Göttweig 12 and 13
Alternative readings of the text of the complete Gottweig edition
Suite 12 and 13
May 14, 2017
I am commenting on Suites 12 and 13 on one page, because they seem to me to be a single musical work. The fermatas in the manuscript also group movements together, so there are fewer full stops that the edition would suggest to the player. If you accept the premise that these two suites are one, then you have a single work that starts with a Sinforia and ends with a Gigha. And you avoid having a Suite that begins with an Aria, as Suite 13 of the edition does.
31 May 2021 I have put together a playlist of how these movements sound when grouped together as I explained in the previous paragraph.
This is my opinion, but stylistically this work sounds to me later than most of the music in the volume. The texture is altogether different; the bass part is not just a harmonic foundation, but participants equally in the imitative counterpoint of the work. While most of the music seems to me to have been written in the 1680-s and 90's, this one seems to me to come well after Corelli.
There are no figures in the basso part for either 12 nor 13. And there is a pleasing degree of imitation between the two parts, which I imagine would be well served by using only bowed bass, not bowed bass and cembalo, for the continuo. There are also the attaccas between movements, Sinfonia-Bourée-Presto in the edition's Suite 12, and Aria presto and Adagio in Suite 13, which I do not remember ever seeing elsewhere in this corpus. Unusally, although there are no slurs in the first six movements, there are slurs in the Gigha (sic) even in the basso part!
Sinfonia Allegro (basso) Sinfonia Allegro assai (vda)
Basso There are a number of places in the manuscript where the original basso part is in alto clef (not tenor, as the critical notes of the edition say.) These are where the part goes up to f’.
Bar 33 vda. in the manuscript the third beat has a trill.
Bar 74 vda and basso, in the manuscript the final resolution bar of the Sinfonia has a time signature change to cut time, and there is neither repeat, nor are there holds at the final barline in either part. I suggest that the player is meant to go attacca into the Bourèe (sic). [In the vda part the accent might be correct on the first e of Bourée, but it is too unclear in the image for me to be certain. In the basso part the accent is clearly backwards.]
I suggest the first full stop for the player, musically, in this work is at the end of the Presto that concludes the Bourée. Even then, the fermatas are on the final bar line of the basso only and not in the vda part.
Minuetto Allegro (vda)
This movement's tempo is Allegro in the manuscript vda part.
Bar 24 final bar line has fermatas on it in both parts in the manuscript.
Gavotta
pick up bar vda the Bb has a trill in the manuscript.
Bar 19 vda in the manuscript the chord on beat 1 is the same as in bar 3.
bar 21 final bar line has fermatas on it in both parts of the manuscript.
Aria Presto Adagio
bar 24 basso beginning at bar 24 there are 4 bars in tenor clef.
Bar 35 In the manuscript there is no repeat at the final bar line in either part. Yes, in the manuscript at the beginning of the Adagio there are start repeat bar lines in both parts.
There is a fermata on the final bar line in the basso part only.
Rondeaux Allegro (basso) Rondeau (vda)
Bar 30 vda I suggest the final note of this bar should be a unison d’’/d’’
Bar 31 vda in the manuscript there is a double stop on beat three. the lower tone is a d’ eighth note.
Bar 54 In the manuscript both parts have fermatas on the final bar line. The repeat is original, but I suggest omitting it, given the Petite Reprise in the final rondo tune.
Minuetto
In the manuscript the final bar line has fermatas on it in both parts.
Gigha, Presto
Vda part: This is one of very few movements in HS 4806 where I feel confident I can read where the slurs are meant to be.
Moreover, and usually, the slurs extend to the basso part, which for me confirms my suspicion that the continuo is intended to be a bowed bass.
Basso slurs are missing in the edition in bars 11, 12 13, bar 22, beat 1, bar 25 , where the articulation is 1 + 2, 2 +1, bar 29 bar 34, beat 2.
Bar 56 vda has no slurs.
In the manuscript the final bar line has fermatas on it in both parts.