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Padre Antonio Soler (1729–1783) One of the pioneers in Soler’s music is Prof. em. Frederick Marvin, a concert pianist who began making visits to Spain shortly after the end of the Second World War, searching for Soler manuscripts. For the recording I had to rely on the edition by Padre Samuel Rubio from the 1950s. Apart from the fact that there are numerous mistakes and misinterpretations in this edition, for which Rubio is excused since the manuscripts are often bad copies and difficult to read, I found out that not every sonata known by Soler was edited in this edition. My friend David Kelzenberg from Iowa kindly lent me the Marvin edition he possessed, from which I recorded several sonatas for Volume 2 of this project. C Pieter-Jan Belder, 2010 On the trail of Soler My Soler research started 1945 in a dark second-hand music shop in Los Angeles, when I saw two small volumes of piano sonatas by unknown Spanish composers of the 18th century compiled and edited by the Cuban composer Joaquin Nin in 1925–26 (he added performance markings, such as ritardandi and crescendos, that had not been the practice at that time). The collections included sonatas by Padre Antonio Soler. The wealth of ideas, the exquisite realization of mood and colour in his works fascinated me. I decided to look for more Soler. I already owned on microfilm the complete music collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., which included the six piano quintets of Soler, published in 1933 in full score, without separate instrument parts. A grant from the Del Amo Foundation in California enabled me to go to Spain to satisfy my growing interest. My first stop took me to the Montserrat Monastery, where Soler studied from the age of six. The helpful monks brought me cartons of manuscripts dating from the 16th to 19th century, all torn, some even eaten by rats. I discovered 60 sonatas, all copies in different handwriting, none in Soler’s hand, but copies made during his lifetime by monks or students. To this day, no manuscript copies of Soler’s sonatas have turned up. The monks gave me board and lodging, and the keys to the monastery so I could come and go as I pleased.
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Before I left, after weeks of research, I played them a Soler recital: it was the first time they had heard the music of their brother. From there I travelled to El Escorial, another important destination in Soler’s life, where I met with a much less friendly reception. Padre Samuel Rubio was the long-time Maestro de Capilla, but he was reluctant to allow me any access to their collection of musical treasures; he even prevented my research at El Escorial for seven long years. There was no catalogue: I had to ask for each work I wanted, even though there was no way to know what they had. After being told that the library held no sonatas, I requested some choral works that I knew they had. I obtained 130 Villancicos for choir and chamber instruments, many Masses, Hymns, and other religious works, the six concertos for two keyboard as well as the six piano quintets and some stage music. I have returned to Montserrat and El Escorial many times to continue my research. Further travels took me to the Biblioteca de Catalunia in Barcelona, where I found 38 sonatas as well as the famous Fandango, and the Institut de France in Madrid, which I left with 33 sonatas, after fighting for hours to get the microfilm. A visit to the library in Munich yielded but one canon, whereas another 27 sonatas were found at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge: the sonatas that Soler gave to Lord Fitzwilliam during the nobleman’s visit to El Escorial in 1772, and asked him to publish them in England. Fitzwilliam arranged to have them published by Robert Birchall in London, and they eventually appeared 13 years after Soler died. Sadly, the original manuscripts were lost. The French Institute in Paris holds the bad copies of the sonatas that Nin used for his edition. The latest Soler discovery concerns 31 letters that he wrote to the 14th Duke of Medina Sidonia, a grandee of the first rank Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and a lover of music. The letters were found by the musicologist George Truett Hollis in the archives of the Duchess of Medina Sidonia, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Cadiz, Spain. The letters reveal something of Soler’s personal character: greedy, ambitious, sarcastic and devious at times. In one of his letters to the Duke, Soler wrote that even though he is known as a pious monk at El Escorial, he is also ‘The Devil dressed as a monk’. Such traits are also betrayed by
