Loeillet (Beon/Anderson): Sonate in G for oboe and piano

Code: JP1088
ISMN: 979-0-3019-0296-7

During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries there were several members of the Flemish Loeillet family who composed music. Even at that time it was hard to sort out which Loeillet was the author of a particular work, but now over three hundred years later it is much more difficult. The music here is attributed to J. B. Loeillet. There were two composers who had the name 'Jean Baptiste' - Jean Baptiste 'Loeillet de Gant' and the Jean Baptiste Loeillet who moved to London, informally changing his name to John and thus becoming known as John Loeillet of London. Musicologists today believe that the majority of the works were composed by 'John of London.'

For nearly two hundred years the music of the Loeillets was neglected, buried in the libraries and museums of Europe. Early in the twentieth century, Alexandre Beon discovered some of these works and arranged them for the modern instruments of his time. Little is known of the composer, Alexandre Beon (ca. 1862-1912). Best known among his works are a ballet, Maimoun, a clarinet concerto and a few short instrumental pieces for wind instruments with piano. But there are several existing editions of the romanticized arrangements of Loeillet's works, including two oboe sonatas and several trio sonatas arranged for violin, viola, cello and piano. During the time that Beon lived, the use of harpsichord was practically nonexistent. It was not until the latter half of the twentieth century that there was a resurgence of Baroque performance practice, using period instruments. This current edition is therefore meant to be played with piano.

There are 4 movements: Andante sostenuto, Allegro con fuoco, Largo, and Allegro giocoso. It does not have advanced technical demands but is still useable by oboists at a variety of playing levels. This edition has been edited by Valarie Anderson, who has corrected note errors and musical inconsistencies found in the original publication. Total duration for all 4 movements is approximately 7 minutes.