Marianna Martinez: student of Haydn and playmate of Mozart.
Today, we are focusing on the music of the talented Marianna Martinez (1744-1812). She was an Austrian (of Naepolitan origin) composer, music pedagogue, harpsichordist and translator. She was one of the most important female composers from the Mozart era. Just like Mozart, she too was a child prodigy and also performed as such.
Her father was a friend of the poet Metastasio and they lived in the same house, where Joseph Haydn also lived and from whom she received music lessons. So she could rejoice in good teaching, both literary as musically.
Martinez composed piano sonatas, harpsichord concertos, songs, Masses, motets, cantatas and an oratorio on lyrics by Metastasio. In this hour, we will hear a piano sonata and a Psalm cantata by her, and a piano sonata for four hands by her playmate Mozart.
Marianna Martinez (1744-1812)
1. Sonata in A major
– Allegro
– Adagio
– Minueto
Mònica Pons, piano
(CD Compositio, Ars Harmonica AH 037)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
2. Sonata in D major K381 for four hands
– Allegro
– Andante
– Allegro molto
Bart van Oort and Ursula Dütschler, fortepiano
(CD Keyboard Works 4 hands vol. 1, Brilliant Classics 99725/7)
Marianna Martinez
3. Psalm cantata ‘Dixit Dominus’ (psalm 110)
– Dixit Dominus (choir) allegro spirituoso
– Virgam virtutis (Duet soprano–alt) andante
– Tecum principium (alt solo) tempo giusto
– Juravit Dominus (choir) adagio
– Dominus a dextris (quartet) tempo giusto
– Gloria Patri (koor) adagio
Isabel Lippitz, soprano. Susanne Bieber, alt. Béla Mavrák, tenor. Thomas de Vries, bass. Köllner Kurrende and the Clara Schumann Orchester Kölln conducted by Elke Mascha Blankenburg
(CD Marianna Martinez – Psalmkantaten. Koch Schwann 3 -1788)
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
4. An Thyrsis Hob.XXVI, no.8
Anne Cambier, soprano. Jan Vermeulen, piano
