Johann Friedrich Fasch, 1688-1758. Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. Scored for 2 oboes, solo trumpet, strings, and continuo.
Johann Friedrich Fasch is an example of that all-too-common phenomenon in music, the forgotten innovator. A contemporary of Bach (1685-1750), Fasch was a prolific Baroque composer, writing among other things over 90 suites, 16 masses, 4 operas, 61 concertos, and 19 symphonies. He was well known in his own time, but the 19th-century rediscovery of Bach's music caused Fasch to fade into obscurity. Even today, much of his output remains unpublished and known only to the most dedicated musicologists.
Fasch formed an important bridge between Bach's relatively intellectual works and the much more emotional symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. He was much more willing than most to experiment with different combinations of instruments, and was especially fond of the wind family, as shown in the present concerto, where he accents the relatively muted tones of the strings with a pair of oboes to form a typically pleasing accompaniment for the solo trumpet.
© 1998, Geoff Kuenning
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