Cimarosa Domenico. Album per pianoforte / clavicembalo

Warsaw: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 1976. — 67 p.20 Sonatas by Domenico Cimarosa, edited by Zbigniew Śliwiński.From the editor:The Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa was born in 1749, near Naples, where he studied with G. Manna. I. Gallo, A. Sacchini and probably N. Piccini; it was in Naples that his first opera Le stravaganze del conte had its first performance in 1772. From that time onwards his main interest was in composing operas: a number of his works were performed in various parts of Italy, and his fame s.oon spread beyond its borders.
In 1787 he was invited by the court of St. Petersburg to Russia, where he lived for several years as court-composer- a post of considerable distinction-before going to Vienna to succeed Salieri as Kapellmeister to the Austrian court. In 1793 he returned to Naples to become maestro di cappella to the king. During the war with Napoleonic France he was accused in 1799 of participating in the (quickly suppressed) republican revolution in Naples and was sentenced to death; however, he was pardoned and after four months released from prison. He then intended to return to St. Petersburg, where he had not so long before received such acclaim, but he interrupted his journey in Venice, and began work on a new opera which was to be the culmination of the traditional Venetian carnival celebrations. Before he could complete it, he died, early in the year 1801.
Cimarosa's fame is based mainly on his numerous butto operas, compared with which his contributions to the late Baroque opera seria are of less importance. His most successful work-which is still popular- was il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage). His church music (which includes oratorios, masses and motets) and his secular cantatas are less well-known. But Cimarosa was also interested in solo instrumental music-an interest which produced several tens of one-movement keyboard sonatas. These works reveal the influence of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas, but they have a style of their own and make a valuable contribution to the literature of early classical keyboard music.
Unlike Scarlatti, Cimarosa shows for the most part little concern in his sonatas for virtuoso effects such as wide leaps, crossing of hands and complicated figurations. His works are marked by a wide scale of moods, from lyricism and melancholy to outbursts of spirit, humour and spontaneous vitality. Their economy of means, their clear texture, and above all their grace, elegance and simplicity call Mozart to mind.
The sonatas published here have been selected from recent French and Russian editions. These were collated with eighteenth- century editions (both of single works and collections of works by various composers). The text of Sonata in G major, p. 34, which is not contained in these sources, is based on the autograph in the library of the Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi, Milan. Doubts arose about the correctness of the notation in certain cases. Obvious mistakes in the sources have been corrected without comment; but in doubtful cases, besides the version conforming with other editions and incorporated into the main text, the editor has also suggested other possibilities (indicated by ossia).
The editor has tried to offer a reading of the text which comes as close as possible to the practice of the second half of the eighteenth century. As this is meant to be an instructive edition, some indications for performance have been added; these should however be regarded only as suggestions. Added dynamic indications of this kind have been put in brackets; and for added slurs dotted lines have been used. Where it seemed desirable to mark off successive formal sections, vertical strokes cutting the 5th line of the stave have been used, following the sixteenth century habit. The execution of grace notes is based on eighteenth-century practice. To help less-experienced pianists, fingerings have been suggested. The fingering in Sonata in G major, p. 34, is the composers own; it is printed in italics and enclosed in circles.
The editor hopes that these charming and unpretentious keyboard sonatas by Cimarosa will give pleasure to many music- lovers and arouse a wider interest in his work.