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German oboist and violinist
Sebastian Bodinus (1700-1759) might today be almost completely forgotten if not for his Musicalischen Divertissiments — a six-part collection of ensemble sonatas that was published by the Leopold family in Ausburg and issued between 1726 and 1730.
Part V of the Musicalischen Divertissiments (1729?) contains three quartet sonatas or ‘quadri’ that are scored for transverse flute, violin, basso continuo and a third treble instrument that differs for each work: Sonata No. 1 features the horn, Sonata No. 2 a second flute, and Sonata No. 3 the viola. These very fine compositions are without doubt some of the earliest published ‘quadri’ — they may even anticipate Telemann’s famous Quadri (1730) for flute, violin, viola da gamba / cello and continuo. They are also Sonaten auf Concertenart, that is to say they incorporate features of the concerto genre, including the fast-slow-fast movement scheme, ritornello form in the first movement, and ‘solo’ episodes. Owing to the scarcity of existing copies of these works, they are almost completely unknown today; it is hoped that this first modern edition will lead to them receiving the recognition they deserve.
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Music example Sonata 1 (pdf)