Toeschi, Karl Joseph

Preface

Karl Joseph Toeschi
(baptized Ludwigsburg, 11. November 1731 – d. Munich, 2. April 1788)

Concerto in F major for Flute and Orchestra

Preface
Italian-born composer Carlo Giuseppi Toeschi was baptized in Ludwigsburg, Germany on 11 November 1731 and came under the tutelage of Johann Stamitz in Mannheim at the court of Elector Karl Theodore, Palatine of the Rhine. One of several composers working in this musical capital, Toeschi became concertmaster of the Mannheim court orchestra in 1759, still working under Stamitz, the composer and orchestra leader of this famed ensemble. Toeschi’s experience was not limited to the Mannheim court, however, as he performed in Paris as part of the Concert Spirituel in 1768 during a period in which the Concert Spirituel featured virtuosic wind works. Toeschi wrote nine of his flute concertos while in Paris.
Toeschi was well-known as a symphonist although some regarded his style as a bit boring and repetitive. It is in the area of chamber music that he seemed to make his mark. In 1774 he gained the post of Direcktor der Kabinettsmusik (Director of Chamber Music) in the Palatine court where the Elector often performed as a flutist. Karl Theodore’s skills were apparently not as highly developed as that of his contemporary Prussian King Frederick the Great and he was reported to be a shy and nervous performer. It is likely that it is for Karl Theodore that Toeschi’s numerous flute trios, quartets, and quintets (flute and strings) were composed. He is reported to have written approximately twenty flute concertos between 1770-1781, although only a few seem to have survived to this day.

The Concerto in F major is written more along the lines of a chamber work rather than a virtuosic work. Certainly virtuosic flute concerti were composed by this time: Michael Haydn’s D Major Concerto, a work that presents the flutist as a true soloist, was composed in the late 1760s and Mozart’s G Major Concerto was written in 1778. Toeschi’s interactions with noted flute virtuoso Johann Baptist Wendling (1723-1797) would have suggested works written for his particular skill, however the F Major Concerto does not present the flute solo as a particularly higher level of virtuosity from the orchestra as is the case with the aforementioned works or concertos to follow. Karl Theodore’s timidity is likely the motivation behind the style of writing for this work.

First Movement: Allegro moderato
The concerto is scored for violin I, II, viola, cello and two horns in addition to the flute solo. This movement is in sonata-allegro form with the expected tonal centers and a double exposition. It opens with the orchestral tutti marked pp which is unexpected for a concerto. In fact, much of the movement is marked with a soft dynamic indication; the flute entrances are not marked with a dynamic although the p marking in the strings suggests a sensitivity to the soft nature of flutes of that time. The melodies seem repetitive, however Toeschi adds subtle instances of variety, most especially in the string parts.
The flute solo is often paired in thirds with the first violin, reminiscent of quartet writing. What virtuosity is displayed in the flute part is done so only in brief moments before a return to the pairing with the violin part. The challenge for the flutist, then, is not one of serving as the show-person, but rather exploiting the relationship between the flute and the first violin. One could reflect on some of the solo violin passages in the first movement of Vivaldi’s La Primavera in terms of the duet between the solo and principal violin.

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