Presents
Jan Baptysta Kleczyński
String Trio No.4 in E flat Major, Op.4 No.4--New Edition
Jan Baptysta Kleczyński's Six String Trios appeared in two sets, or books as they were then called. Both sets were published simultaneously in 1797 by the firm of Jean Andre in Offenbach Germany and Leopold Kozeluch's Musikalische Magazin in Vienna. By this time, Kleczyński had permanently settled in Vienna and was working as an orchestral violinist and theater director. The trios were dedicated to Johann Ferdinand de Kuffstein (1752-1818), a court consellor and music director to Franz I. He was alsod a talented violinist and composer. The trios were written in the Viennese classical style of the period, but what sets them apart from other contemporary works, with the exception of Mozart's, is the part-writing. The lower voices are very generously treated. The style is a blend of the older concertante fused to the new integrated approach pioneered by Haydn and Mozart. Trio No.4 was the first of the six to be written in a flat key. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, is upbeat with a certain elegance harking back to the roccoco period. Running passages in all of the voices holds the listener's attention. The beautiful second movement, Poco adagio, is particularly striking with its long-lined melodies taken in turn by all of the voices. The finale, Rondo, allegro, opens with a series of unisono chords. The first theme is characterized by a strong rhythm and is then followed by a more lyrical theme but interspersed with quick running passages.
Jan Baptysta Kleczyński (1756-1828) was born in the Austro-Bohemian town of Freistadt (now known as Karviná and in the Czech Republic) He was trained as a violinist and composer but with whom and where is not known, although some scholars believe it was in the Austrian part of what had been Poland, possibly in Lvov (Lviv) or Krakow. He worked as a court musician at various Hungarian courts before coming to Vienna in 1795 where he remained for the rest of his life. He served as a violinist in the Imperial Court Orchestra and the prestigious Imperial Theater Orchestra, eventually becoming its director. As one of Vienna's more prominent musicians and conductors, he would have known and been known to Haydn, Beethoven, Krommer, the Wranitzky brothers, and all of the other leading musicians then in Vienna. As the Opus 4 trios clearly show, Kleczyński was a talented composer well versed in the style of the Vienna classics.
Our new edition, complete with rehearsal numbers, is based on the 1797 Offenbach edition. This trio is deserving of performance not only because it is an historically important example of the music of Vienna from this time, but also because it is a first class work in its own right which can be recommended to amateurs and professionals alike.
Parts: $19.95
Parts & Score: $24.95
