German oboist and violinist Sebastian Bodinus (1700-1759) might be almost completely forgotten today were it not for his Musicalischen Divertissiments, a six-part collection of ensemble sonatas published by the Leopold family in Augsburg and issued between 1726 and 1730. Part V (?1729) comprises three quartet sonatas, or quadri, scored for transverse flute, violin, basso continuo and a third treble instrument that differs for each work — a horn in Sonata No. 1, a second flute in No. 2, and a viola in No. 3.
These fine compositions are among the earliest quadri to be published, possibly anticipating Telemann’s famous Quadri for flute, violin, viola da gamba/cello and continuo dating from 1730. They are also ‘Sonaten auf Concertenart’, that is, they incorporate features of the concerto genre, including the fast–slow–fast movement scheme, ritornello form in the first movement, and ‘solo’ episodes. Owing to the scarcity of extant copies, these works are almost completely unknown today. Hopefully, with the appearance of this first modern edition, they will at last gain the recognition they deserve.
Music example Sonata 1 (pdf)
Music example Sonata 2 (pdf)
Music example Sonata 3 (pdf)
