Gretsch - 6 Cello Sonatas (Urtext Edition)

Johann Konrad Gretsch was likely born in 1710 and died in 1778. He served as a respected cellist in the chapel of the Prince of Thurn and Taxis in Regensburg and was also a popular composer. Ernst Ludwig Gerber described Gretsch as a musician whose compositions demonstrated extensive knowledge of harmony, excellent taste, and exceptional skill on his instrument.

Gretsch’s works appear in several eighteenth-century sources, including the Breitkopf catalogues. His known output includes symphonies, wind partitas, an oboe concerto, four cello concertos, fifteen cello sonatas, a sonata for violin and cello, and a trio for viola da gamba, violin, and continuo.

The six cello sonatas in the present edition come from sources held by the Czech National Museum, which we thank for placing these materials at our disposal. The catalogue numbers used in this edition follow those of the museum. The original clefs, including bass, tenor, alto, and soprano, have been retained in the score but changed to modern clefs in the separate cello part.

The basso part is unfigured and, as was typical of the period, may be played by a second cello. It occasionally includes double stops. In most of the sonatas, the basso part plays a subordinate role, but in the finales of the A-major Sonatino and the D-major Sonata, it assumes a more equal role alongside the principal cello part.

All deviations from the original text have been indicated with editorial markings or explained in footnotes.

For more information about these sonatas, see this article: https://yuriyleonovich.com/blogs/musings/posts/7409911/critical-notes-series-gretsch-s-cello-sonatas

ASTA level: 2.5 to 3