Balletto
Georg Simon Löhlein (arranged by Haas)
Timeline
Georg Simon Löhlein (1725-1781)
- Born in Neustadt bei Coburg, Germany (pictured above). He studied music with his father and the town organist. In 1742 he was recruited as a Prussian soldier in the Tall Guys as he was about 1.9 meters tall!
- 1758 studied at the University of Jena and took over the management of the Collegium Musicum’.
- From 1763 he worked in Leipzig as a pianist and as an orchestral player
- 1781 Became Kapellmeister in Gdansk, Poland
Style
Löhlein’s music is typical of the early CLASSICAL age. He was probably one of the first composers to write for an exciting new instrument -the piano. The original name for the piano was fortepiano or pianoforte because it could play loud or soft depending on how firmly you played the keys. It’s forerunner – the harpsichord – could not do that:
Löhlein’s most important work was his Clavier School. Clavier is the German name for keyboard. It was first printed in 1765 but by 1782 over 7,000 copies had been sold and after his death further publications and translations were made.
Löhlein’s compositions include several piano concertos, sonatas and vocal works.
Interpretation
- The articulation should be kept light here with crisp staccato notes. With the slurred notes place more weight on the first of each pair and treat the second note as another staccato note. You can apply the same idea in bar three.
- Make sure the left hand crotchets do not carry on into the rests and keep them detached bar 3:
- Remember this is for the newly invented piano which could play loudly and softly. So make sure the changes in dynamics are a real contrast:
- At the end you could slow up a little with a gentle ritardando to round it off, and place the final bass note carefully:
