ARPEGGIONE Sonata - Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Sonata in A minor for Arpeggione and Piano, D.821(1824)

Arpeggione

The arpeggione was a very short-lived instrument invented by the Austrian luthier Johann Georg Stauffer.  He had received, together with Johann Ertl, an imperial commission to improve the guitar. In 1823, Stauffer built his Arpeggione, a sort of hybrid between a guitar and a cello. The first models resembled more a guitar with similar shape of the body and of the sound holes, but a few years later the instrument morphed into something closer to the cello (like the one shown at the Metropolitan Museum in New York). The Arpeggione is a six-stringed instrument, fretted and tuned like a guitar (E-A-D-G-B-E), but bowed like a cello and without an endpin, thus held between the knees. A few original instruments have survived and one can be found at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Met Museum - Arpeggione

The sound was quite gentle and couldn't therefore compete with the other louder string instruments. The instrument was quickly forgotten and not much literature for it survived, other than Schubert's masterpiece.

The Sonata, written in 1824, is dedicated to Vincenz Schuster, a virtuoso of the instrument who commissioned the piece to Schubert. After Schubert's death, the Sonata was forgotten until 1871 when it was printed but in a transcription for cello, being by then the arpeggione already a forgotten instrument.  Today it is performed usually on either the viola or the cello.

The Sonata is in three movements, with the second, a beautiful short Adagio, flowing into the Allegretto with a small cadenza.

Michael Pepa'80th Birthday :: Certificate of Honour from the City of Cobourg

Our friend Michael Pepa just turned 80 years old!

 

Hard to believe by looking at the enthusiasm and at the continuous stream of ideas that keep pouring out of him.

On January 12th and 13th, 2019, the Canadian Sinfonietta, conducted by Maestro Tak Ng Lai performed two full concerts with mostly Pepa's music, one in Markham and the other in Cobourg, where he now resides.

Between the two concerts, almost a thousand people came to honour this important event. Of course, he had to give one of his very long speeches!

 Rachel Mercer, Lynn Kuo and myself played each one of his pieces for our instruments and orchestra, while Joyce Lai played the beautiful Mozart Adagio K.261.

Here Rachel is playing Pepa's MUTATIONS for Cello and Strings in Markham

Lynn is performing Pepa's Fantaisie Bohemienne for Violin, Piano and Strings

Joyce is performing Mozart Adagio K261

and I got to play his Yakami Variations, which he wrote for me a few years ago!

with the percussion part!

With Maestro Lai, Aster Lai, and with fabulous pianist Nada Kolundzija, who came all the way from Belgrade to celebrate this important milestone.

After the concert in Cobourg, Michael was presented with a certificate of Honour from the City of Cobourg!

and a letter from the Mayor of Cobourg

Here we are all together at the end of these two fabulous days: