Pleyel, I :: Trois Sonates op. 45 [Three Sonatas op. 45]

Trois Sonates op. 45 [Three Sonatas op. 45]

Pleyel, I

Trois Sonates op. 45 [Three Sonatas op. 45] for flute, viola or cello

"Ignaz Joseph Pleyel was born on June 18 1757 in Ruppertsthal (Lower Austria). His father, recognising his son's exceptional music talent, sent him to J.B. Vanhal in Vienna for tuition. Funded by Count Ladislaus Erdody, the boy continued his studies with Joseph Haydn in Eisenstadt (1772-77) before being appointed Kapellmeister of the count's orchestra. He also spent three periods in Italy for the purpose of further study. Pleyel's most creative period is regarded as the years between 1785 and 1795. His stay in London also dates from that time.

The three sonatas for flute and viola were first published in 1797 by J.J. Hummel as opus 45, according to Rita Benton's Ignace Pleyel. A Thematic Catalogue of his Compositions. The thematic material is however based on two sonatas for harpsichord or pianoforte with violin obbligato, composed in 1787, and a sonata of 1788 for the same instruments. In keeping with the style of the time, the piano has the most to do, the violin part being chiefly confined to filling in the harmony. Comparison of the original source with the present version shows a change of keys and a different, tauter treatment of the thematic material. The flute now plays the melodic line previously assigned to the pianist's right hand, the former left-hand accompaniment still being recognizable as the viola part." - Eberhard Grunenthal