Divertimenti Nos. 2, 3 and 4 by Vicente Martín y Soler
Classical composer Vicente Martín y Soler (1754–1806), sometimes called “The Spanish Mozart,” was born in Valencia, Spain but spent much of his musical life in Vienna. A contemporary of Mozart’s, he wrote a 1786 opera entitled Una Cosa Rara. While the opera has fallen into obscurity, it was immensely popular at the time of its premiere, garnering seventy-eight performances and the favor of Emperor Joseph II during its initial run at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The music became so recognizable that Mozart even quoted it in the final scene of Don Giovanni. As was customary with many popular operas in 1780s Vienna, music from Una Cosa Rara was transcribed for harmonie ensemble (pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons) by Johann Nepomuk Wendt. In 1795, nearly ten years later, Martín y Soler himself composed a set of six divertimenti based on themes from Una Cosa Rara. Four of the divertimenti are for winds alone, while the other two utilize strings. While it is unknown exactly why Martín y Soler composed these divertimenti, two characteristics distinguish them from Wendt’s transcription: the use of basset horns instead of B-flat clarinets, and the use of some original musical material (not from the opera), mostly in fourth movements.
Until recently, only one of these divertimenti (No. 6) was published and commercially available. The other five existed only as manuscript parts in the British Library. These editions of Divertimenti Nos. 2, 3, and 4 were published by Boosey and Hawkes in their Windependence series in 2020. It is the hope of the editor that the availability of these editions will allow more people to become familiar with this composer and his music.
The tables below outline each movement of the Divertimenti, along with their corresponding numbers in the opera Una Cosa Rara.
Divertimenti No. 2 | Style indicators | Original opera aria |
|---|---|---|
Movement 1 | Andantino--Allegretto | "Colla flemma che tu verdi" |
Movement 2 | Largo--Allegretto | “Per pietà non vi sdegnate” |
Movement 3 | Andante sostenuto | "Pace, caro mio sposo" |
Movement 4 | Cotillon | Original material |
Divertimento No. 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
Movement 1 | Larghetto--Allegro Moderato | “Ah, perché formar non lice” |
Movement 2 | Andante sostenuto | "Dolce mi parve un di" |
Movement 3 | Allegro | “Purché tu m’ami” |
Movement 4 | Allegro molto | Original material |
Divertimento No. 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
Movement 1 | Allegro--Larghetto--Allegro | “Perché mai nel sen” |
Movement 2 | Andante poco mosso--Allegro | “Calma l’affanno,” “Suoni pur di grati evviva” |
Movement 3 | Allegretto | Sinfonia, “Compatite o gran Regina” |
Movement 4 | Allegretto | “Viva, viva la Regina” |
--notes by the editor, Patricia Cornett
Stream and Download
Divertimenti Nos. 2, 3 and 4 by Vicente Martín y Soler is available for streaming and download on all major platforms.
Performers
Patricia Cornett, conductor
Divertimento No. 2
Recorded November 2023
Oboe 1: Eleanor Rasmussen
Oboe 2: Sarah Walsh
Basset Horn 1: Wendy Bickford
Basset Horn 2: Sihan Chen
Horn 1: Jonathan Bywater
Horn 2: Aidan Lewis
Bassoon 1: Rick Barrantes Agüero
Bassoon 2: Adam Kraynak
String bass: Daniel Virgen
Divertimento No. 3
Recorded February 2022
Oboe 1: Kenneth Bader
Oboe 2: Amanda Rearden
Basset Horn 1: Sarah Eom
Basset Horn 2: Anthony Bithell
Horn 1: Olivia Martinez
Horn 2: Jordan Spivack
Bassoon 1: Tracy Nguyen
Bassoon 2: Collin Odom
String bass: Jonathan Haikes
Divertimento No. 4
Recorded November 2022
Oboe 1: Kenneth Bader
Oboe 2: Eleanor Rasmussen
Basset Horn 1: Wendy Bickford
Basset Horn 2: Anthony Bithell
Horn 1: Olivia Martinez
Horn 2: Jordan Spivack
Bassoon 1: Rick Barrantes Agüero
Bassoon 2: Adam Kraynak
String bass: Ashleigh Budlong
Recorded at Temple Performing Arts Center.
Robert Stroker and David Pasbrig, producers
David Pasbrig, recording, mixing and mastering engineer
Tom Pulcinella, assistant engineer