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Carl Heinrich Graun (1703/4–1759), like most other galant composers attached to the Berlin court of Frederick the Great, wrote a significant number of trio sonatas, versions of which exist with different scorings: two violins (or flutes) and continuo, violin, flute and continuo, and violin (or flute/viola da gamba) and keyboard. Of particular interest is the beautiful Trio published here, which survives in two different tonalities, E flat major and E major. The E major version, for two flutes and continuo, is preserved in a single source at the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen. The transposition from the original key of E flat, which the composer himself undertook, places the work in a brighter tonality, albeit one that presents more of a challenge to players of the baroque flute.
That this trio was remarkably popular throughout the late Baroque and Classical periods is apparent from many surviving manuscript copies (of the E flat major version) that date from 1740 to 1800. It would moreover appear that the work was admired by other composers, including Jakob Friedrich Kleinknecht who included it in a set of set of six trio sonatas, purportedly from his own pen, which he published in Paris, c.1750.
“This charming work is in the four movement slow-fast-slow-fast format and should appeal to performers of both historical and modern flutes. The instrumental parts are well laid out, avoiding awkward page turns and there is an efficient continuo realisation in smaller print in the score.”The Consort
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Full score and parts
Music example (pdf)