Code: JP4109
ISMN: 979-0-3019-0634-7
The Concerto D935, originally for oboe, is likely Marcello's best-known work today; it was composed between 1708 and 1713 and published by Jeanne Roger in Amsterdam in 1717. It is an example of an early solo concerto, as opposed to the more ensemble-based Concerto Grosso (a form heavily used by contemporaries such as Handel and Corelli) of the early 18th-century. The work is in three movements - Andante e Spiccato, Adagio, and a vigorous Presto that resembles the popular 'rage arias' of Italian opera at that time. The concerto exists in both C minor and D minor keys, for reasons that have never been definitively proven. A further mystery with this concerto included which Marcello brother actually wrote the piece. Until recent scholarship definitively proved that the composer of the concerto was indeed Alessandro, there was some confusion on this point.
The concerto remains a popular work of the Italian-baroque, with a wide variety of recordings available that feature oboe, harpsichord, organ, trumpet, and saxophone as the featured solo instrument. Dave Camwell has done 3 editions of the concerto with saxophone as the solo instrument: 1) JP4009 for soprano saxophone and piano; 2) JP4110 for alto saxophone and piano; and 3) JP4112, a dual edition that includes both soprano and alto saxophone versions. The piano accompaniment in the versions for alto saxophone has been transposed in a way that keeps the solo part itself in D minor, mainly for reasons of tessitura, and the concert-pitch accompaniment modified as needed.
Ornaments are a very important part of Baroque music, typically added the second time of a repeated section, or more generally throughout a movement to add stylistic flare. Camwell has included an optional, ornamented part for the soloist. This can be used as it is, or as an example for the performer to do their own.
The edition on this web page (JP4109) is for soprano saxophone and piano. If you plan on performing the concerto only on soprano or alto saxophone, then you may want to purchase the edition for that particular instrument (JP4109 or JP4110). However, if you might be playing the music on either soprano or alto saxophone at some time, then the dual edition (JP4112) is an economical choice.
A video performance of samples from Marcello (Camwell): Concerto, D935 for Soprano Saxophone and strings is available on YouTube
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