Concerto in D

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, music developed in strikingly different ways in different places. An early French chanson from the 14th century is quite unlike an Italian madrigal of the same period, even apart from the obvious language differences. Likewise, there are clear distinctions that can be made between the style of English and continental polyphony during the 1500s. But during the Baroque era of music, which was the first to enjoy the full fruits of the new printing revolution, a greater uniformity exists across very distant regions. Of course, this is not to say that regional idiosyncrasies are instantly gone; all generalizations must be consumed with a grain salt. But there is a greater shared musical “vocabulary” after about 1650, such that musicians from Amsterdam to Naples and from Paris to Prague are communicating more efficiently than ever before. This Baroque style, particularly in instrumental music and in opera, bears the strong stamp of Italy. Italy led the way in development of string writing and dramatic clarity of vocal writing. Hence, as we will see, even J. S. Bach’s concerto style—which he worked out during his years in the central German cities of Weimar and Cöthen—is rooted in Italian models that he studied in both manuscript and printed editions. It is a time in history when almost everyone in Europe, musically considered, spoke Italian.
Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729) may be better known today as a theorist than a composer, though I expect that this state of affairs will soon change. There is resurgence of interest in Heinichen’s music given his close relations with other towering figures of the Baroque. Born into a musical family, Heinichen studied law in Leipzig while he continued to compose operas and instrumental works. He had been a student of Johann Kuhnau years earlier, and after an important period traveling in northern Italy (Venice, primarily), Heinichen took a post in 1717 alongside J. S. Bach at Cöthen. There he helped introduce the wonders of Venetian string composition to Bach and others. His Concerto in D major for winds and string orchestra follows the standard fast-slow-fast arrangement.

(c) Jason Stell