Wassenaer, Unico Willem van / Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista

Unico Willem van Wassanaer – Sei Concerti Armonici

(b. Delden, Provinz Overijsel, 2. November 1692 – d. Den Haag, 6. November 1766)

(formerly misattributed to Ricciotti and Pergolesi)

Concerto in G Major: Grave – Allegro – Grave – Allegro
Concerto in B-flat Major: Largo, Andante – Da capella – Adagio affettuoso – Allegro
Concerto in A Major: Grave assai – Da capella – Largo, Andante – Vivace
Concerto in G Major: Largo – Da capella – Largo affettuoso – Allegro
Concerto in f-minor: Adagio – Da capella – A tempo commodo – A tempo giusto
Concerto in E-flat Major: Affetuoso – Presto – Largo – Vivace

Preface
The ballet Pulcinella by Stravinsky is officially largely based on themes by Pergolesi. Since the writing of that neo-classical work, it has come to light that nearly all of these themes by Pergolesi are wrongly attributed. One of these wrongly attributed themes is actually from the Six Concerti Armonici by the nobleman Unico Willem van Wassenaer (1692-1766), ambassador, diplomat, and reluctant composer.

The concertos were composed between 1725 and 1740, and performed at the Hague by the Collegium musicum, which included violinist Carlo Ricciotti (1681-­1756). Ricciotti made a copy of the music, and had it engraved and published. The composer expressly wished to remain anonymous. Subsequent publications then gave Ricciotti as the composer, and then an edition “corrected” this mistake to attribute the work to Pergolesi (1710-1736). The mistake is pervasive and continues to get in the way of correctly attributed performances, although it is mostly corrected in new editions and recordings. …

Read full preface / Komplettes Vorwort lesen > HERE