Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Yet more music

Some years ago I had a book called 'Early Keyboard Sonatas'. This was a collection of keyboard sonatas by obscure composers. The editing was very heavy-handed and inappropriate, and the finished product looked like the very worst excesses of the Associated Board in former times. Among these gems was a g minor sonata by  Manuel Blasco de Nebra (1750-84), which I particularly enjoyed. He was once the organist at Seville Cathedral, but very little is known about him. Only thirty works of his are known to survive. I've recently re-obtained the score, as well as a that of a beautiful sonata in f# minor, and intend to play these at the event next month. The music is quirky and very expressive. His harmonic invention is at times startling. Some of the bass lines are quite rudimentary, but all that is needed.

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