Darmstadt-based Baroque composer Christoph Graupner was a lot like Georg Philipp Telemann, who was his close friend; both were born in 1683, both published their own works, and both were enormously productive. In Graupner's case that adds up to over 1,400 church cantatas -- close to Telemann, who wrote 1,800 -- more than 100 symphonies (i.e., overture-suites; Telemann claimed over 600, but only about 135 survive) not to mention numerous concertos and chamber sonatas. While Graupner did not approach Telemann's mammoth totals in these areas, he did outstrip him in terms of four-voice canons; a manuscript exists containing 5,625 of them composed by Graupner for a planned theoretical treatise that he did not finish; can we say "Le gasp?" However -- as was once the case of Telemann -- such extraordinary familiarity can lead to contempt, and while we are beginning to know a great deal of Telemann's once neglected sacred and orchestral music, Graupner remains largely a cipher, known for his concertos for the flute, trumpet, and other, odder instruments that otherwise don't have a lot of Baroque concertos to their name.
Enter Canadian harpsichordist
Geneviève Soly, who has an unprecedented enthusiasm for all things Graupner and who is waging a one-woman campaign to make us listen. Analekta's Geneviève Soly Graupner: Partitas for Harpsichord, Vol. 7, is actually her ninth disc of Graupner for the label; her industriousness has extended to some of Graupner's concertos and other instrumental music, as well. If this disc is any indication of what the series as a whole is concerned,
Soly is on the right track, as these partitas are beautiful, challenging, and quite different from either Telemann or Graupner's other well-known and equally prolific friend Johann Sebastian Bach. The writing -- particularly in the preludes -- is sturdy, strongly individual, and memorable, and colored here and there with the occasionally, bitter "French" passing tones. The courantes are also striking, and once one begins to develop a fondness for one of these partitas over its brethren one of the others comes along and hits you real hard, and you say, "Gee, that's also a real good one." These come from a set Graupner published in 1722 -- the same year J.S. Bach composed his so-called French Suites -- under the amusing title of Monatliche Clavir Früchte (Monthly Clavier Fruit Basket). Here we are treated to the months April through July, and
Soly takes Graupner's suggestion that not all of the short movements making up these partitas need be played, which helps keep the program moving swiftly and free of material more obligatory than fulfilling.
The overall effect is indeed similar to Bach's French Suites except that this set isn't quite as decorative and difficult as Bach's work, though most of the harder figurations in the French Suites were later refinements; this music more strongly resembles the simpler versions of the French Suites found in the first Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. As the Graupner Fruit Basket appeared the very same year Bach noted down the French Suites for the first time, one wonders if there is some kind of direct connection between the two.
Soly plays a 1998 Hubbard and Broekman instrument, and it has a loud, Ruckers-like sound, though without the clatter and jangle of a Ruckers. Analekta's recording is a tiny bit over-reverberant, but not distractingly so, capturing the full body of the instrument. If one is already well-disposed to Bach's French Suites, then this is something you won't want to miss.