Symphonia a quattro in G Major
for violin 1, violin 2, viola, continuo (cello, bass, harpsichord)
Adagio
Allegro
Largo
Allegro assai
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
Although the Viennese composer Georg Matthias Monn (1717-1750) died in the same year as J. S. Bach, he belonged to a younger generation of composers whose music was important to the early development of the Classical symphony and concerto.
The Symphonia a quattro is undated. Its name reflects the fact that it is written for a string orchestra that has four sections: first violins, second violins, violas and bass instruments. This soon became traditional, but Monn and many of the pre-classical composers of his generation also wrote symphonies in three parts. The music of this piece is lively and attractive, and its bold harmonic character is apparent immediately as Monn modulates from Bb major to B minor within the first five measures. But despite its many interesting features, the symphony is less progressive than many of Monn's other works. Movements that run together, the use of short motives rather than real themes, the fugue in the second movement, these are all features that, while interesting in themselves, point backwards to the Baroque sonata da chiesa. It is in the final Allegro assai that the piece suddenly looks forward to the Classical period.
While his music is not well known today, Monn achieved an unexpected notoriety in the twentieth century when Arnold Schoenberg published an edition of his Cello Concerto in G minor. Schoenberg then wrote his own cello concerto, basing it on the music of one of Monn's harpsichord concertos.
Boston Baroque Performances
Symphonia a quattro
March 13, 1982
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor