Michel Cardin — Progam Notes
Mattheson, in his discussion of Baroque tonalities, writes that we can find in the key of D minor "something devotional and still, while at the same time grand, pleasant and satisfying. The implication is that devotion will be heard in a sacred context and peace in an earthly milieu, without hindering the occurrence of a certain 'subdued lightness'." This tonal portrait seems an accurate description of what one finds in Weiss's Fantasie and Prelude. The Fantasia is essentially an unmeasured prelude that has an improvisational quality, with eloquent phrases. The Prelude, in Weiss's hand in the Dresden manuscript, contains exactly this devotion.
The three pieces from sonata no.14 have their own atmosphere. The Sarabande, for example, is somewhat enigmatic. It begins, in effect, with a double surprise, in that the key is in the relative minor while the opening manages to dodge the expected affirmation of the tonic, truly a refined melancholic and philosophic gem. The brief Prelude is harmonically audacious although reminiscent of the purest improvisation. The Allemande is of striking nobility. As is often the case, the listener becomes overwhelmed by a dream-like state within a few moments of the opening of the work. In the second section, an ambiguous melodic line hovers gracefully between tonic and dominant key centres, a Weissian gem that is all the more delightful because of the way it precedes a more typically Baroque chord progression. Weiss has seemingly intoxicated himself with joy at the sound of his instrument, as would have been equally true of Louis Couperin with respect to the harpsichord.
David Kellner was a lutenist and organist. One can feel the influence of organ improvisation in these lute Fantaisies in C and in a minor. It is interesting to note that one of Kellner's theory books was to influence a young musician of his area called Joseph Haydn, whose first opuses were to be written for lute and strings.
Knowing that the fifth cello suite by Bach is originally for lute, one can consider transcriptions from cello to the lute as normal. These two Preludes provide evidence that this music perfectly fits the medium.
François Dufaut was one of the flamboyant French lutenists of the 17th century who so much influenced the harpsichordists. Indeed, as is proven today by harpsichordists accustomed to music for lute, they used to play lute music on the keyboard directly from the lute tablature, considering this repertoire their own. The Suite in g minor reflects all the interiority of the composer, revealing his dual nature in the contrast between the liveliness of the Courante and the Gigue and the profound sadness and meditation of the Tombeau and the Sarabande & Double.
Scattered among the numerous sonatas of Weiss's London Manuscript are several very interesting individual works. The Plainte has no title at its heading, though the following information can be found in French at the end: 'A plainte by Mr. Weis on the generosity of the great Nobility at the cape of good hope, whilst awaiting their promised flotilla of gold: composed on January 11, 1719.' These sentiments can be found in the music, which combines disillusionment with serene meditation in a manner that is philosophical and without rancour. Weiss was visiting Vienna with the Saxon court while preparing for the marriage of the inheritors to be held on the twentieth of March. One wonders which of the two courts was held in disdain by Weiss for the failure to provide monetary payment. It is true that the Viennese court had tried to lure him with an incredibly large salary. The plaint is found beside the tenth solo sonata in B flat in which it could replace the sarabande, and is called as a matter of fact a sarabande in the same sonata copied in the Dresden ms that seems to have lost or rejected the London one. Its unique identity is created by long appoggiatura figures at the beginnings of sections. These in turn yield very unusual harmonies since the appoggiaturas remain stronger than their subsequent resolutions. This is but another subtle Weissian idea..
The Minuet in B flat is untitled, though the form is quite clear. It is also found in the Warsaw ms with the words Junior Weiss, making it a possible composition by Silvius Leopold's younger brother, Sigismund. Its lightness breathes with a certain freshness and late eighteenth-century feel that indeed leaves the listener in doubt as to whether it originated with Silvius. It brings Mozart or Haydn to mind and the technique required is somewhat effortless. Nevertheless, this piece obliges one to reflect on a perceived kinship with the little minuets of Bach, which were composed in the same era, and the musical balance is quite a 'Senior Weiss' one.
The Fantasie in c minor, a unique version bearing the inscription Weis 1719 à Prague at the end, was published in e minor for guitar in the 1960s and recorded by Julian Bream. This recording, where the Fantaisie appears with the Logy Tombeau and the Passacaille in D, was instrumental in enticing many novices toward the works of Weiss. I remember playing the Fantasy on the guitar, stopping at each measure to imagine how this work might sound on the lute. The first half, which is unmeasured, consists of a continuous flow of brilliantly undulating musical phrases. The second, which is metered, presents a fugue subject that rises quickly to an expansive state before returning suddenly to the melodic discourse of the beginning and concluding in a paroxysm of closing chords.
L'Amant Malheureux (The Unfortunate Lover), also found in the Paris ms, inspired other works by German composers, including Pachelbel's L'Amant Malcontent. This famous composition was not written by Weiss, but rather by the important and influential Jacques Gallot, a contemporary of Dufaut, and was entitled Le Vieux Gallot (Vaudry de Saizenay ms). Gallot's dates are unknown but his death would have occurred at or around the time of Weiss's birth. His influence can also be seen in Weiss's Chaconne in g minor and in certain allemandes, which remind one of Gallot's Psyché, another magnificent work. It is fascinating to have Weiss's version of this piece with all of its variants and completely ornamented repeats, the performer being relieved of this responsibility for once! Weiss's thoroughness is quite understandable — one would be reluctant to change a single note or inflection in this ethereal, sacred and mystical song. One can, however, make good use here of notes inégales to enhance the pathos. The elegance of Gallot has been barely modified, but was somehow amplified a century after the fact by the skill and respectful intelligence of Weiss. This is a truly magnificent artistic collaboration that transcends the barriers of time. The sonic imagery speaks of tears in the beginning, falling one by one. This is followed by a despair that permeates the spirit, concluding eventually with heavy sighing. Musical intervals were chosen for symbolic force, primary ones being those of the fifth, third and octave. This composition is a true masterpiece of its time, the equal of many better-known 'hit' favourites! The Paris version, in g minor, is correct and meticulous (could it be by a younger Silvius?) but the London copy, in a minor, with its written repeats, has a certain extra, if ineffable, ingenuity.
Notes by Michel Cardin