| GREEN MAN PRESS - EARLY MUSIC EDITIONS | ||
| Johann Christoph Pepusch (1667-1752) | ||
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Johann Pepusch left his native Germany to settle in England and was certainly in London by 1704. He was at first employed as a viola player and later as harpsichordist at the Drury Lane Theatre. There he collaborated with several of the leading literary figures of the day in the production of a series of masques. Among these was Venus and Adonis, whose success did much to establish his reputation in the London musical world. Like William Croft, Pepusch was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music at Oxford in 1713. He served for about 20 years as musical director to the Duke of Chandos at Cannons, and wrote a considerable amount of church music for the chapel there. Handel was also at Cannons during Pepusch's period as director, but his position there was as resident composer. Around 1726 the Academy of Ancient Music was established, and Pepusch was among the 13 founder-members. Later in 1735, he became its director and under him a series of subscription concerts was given, which featured a number of distinguished musicians, including Handel and Geminiani. Pepusch's name is strongly associated with the Beggar's Opera, to which he contributed the overture and the song-settings. This piece was such a popular success that it has perhaps overshadowed Pepusch's other achievements, which include a considerable number of instrumental works, as well as the church music and stage works referred to. |
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| Pep 1 | Five Cantatas with Recorder for soprano/tenor, recorder, and continuo His twelve English Cantatas were published in two volumes in London in the period 1710-20. The first volume, entitled SIX/ ENGLISH/ Cantatas/ Humbly Inscrib'd/ To the most Noble the/ Marchioness of KENT contains the first work of the present edition, Corydon. The pieces in the first volume are set with various obbligato instruments, or in one case continuo only. The second volume is entitled Six/ English Cantatas/ for one voice/ Four for a FLUTE/ and two with a TRUMPET/ and other instruments, and it is from this volume that the other four cantatas of the present edition are taken. The pieces from the second volume are not given titles, but the authors of the texts are given, and include some of the well-known poets of the day. These five are elegant and entertaining pieces; the characters Corydon, Menalcas , Thyrsis, from Virgil's Arcadia are joined by nymphs and shepherds from the English madrigal tradition. While all the cantatas can be sung by a soprano, No 2, Love frowns in beauteous Myra's eyes, and No 4, When Love's soft passion would also be appropriate for a tenor, because of the 'persona' of the singer. |
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| Pep 2 | Aria: Oh I feel the friendly blow
for soprano, recorder, strings and continuo Johann Pepusch collaborated with several of the leading literary figures of the day in the production of a series of masques. Among these was Venus and Adonis, whose success did much to establish his reputation in the London musical world, and another was The Death of Dido, which was performed at Drury Lane Theatre in 1716, and from which the present recitative and aria is taken. This short aria from
The Death of Dido is a small masterpiece which deserves an honourable
place among the laments inspired by the tragedy of Dido's love for Aeneas.
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