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Soler’s 78-page rebuttal of an attack by Antonio Roel de Rio against his treatise Llave de la modulacion y antiguedades de la musica. I performed Soler in public just as soon as I began to research his life and work. My first public presentation took place in 1946 in the San Francisco Memorial Hall. Two years later I opened my Carnegie Hall recital debut with two Soler sonatas; and was presented with the ‘Carnegie Hall Award for the most outstanding concert of the season’. Between 1948 and 1954 I toured America with up to 60 concerts each season, including Soler in most of them. In 1954 I made my my first extensive European tour. Solo concerts had usually one or more Soler in the programs, often his Fandango, which soon found an excited audience. I played Soler on German radio stations, in Scandinavian, Spain, the UK, Austria and elsewhere. In Copenhagen I added the Third Piano Quintet and gave the first modern performance of the First Quintet on the WCNY station in New York. Two ‘Only Soler’ Festivals in Syracuse, N.Y., included programmes of the sonatas, quintets, organ music, villancicos, Stabat Mater, Salve Regina and the Lamentacion, lectures and discussions. For Decca I made three LPs of Sonatas and the Fandango. Erato (and later Musical Heritage) issued an LP with different sonatas, and Gebhardt have issued a live recording. My editions of Soler’s music began in 1957 with four volumes of sonatas and one with the Fandango only with Mills Music, London. Tetra USA have published two more volumes, and Henle Verlag have issued a volume of 18 sonatas. I have also edited Lamentacion and Salve for Universal Edition. I contributed the Soler Bibliography to the New Grove Dictionary, as well as writing many articles and giving lectures and masterclasses. The bulk of my Soler research material is held at the Hispanic Society of America in New York, so it may be publically viewed. C Frederick Marvin, 2010
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Compact Disc 1 R.82 in G This short dance-like sonata is filled with trills in both hands in the opening bars. Gay and delightful. R.83 in F There are some small differences from the manuscript in this edition. A dance in 3/8 is light and quintessentially Soler. R.86 in D This is one of the many sonatas that is typically Spanish. A joy to play and hear. R.87 in G minor The opening of this lovely sonata has a song-like introduction. The development starts in E flat major and returns to G minor for the end. R.89 in F Repeated notes in the right hand are answered by an octave bass, but only in the first part. R.2 in E flat A brilliant and technically difficult sonata for both hands. A very interesting development section with moving modulations. R.3 in B flat One of Soler´s lovely singing sonatas. R.5 in F The theme in the right hand is repeated in the left hand and is repeated as well in the development section. R.7 One of the most difficult of Soler’s sonatas, with wide leaps in the left hand. R.11 in B modulates from B major suddenly to E flat major and back to B major: unusual, but typical for Soler. R.12 in G also has wide leaps and crossing hands. Its title is ‘De la Codorniz’ (Quail).
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Compact Disc 2 R.14 in G also has wide, arpeggiated leaps in the left hand. The charming theme is very Spanish in the development. R.15 in D minor This is a highly original and effective piece, with low notes like an organ. R.22 in D flat A most unusual and advanced sonata, with rapid modulations. The range of the octaves is very pianistic. R.23 in D flat The dotted figures in the right hand and the arpeggio in the left hand create a beautiful effect. R.24 in D minor This exquisite sonata is filled with sadness. It is one of Soler’s loveliest works, with another organ-like bass. R.25 in F has a typically Spanish grace and charm. R.26 in E minor A beautiful theme with seamless modulations. The broken octaves are unusual. R.27 in E minor Technically difficult; Soler uses the entire range of the keyboard. R.28 in C This sonatas has a lightly skipping theme with interesting syncopations. R.30 in G The 2/4 metre changes to a quick 6/8; and back and forth again. R.31 in G The trills in the manuscript of this short sonata are unusual. They start on the upper note, and then on the lower part of the chord in thirds. This is both a wonderful effect and difficult to play. C Prof. Em. Frederick Marvin, 2010
Pieter-Jan Belder (1966) studied recorder with Ricardo Kanji at the Royal Conservatorium of the Hague, and harpsichord with Bob van Asperen at the Amsterdam Sweelinck Conservatorium. He graduated in 1990 and since then has pursued a flourishing career as a harpsichordist, clavichord player, organist, forte-pianist and recorder player. He has played at many international festivals, such as the Barcelona Festival de Musica Antiga, the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, the Berlin Tage für Alte Musik, the Festival Potsdam Sans Souci, the Festival van Vlaanderen, the KLARA Festival and the Leipzig Bachfest. He gives solo recitals, and is in demand as a continuo player with such ensembles as the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Collegium Vocale Gent, Camarata Trajectina and the Netherlands Bach Society. He has worked with conductors such as Frans Brüggen, Ton Koopman, Jos van Veldhoven, Paul Dombrecht, Philippe Herreweghe, Kenneth Montgomery and René Jacobs. Belder has also accompanied soloists such as Johannette Zomer, Nico van der Meel, Harry van der Kamp, Sigiswald Kuijken, Rémy Baudet, Wilbert Hazelzet, Kate Clark and Saskia Coolen. Belder conducts his own ensemble Musica Amphion.
The numbering of the sonatas is according to the Rubio edition Harpsichord built by Cornelis Bom after Giusti (2003) Recording: 24–26 March and 19–20 May 2009, Doopsgezinde Kerk Deventer Recording & editing: Peter Arts P & C 2010 Brilliant Classics
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