THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ITALIAN CELLO SONATAS BY CELLIST/COMPOSERS IN THE BAROQUE AND CLASSICAL ERAS

Abstract

The solo cello sonata begins with the appearance of the violoncello in the second half of the seventeenth century. There is a correlative relationship between composers, performers, and the development of the cello as a solo instrument, which becomes evident by examination of the instrument and bow, stylistic and performance practices, and innovations in cello technique. These factors are explored in the works of four cellist/composers of the Baroque and Classical era: Domenico Gabrielli (1659-1690), Sonata #1 in G major; Giovanni Benedetto Platti (1692-1763), Sonata #1 in D major, Series II; Giovanni Battista Cirri (1724-1808), Sonata #3 in G minor, Op. 5; and Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), Sonata #2, in C major, G6. This paper includes biographical information concerning these composers and historical information on the development of the cello, bow, and instrument's technique, and the sonata during the centuries under discussion. Each of the abovementioned sonatas is analyzed and described in terms of the changes in the equipment each of the composers might have used, the development of technique, and the compositional evolution of the solo sonata as exemplified in the abovementioned works. By examining the relationship between certain musical events occurring in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, composers who were also cellists, the evolution of the design and construction of the violoncello and bow, the advance in performance techniques, and the development of the solo sonata, it is possible to trace how the different discoveries of that time were interrelated, and to create a clearer picture of what those revolutionary times might have been like.