
[Sei Sonate Op. 14]
Sonata in B flat, op. 14,1; 
Sonata in F, op. 14,2; 
Sonata in G, op. 14,3; 
Sonata in D, op. 14,4; 
Sonata in E flat, op. 14,5; 
Sonata in G, op. 14,6
[Il Piacier delle Dame]
Cantabile
Minuetto
Cantabile
Grazioso
Adagio
Presto
Grazioso
Presto
Adagio
Aria: allegro
Grazioso
Presto