Telemann: Cornett Cantatas

Especially for a cornettist!

Honestly, however, I've been aware of these three cantatas by GP Telemann (1681-1767) all along. Packaging them together is a bit deceptive; they were not written together, or for the same occasion, or even for the same cantata cycle. "Erhoere mich, wenn ich rufe" dates from 1717. The other two cantatas were written for the church year of 1720/1721, with a different librettist. They are, nevertheless, similarly high-spirited works, not quite festive enough to haul out the trumpets and timpani, but joyous enough to call in the clowns...er, brass players...probably from an existing ensemble of town-pipers. The burning questions, from a musical history point of view, are 1) why Telemann chose to use the nearly moribund "cornetto" and 2) who could possibly have been the player of that difficult instrument who performed the none-too-easy scores. My unresearched guess is that the second question answers the first; Telemann found that he had a 'living historical treasure' of a cornettist at hand, and leapt to use him.

The "cornetto" played on this CD, and in Germany almost exclusively during the Baroque era, was not the North Italian cornetto in G used by Monteverdi and played brilliantly today by Bruce Dickey and Doron Sherwin of Concerto Palatino. It was the stubby cornettino in C (with D as its lowest note), a ridiculously hard critter to play with any aplomb, about the length of an alto recorder and with a mouthpiece the size of a Dutch dime. Let me hasten to say that cornettinist Arno Paduch performs miracles, playing nicely in tune and pushing a sweet timbre through his wee beastie. The particular idiom of Italian cornetto playing, with its mesmerizing rapid ornamentation and divisional improvization, was long dead by Telemann's time, of course, and the only thing that separates Paduch's cornettino from an other obbligato instrument is its timbre, trumpet-like but softer and more vocal.

These are outstanding examples of Telemann's German style of composition, seen mostly in his chamber cantatas, which are on a par with Bach's. The orchestra of the Michaelstein Monastery Institute for Performance Practice has always specialized in the works of Telemann, and their familiarity with that repertoire serves them well; they play the stuff with confidence and grace. The four vocalists likewise are Bach-era specialists, and prove it with vigor. My only small criticism, and it's aesthetic rather than technical, is that I don't especially enjoy the sound of alto Henning Voss's voice per se. On the slower chorale-like movements, he sounds hollow to me. On the more exhuberant embellished passages, however, his superb athleticism justifies his role in the performance.

The cornettino, and most wind instruments of the German Baroque, was tuned to A466, a half step higher than modern winds. Paduch and the three trombonists of Blaeserkollegium Leipzig use replica instruments at the higher pitch. Now then, anyone 'blessed' with perfect pitch, I'll leave you with the challenge to trying to hear whether the singers and strings also perform at A466 or whether the cornettino and trombones are transposing a half step. Good luck!

SPAGELE, VOSS, JOCHENS & MARTENS = A VOCAL TOUR-DE-FORCE.

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was a precocious, largely self-taught musician, and a prolific composer, writing in every current musical form: operas, oratorios and cantatas as well as keyboard, orchestral and instrumental works.

The opening cantata "Sehet an die Exempel der Althen" (Look to the examples of the ancients) is for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, the text of which urges all to hope in the Lord, even though help does not come every time we ask, eventually his love will shine through if we but have faith. It is basically happy and the music is reminiscent of the mood of some of Bach's Epiphany cantatas.

"Erhore mich, wenn ich rufe" (Hear me when I call) is a cantata for Rogate Sunday. Neumeister, who wrote the text, selected the dialogue form, here an exchange between the Christian(or the Faithful Soul) sung by the tenor (Wilfried Jochens), and Jesus sung by the bass Klaus Mertens. The message in this cantata deals with Jesus assuring the Christian that God wlll not forsake anyone who places their trust in Him, but the soul should not seek the goods of this world but look to eternal fulfillment. Compared to the first cantata this work has some serious moments, though sprinkled with happy spots throughout.

"Ich halte aber dafur" ((I consider that the suffering of this time) is the cantata for Exaudi Sunday . The essential message is contained within the first movement for solo and choir from 2 Corinthians 4:18 : "For what is seen passes away, but what is unseen is eternal." A very upbeat mood is sustained throughout this composition.

These three cantatas were not written together, or for the same occasion or even a cantata cycle. "Ehoere mich, wenn ich rufe" was written in 1717, whereas the other two cantatas were written for the church year 1720/1721, and with a different librettist. But no matter they are high-spirited and upbeat compositions which partially explains the use of brass players. It does come to mind that it was somewhat strange for Telemann to choose the 'cornetto', a somewhat out of fashion instrument and a very difficult instrument at that. The instrumental score itself is quite challenging so he must have had someone in mind that could play the part. Certainly on this recording Arno Paduch handles it with finesse.

I might mention an outstanding recording on which Bruce Dickey performs and has been lauded by one critic who describes his cornett playing as being able to 'charm the skin off a snake'. The recording is directd by Paul Beier with the ensemble Galatea and three soloists: Dickey, Monica Huggett and Michael Chance; it is called 'Con Gratia, Et Maniera', a wonderful overall listening experience for the Early Music Lover.

These cantatas are outstanding examples of Telemann's German style of composition seen mostly in his cantatas, which if not on a par with J.S.Bach's, come fairly close. Although I am fond of Telemann's music, I must confess that I purchased this recording because of its excellent vocal soloist line-up. These four singers (listed in my title above) are quite obviously familiar and confortable with this genre and all sing quite musically with good phrasing, clear diction and appropriate interpretation. Moreover, the tone quality of each is not offensive at any time, the sound being even throughout the registers and each is highly sensitive to the meaning of the text.

Ludger Remy and his instrumental forces: Michaelstein Telemann Chamber Orchestra and Leipzig Wind Collegium, add much to the enjoyment of the recording. The accompanying booklet includes pertinent information and the text in German, English and French.