Costanzi - 6 Sonatas for Cello and Basso, Vol. 2 (Urtext Edition)

Giovanni Battista Costanzi was an Italian composer and cello virtuoso active in eighteenth-century Rome. He entered the service of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni in 1721 and later held important positions at S. Luigi dei Francesi, in the households of Cardinal Trojano Acquaviva d’Aragona and Cardinal Albani, and as maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia.

Although Costanzi is best known today for the D major Cello Concerto once attributed to Joseph Haydn, he also wrote many chamber works for his own instrument, including sinfonias and sonatas. This edition presents six sonatas for cello and basso and serves as the second volume of Costanzi’s chamber works.

The first four sonatas in this volume are based on manuscripts graciously provided by the Frank V. de Bellis Collection at San Francisco State University. The final two sonatas are based on manuscripts provided by the Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Münster. Among the San Francisco manuscripts, the C major Sonata is written for two equal voices, while the other three use an accompanimental bass. The title page of the Münster manuscript reads 2 Sonate per il Due violoncelli o violino e violoncello.

This edition uses standard bass, tenor, and treble clefs instead of the 8vb treble clef found in the source. The set includes a playable cello-basso score, a separate cello part, and a basso part, which may be played by a second cello.

ASTA level: 2.5-3