Well annotated original text

The new edition of the Telemann fantasias for solo violin is just as beautifully presented as the Bärenreiter edition of 1964, but the editor has written a detailed preface. It gives lovers of these demanding but easier to play sonatas and suites than those by Johann Sebastian Bach valuable tips on how to perform them. Telemann himself distinguishes between two groups in his catalog: the first six - provided with fugues - are rather sonata da chiesaThe second six are "Galanterien", suites of serious and dance-like movements. The critical notes represent important improvements on older editions and provide insights into the deliberate shaping of individual passages: Since polyphony on the violin, due to the fact that we cannot use multiple (violin) bows, requires many decisions of abandonment and priority, the criticized details help us with the alignment of note stems to group upper, middle and lower parts. Even a missing bar is pointed out: In the Largo of the Fantasy VII If bar 5 has to be repeated as an echo, this results in the logical eight bars. The sections on dynamics, ornamentation and vibrato also provide helpful suggestions for performers.

Georg Philipp Telemann: 12 Fantasias for violin solo, TWV 40:14-25, edited by Bernhard Moosbauer, UT 50415, € 10.95, Wiener Urtext Edition, Schott/Universal Edition, Mainz/Vienna 2017