1. Historical Background and Details of First Performance

Telemann’s viola concerto in G major is possibly the earliest (surviving) concerto for solo viola. The

New Groves Dictionary of Music dates its origin between the years 1716 and 1721, as does Wolfgang

Hirschmann: “Owing to the date of the source, we can state with certainty that Telemann wrote this

concerto before 1728. Stylistic evidence supports the assumption that even if the work does not belong

to the earliest stratum of his concerto output, as represented by the compositions of his Eisenach period

(1708-12), it probably originated during his years in Frankfurt (1712-21), perhaps more precisely

between 1716 and 1721.” (2002).

Maurice W. Riley (1980) states that the concerto was first published in 1731, also mentioning in a foot

note that it was then out of print for more than two centuries.

There is no information on the first performance.

2. Edition

I had access only to the following edition:

Bärenreiter Urtext (BA 5878a): TELEMANN, Georg Philipp (2002) Concerto in G major for Viola,

Strings and Basso continuo TWV 51: G 9 (Piano Reduction)

Edited and preface by HIRSCHMANN, Wolfgang

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(London : Bärenreiter)

The edition notes the orchestration of the original piece, which is a four-part string orchestra (Violin I,

II, Viola, Basso continuo). Normally a harpsichord is used for the continuo part alongside a bass

stringed instrument.

The editorial note refers to the orchestral score by Bärenreiter (BA 5878):

“This publication is based on Wolfgang Hirschmann’s Urtext edition of the Telemann Viola Concerto,

TWV 51: G 9 (BA 5878). In the present arrangement for viola and piano, the viola part remains

unchanged and is thus identical with the version in the score. Editorial additions are indicated in this part

as follows: Slurs by broken lines; dynamic signs, trills and fermatas by smaller print.

Information on the origin of the work and its source, as well as other details concerning the editorial

principles are furnished in the Editorial Notes in the score (BA 5878).”

3. Authentic instrument

“A fifth sort is the Alto Fiddle (called by the Italians ‘Viola du Braccio’, or ‘Viola’), commonly known

as the Bratsche (from Braccio, arm). It takes the place of alto as well as tenor, and if necessary the bass

to an upper part, for which otherwise a Sixth kind would be needed; namely, the Bassoon Fiddle, which

differs slightly in size and stringing from the Viola. Some call it the Hand Bass-Viol, which is, however

somewhat larger than the Bassoon Fiddle.”

(Leopold Mozart: A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing; Ch. I §2)

Although violas were already established as one of the principal members of the violin family in the 16 th

century, one cannot talk about a viola of those times without mentioning its size and register. The tuning

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of different instruments was the same (c-g-d’-a’), but the size of the body and other differences defined

the appropriate register of the instrument. Mostly alto and tenor violas were used: in the 16 th and 17th

centuries string ensembles often used two or even three viola parts. According to this, a large number of

violas were produced in this period (by makers such as the Amati family, Gasparo da Saló and

Maggini), therefore in the first part of the 18 th century only a few violas were made. The other reason for

that is the decreased amount of the violas they needed due to the fact of changing the usual orchestral

distribution to two violin parts and only one viola part. (The viola was seldom treated as a solo

instrument before 1740.) To display the huge variety of sizes: there is data of tenor violas with a body

length of 47 or even 48 cm but they used alto violas that were similar in size to the modern instrument.

In general, the basic differences between the modern instrument and the instrument used in the early 18 th

century are the length of the fingerboard, and the material of the strings, which were made of gut

(probably a wound C string was used in the 18th century). There was no chin-rest. In any other aspects,

every instrument had its own “individuality” since the makers kept experimenting to improve the viola

even in the 19th century. The other reason for these mentionable differences are told by Leopold Mozart:

“It is most regrettable that our present-day instrument-makers take so little trouble with the finish of

their work. Yea, and what is more, each works away according to his own notions and fancy, without

justification for either one or the other.”

A 16th and a 20th century viola:

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‘Experimentation’ is the right word to describe bow-making at the period, the same as viola-making. In

the baroque era pernambuco wood was not yet the standard material for making bows, luthiers used

various kinds of wood. The birth of Telemann’s viola concerto was the very beginning of the history of

the ‘solo viola’, and so it was most probably still performed with the standard baroque bow. The

development of the bows only gained momentum by the middle of the century, eventually leading to the

birth of the modern “Tourte” bow around 1785. The basic shape of the baroque bow is shown below

(first example on the picture):

The way from the baroque bow to the modern one:

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4. Pitch and Temperament

In the 18th century there was a definitely lower pitch used for string instruments, meanwhile the organs

often had a pitch even higher than the modern 440 Hz a’. In general they used different pitches in every

single church, and the known pitches related to a city (Paris, London or Vienna for instance) were based

on the one of the local cathedral’s organ, or some other big musical central of the location. In 1859 the

standard pitch of 435 Hz was fixed by the Paris Academy, and confirmed at a conference in Vienna in

1885 as the ‘international pitch’. (The pitch of 440 Hz used nowadays was adopted in London, 1939.)

The standard ‘baroque pitch’ that is used today for performing period music is 415 Hz which sounds a

semitone lower than the modern 440 Hz a’, and although this pitch seems to be the nearest equivalent to

that used in Germany at the start of the 18th century, it is nevertheless only one possibility amongst

many. According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music some German organs between 1495 and 1716

were tuned to 487 Hz, while others between 1693 and 1762 had an a’ of 412 Hz: that shows about a

whole tone difference. The ‘chamber pitch’ most commonly used for stringed instruments was often a

tone (or even more) lower than the organ pitch.

The pitches used before 1859 are listed in the ‘Ancient European Musical Instruments’ by N.

Bessaraboff (1941).

As the orchestration of the concerto only involves strings and a harpsichord, probably natural

temperament was used.

5. Tempo5

Before the metronome was invented (1812, Diederich Nikolaus Winkel; 1815, Johann Nepomuk

Maelzel) only the – mostly Italian – technical names of tempo defined the speed of music. These

expressions can tell the speed or character approximately, but never exactly. Leopold Mozart tells about

the same problem in his Treatise (Chapter I, §7): “It is true that at the beginning of every piece special

words are written which are designed to characterize it, such as ‘Allegro’ (merry), ‘Adagio’ (slow), and

so on. But both slow and quick have their degrees, and even if the composer endeavours to explain more

clearly the speed required by using yet more adjectives and other words, it still remains impossible for

him to describe in an exact manner the speed he desires in the performing of the piece. So one has to

deduce it from the piece itself, and this is by which the true worth of a musician can be recognized

without fail.”

The four movements of the G major concerto are the following: Largo, Allegro, Andante and Presto, for

which Wolfgang Hirschmann suggests some metronome marks (Largo: minim 69; Allegro: crotchet

104; Andante: quaver 76; Presto: minim 126). Despite this, most of the modern performances stick to a

slower version of the Largo (~50), as well as a slightly more lyrical interpretation of the Andante (~67).

In the case free ornamentation (see below) is applied in the opening movement, the tempo can be even

slower. The suggested tempo for the last movement would not be considered as ‘Presto’ today, but as

this concerto is just one of the first ‘attempts’ towards the virtuoso viola playing, it must not be judged

by modern standards.

6. Arrangement of Performers

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There is no information available regarding the arrangement of performers of this particular piece, but

considering the standard baroque practice, it is most probable that the concerto was performed without a

conductor, the solo viola and/or the principal violin or the keyboard leading the orchestra. Especially so,

as Telemann might even have composed this concerto for his own use (Hirschmann, 2002), in which

case it would seem reasonable for him to conduct while not playing and then ‘trust’ the musicians of the

orchestra to follow him.

A possible solution for the arrangement of the performers would be a standard string section (Violin I,

II, Viola, Cello) with the violins and violas standing, and the harpsichord placed between the violas and

celli. The soloist would obviously stand in the centre, in front of the orchestra.

7. Techniques of Playing

There are no treatises on the viola, but it is useful to have a look at Leopold Mozart’s advices about

playing the violin, even if it is dated slightly after Telemann’s viola concerto. In the era they did not use

a chin rest and did not hold the instrument with the jaws. According to Leopold Mozart’s Treatise one

could hold the violin in two possible ways. One way is to hold it chest-high, when the instrument is

slant, so that the bow moves vertically. The other way is to place the instrument against the neck, so it

lies on the shoulder, and the bow strokes more horizontally. In the treatise drawings display the correct

way of holding both the violin and the bow. It is very important for both hands to stay free and relaxed,

with a natural feeling, especially at the joints, e.g. the elbows. A few words about the position of the

instrument by Leopold Mozart:

“[…]the violin must be held neither too high nor too low. The medium height is the best. The scroll of

the violin is then held on the level of the mouth or, at the highest, level with the eyes; but it must not be

allowed to sink lower than the level of the chest.”

As a result of the size (and weight) of the viola, these instructions must be slightly modulated: the viola

was held a bit lower than the violin.

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Holding the violin: And the bow:

Here follow some advices from Leopold Mozart on the correct attitude of the hands:

About the right hand: “[…]it must be observed that the hand, especially the index-finger has the most to

do with the control of the tone.”; “[…]the pupil must not play first on the finger-board and then near the

bridge, or with a crooked bow, but must at all times remain on a part of the string not too far from the

bridge […]”; “[…]the bow must be placed more straight than sideways on the violin, for in this way

more strength is gained […]”

About the left hand: “[…]the fingers must not be laid lengthwise on the strings but with the joints raised,

and the top part of the fingers pressed down very strongly.”; “[…]the fingers, once placed, must be left

unmoved until the constant change of the notes necessitates their being lifted, when then must be left

hanging exactly over the note just played.”; “One must guard against stretching out one or several

fingers into the air […]”

In the discussed era there were virtually strict rules for the bowings.

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“So the first and chief rule should be: if the first crotchet of a bar does not begin with a rest, whether it

be even or uneven time, one endeavours to take the first note of each bar with a down stroke, and this

even if two down strokes should follow each other.” (Leopold Mozart, Ch. IV §3)

In the baroque era consecutive quavers (or any notes of the same length) were seldom played evenly.

One reason for this is the (physically) different weighting of the down bows and up bows, another was

just a matter of style. This also defined the bowing directions, as the ‘physical’ weight of the down bows

had to match the ‘musical’ weights of the bars and phrases.

The quality of tone had the following requirements:

“Every tone, even the strongest attack, has a small, even barely audible, softness at the beginning of the

stroke; for it would be no tone but only an unpleasant and unintelligible noise. This same softness must

be heard also at the end of the stroke.” (Leopold Mozart, Ch, V §3)

The fingerings of enharmonic notes were supposed to be played in different ways, up to the fingering of

the original (altered) note (e.g. in first position on the D string: F sharp - 2nd finger, G flat - 3rd finger).

Evidentially if necessary, other positions than the first position were used:

“Three reasons there be which justify the use of the positions. Necessity, convenience, and elegance.

Necessity manifests itself when several lines are drawn over the usual five lines. Convenience requires

the use of the positions in certain passages where the notes are set so far apart that they cannot be played

otherwise without difficulty. And finally the positions are used for the sake of elegance when notes

which are Cantabile occur closely together and can be played easily on one string. Not only is equality

of tone obtained thereby, but also a more consistent and singing style of delivery.” (Leopold Mozart, Ch.

VIII §2)

Vibrato (‘tremolo’) was seldom used, and the following instructions were given on how to use it:

“Now, because the tremolo is not purely on one note but sounds undulating, so would it be an error if

every note were played with the tremolo. Performers there are who tremble consistently on each note as

if they had the palsy. The tremolo must only be used at places where nature herself would produce it;

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namely as if the note taken were striking of an open string, for at the close of a piece, or even t the end

of a passage which closes with a long note, that last note would inevitably, if struck for instance on a

pianoforte, continue to hum for a considerable time afterwards. Therefore a closing note or any other

sustained note may be decorated with a tremolo [tremoleto].” (Ch. XI §3)

8. Dynamics and Articulation

There are no dynamic markings in the viola part.

