Graun Johann Gottlieb & Carl Heinrich Oboe Concertos Xenia Löffler oboe & oboe d’amore Batzdorfer Hofkapelle Daniel Deuter, Wolfgang von Kessinger violin Caroline Kersten viola Bernhard Hentrich violoncello Sven Rössel double bass Eva-Maria Horn bassoon Stephan Rath archlute Stefan Maass baroque lute Tobias Schade harpsichord ENGLISH Johann Christoph Friedrich FÖRSTER J. G. or C. H. GRAUN (?) Graun: a seal of approval (1693-1745) (attr. GRAUN) Concerto à 5 for oboe, Concerto à 5 for oboe, strings & b. c. in G minor (Cv:XIII:144) strings & b. c. in C minor (D:XIII:165) 14 Allegro 3:50 The extensive Graun catalogue of works compiled famous Capellmeister Mr Graun, but in fact by his 1 Allegro ma non Presto 4:41 15 Andante 3:52 in 2006 by Christoph Henzel must be the only brother, the concertmaster”. 2 Siciliano poco vivace 5:26 16 Allegro moderato 3:17 catalogue of its kind to be devoted simultaneously 3 Allegro 3:43 to two composers, listing the compositions of the What is more, unlike the compositions of the brothers Johann Gottlieb (1701/2-1771) und Carl various sons of Johann Sebastian Bach with their J. G. or C. H. GRAUN Heinrich Graun (1703/4-1759). This apparently wide range of individual styles, the two Grauns Johann Baptist Georg NERUDA Trio sonata for 2 violins & b. c. unorthodox approach was undertaken for purely can barely be distinguished from one another on (c 1711-1776) (attr. GRAUN) in B minor (C:XV:92) practical reasons. The overriding problem is that a stylistic basis. This could have a lot to do with Sinfonia Friderico for 2 violins, 17 Adagio 4:56 very few autograph scores of either brother have their very similar biography: Johann Gottlieb be- viola & b. c. in G major (D:XII:108) 18 [Alla breve] 3:18 survived: only one Italian cantata and three instru- came a member of the small court orchestra of the 4 Allegro 2:50 19 Allegro 3:31 mental works by Johann Gottlieb have been pre- Prussian crown prince Friedrich in Ruppin in 1732, 5 Andante 2:30 served and one opera, one Italian cantata and two followed in 1735 by his brother Carl Heinrich. On 6 Presto 1:31 J. G. or C. H. GRAUN (attr.) instrumental works by his brother Carl Heinrich. All Friedrich’s accession to the throne in 1740, Johann Concerto à 4 for oboe d’amore, other surviving works now only exist as contempo- Gottlieb was appointed as concertmaster and Carl Johann Gottlieb GRAUN (1701/02-1771) 2 violins & b. c. in A major (D:XIII:179) rary copies of scores or sets of parts made within Heinrich became court capellmeister of the royal or Carl Heinrich GRAUN (1703/04-1759) (?) 20 Allegro 2:45 closer or more extended circles of the two brothers. court orchestra. Both brothers retained these posi- Concerto à 5 for oboe, 21 Largo 3:35 As these copies are usually only contain the mark- tions for the remainder of their lives. The only clue strings & b. c. in F major (Cv:XIII:128) 22 Allegro 2:29 ing “del Sign. Graun” or simply “Graun“(alongside to any differences is the division of tasks within the 7 Allegro 4:03 a wide variety of orthographic variants and mala- court orchestra, suggesting that the proportion of 8 Largo 3:23 propisms), the definitive attribution of these works instrumental music composed by Johann Gottlieb to one of the two brothers and also the distinction in his role as concertmaster was more extensive 9 Presto 2:31 Total Time: 71:32 between authentic compositions and falsely attrib- than that of his brother whose chief responsibil- uted works is certainly not an easy task. Even back ity lay with the direction of the Berlin opera and J. G. or C. H. GRAUN (?) in 1750, the Dresden concertmaster Johann Georg the composition of new operas and vocal works. Quartet for 2 violins, viola, violoncello Pisendel was already complaining about problems Johann Gottlieb’s duties as concertmaster also en- & b. c. in C minor (Cv:XIV:19) in correctly attributing works to each of the Grauns tailed the direction of the court concerts in Ber- 10 Adagio 1:56 in a letter to Georg Philipp Telemann: “There is a lin. Although almost nothing is known about the 11 Allegro 2:20 certain degree of confusion surrounding the two repertoire performed at these concerts, it can be 12 Adagio 1:25 Messers Graun: the most attractive and fervent assumed that compositions by Johann Gottlieb 13 Allegro 3:27 symphonies blended with “doucer” are not by the played a prominent role in the programmes along- 5 ENGLISH ENGLISH side works by other members of the court orchestra “with the reservation of not sufficiently authen- vived in the collection of the Fürst zu Bentheim- the composer name “Graun” or “Graue” (presum- of which incidentally his brother Carl Heinrich was ticated origin” (marked with “Av” or “Bv”), works