There are slurs added by the editor, marked by broken lines. They all seem very reasonable, following

the main pattern of the markings by Telemann. These slurs occur in the following bars: I – bars 10, 38,

39, 43 and 44; II – bars 17 and 31; III – bar 17.

Broken lines in the first movement:

9. Performance of Written Ornaments

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As for the written ornaments, only trills are notated, and only in the slow movements (I: bars 18, 29, 43

and 47; III: bars 9, 11, 15, 25 and 26). The standard baroque trill starts on the upper note, on the beat.

Victor Rangel-Ribeiro suggests some different ways of the execution of this ornament in his ‘Practical

Guide’ (1982):

“In most cases the trill goes straight on through the full value of the note, but J. S. Bach […] prefers to

cut the trill short, steady himself on the main note for a second, and then get on with other business at

hand […]. Another way to end a trill is to add […] a suffix – two small notes tacked on to the end. […]

A trill without a suffix is best played in a descending series of notes. […] The ascending trill is used

mainly over long notes, especially […] at cadences and before fermatas.”

10. Improvisation / Cadenza

The Bärenreiter edition’s notes on performance practice:

“Of the two fermata passages in the concerto’s slow movements (Largo, m. 45; Andante, m. 25),

probably only the one in the first movement can be interpreted as a cadenza. A short solo cadenza at this

point is advisable but by no means obligatory. Both passages are thoroughly effective when the rubato

elongation indicated by the fermatas is played with no further embellishment.” (Wolfgang Hirschmann,

2002)

Despite being a relatively early work, the concerto shows Italian influences in style and form (all four

movements are related to the Vivaldian ritornello form). Considering this it seems appropriate to apply

the free ornamentation used mainly in the Italian ‘galant’ style. For the most accurate interpretation of

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this Victor Rangel-Ribeiro advises to turn to Telemann’s very own guide, the Methodical Sonatas: “[…]

in these works Telemann himself provides us, in great detail, with carefully worked out embellishments

for the slow opening movements of each sonata.” (1982)

Free ornamentation is a rather complex system, and here I will only present a few general examples

(from Quantz’s book On Playing the Flute, 1966):

Variations on the same pitch:

Variations on an ascending scale:

Variations on a major third an a descending second:

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And finally an example from Telemann’s Sonata No. 1 in G minor:

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The first line is the original notation, the second the suggested ornamentation and the third is the figured

bass, which is written out for keyboard in the two bottom lines.

Bibliography:

APEL, Willi (1970) Harvard Dictionary of Music’Pitch’ on page 678 (London : Heinemann Educational Books Ltd.)

BROWN, Howard Mayer and SADIE, Stanley (1989) The New Grove Handbook In Music, Performance Practice, Music After 1600Chapter XIX ‘Strings’ by STOWELL, Robin(London : Macmillan Press)

BURKHOLDER, J. Peter; GROUT, J. Donald; PALISCA, Claude V. (2006) A History of Western Music (London : W.W.Norton &Company)

MOZART, Leopold (1985) A Treatise on the Fundamental Priniples of Violin Playing(Oxford : Oxford University Press)

NELSON, Sheila (1972) The Violin and Viola(London : Benn)

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RANDEL, Don Michael (1986) The Harvard Dictionary of Music(London : The Belknap Press of Harvard university Press)

RANGEL-RIBEIRO, Victor (1982) Baroque Music – A Practical Guide for the Performer(London : Collier Macmillan Publishers)

RILEY, Maurice W. (1980) The History of The Viola(Michigan, U.S.A. : Braun-Brumfield, Ann Arbor)

SADIE, Stanley (2001) The New Groves Dictionary of Music And Musicians Vol. 25 ’Telemann, Georg Philipp’ on page 199-225 (London : Macmillan Publishers Limited)

SADIE, Stanley (2001) The New Groves Dictionary of Music And Musicians Vol. 25’Viola’ on page 753-759 (London : Macmillan Publishers Limited)

TELEMANN, Georg Philipp (2002) Concerto in G major for Viola, Strings and Basso continuo TWV 51: G 9 (Piano Reduction)Edited and preface by HIRSCHMANN, Wolfgang(London : Bärenreiter)

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