Tecklenburgische Musikbibliothek Rheda (now part ably due to a misreading); the concerto has only also a member. “without definite evidence of attribution” to one of the University and State Library in Münster, survived in Swedish sources which justifies its in- of the brothers (marked with “C”), compositions Ms.312) and the Concerto in G minor Cv:XIII:144 in clusion within this work group despite its undeni- The copyists particularly within closer circles would “with the reservation of not sufficiently authenti- the Saxon State Library Dresden (Mus. 2427-O-46). able charms. have frequently assumed that it was clear which of cated origin” from Johann Gottlieb or Carl Heinrich Both copies were presumably made around 1750 the two brothers had composed a particular work but which could also have been written by other and constitute the only sources for these works, Two other compositions included on this recording and therefore dispensed with a more exact identifi- composers (marked with “Cv”) and finally works of making a definitive attribution problematic. have also been listed by Henzel under the heading cation. If copies of these copies were subsequently dubious authenticity which are highly unlikely to of dubious authenticity: firstly, the Sinfonia in G prepared, for example for sending to friendly have been composed by one of the two brothers Although the set of parts in Pisendel’s handwrit- major D:XII:108 which bears the marking “del Sign courts and colleagues, it would no longer be pos- (marked with “D”). ing identifies the Quartet in C minor Cv:XIV:19 as Graun” in Pisendel’s copy of the score (Saxon State sible to determine which of the two Grauns was a “Trio”, it is in fact scored for quartet with two Library Dresden Mus. 2953-F-24). This is however the true author. Ironically, the brother who would The catalogue numbers of the works on this record- violins, viola and basso continuo. The copy (Mus. contradicted by other sources, for example in the have composed a greater volume of instrumental ing therefore tell us that only the Trio in B minor 2474-Q-28) also includes a supplementary part for Supplement I to the Breitkopf catalogue dating music because of his position as concertmaster was C:XV:92 has a secure attribution of authorship, al- bassoon in which we find interesting markings such from 1766, which identifies Johann Baptist Georg barely known beyond the confines of Berlin. It can though which of the two brothers was the actual as “tutti” and “violoncelli soli”, suggesting that Neruda (ca. 1711- 1776) as the composer. Neruda therefore be surmised that beyond the immediate composer still remains unknown. This Trio is in a the work must have been performed with several had been a member of the Dresden court orchestra vicinity of Berlin, hardly anyone was aware that special category of its own, as the otherwise re- instruments to each part, at least in the Dresden since 1750 and advanced in rank over the years from there were in fact two composers called Graun and liable copyists within closer circles contradict one court orchestra, a custom also confirmed in the the fourteenth to the fifth violinist. It is no longer that not all works had been created by the much another in their attribution to either Johann Got- case of trio sonatas by George Frideric Handel in possible to reconstruct how the mistake of author- more famous of the two, the court capellmeister tlieb or Carl Heinrich or sometimes only identify relevant sets of parts in Dresden. As the copy of ship arose (if indeed it was a mistake). At any rate, Carl Heinrich. This situation has prevailed up to the the composer as “Graun” (e.g. Pisendel’s copy of the Quartet in C minor housed in the Saxon State Henzel describes Pisendel as one of the most reli- present day with numerous modern editions being the work utilised for the recording which is housed Library in Dresden also remains the sole source for able sources regarding the authenticity of works by regularly attributed to the composer Carl Heinrich in the Saxon State Library in Dresden under Mus. this work, the composition is listed by Henzel un- the Graun brothers in his foreword to the catalogue. when originating from these sources. 2474-Q-24). This Trio is incidentally one of the der the category with the reservation of not suf- In comparison, the circumstances of the Concerto most frequently copied works by the two Graun ficiently authenticated origin. in C minor D:XIII:165 are relatively straightforward. The somewhat complicated situation surrounding brothers with three different transcripts alone pre- At an early stage, Johann Christoph Friedrich Förster the sources is also reflected in the system utilised served in Dresden.