Soler, A.: Sonatas For Harpsichord, Vol. 6

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Cat No: 8554565

Release Date: 02 January 2000

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 636943456521

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: SOLER, A.

Description
Antonio Soler(1729-1783)Sonatas forHarpsichord Vol. 6Owing mainly to thetireless efforts of the late Father Samuel Rubio and other editors in makingmany of his works available in print during the past forty years, Antonio Soleris now justly regarded as the most important composer active in Spain duringthe second half of the eighteenth century. He was born at Olot, in the provinceof Gerona in north-eastern Spain in 1729 and baptised on 3rd December. At theage of six he entered the famous choir school at the Monastery of Montserratwhere he studied organ and composition. Before that he probably received sometuition from his father, who was a regimental bandsman. In 1744 he wasappointed organist at the cathedral in Seo de Urgel and was later ordained assubdeacon there.At that time theBishop of Urgel asked him if he knew of a boy who could play the organ and whowished to take holy orders at the Escorial. Soler volunteered himself, sayingthat he very much wanted to take the vows and retreat from the world, and so on25th September 1752 he became a monk and entered that famous monastery nearMadrid, built by Philip II. He also became master of the Chapel there, probablyin 1757 following the death of his predecessor, Gabriel de Moratilla. Soler remainedthere until his death in 1783.During the years 1752to 1757 Soler is reputed to have studied composition with Domenico Scarlattiand many of Soler's sonatas show his influence to a marked degree both in formand musical language. Despite his probable debt to Scarlatti, however, Soler'sown personality is very much in evidence in these works. Many of these sonatas,like Scarlatti's, are single movements in binary form, that is, in twosections, each of which is repeated, although Soler also composed a largenumber of multi-movement sonatas. It is quite possible that he was one of thecopyists of some of the manuscript volumes of Scarlatti's sonatas, now housedin Venice and Parma.Fortunately forposterity Soler's wish for a quiet life did not work out quite as he intended.Apart from his monastic duties he was expected to train the choir, providechoral music for services, and provide the Royal family with secular andinstrumental music during their frequent visits to the Escorial. The Spanish courtregularly spent the autumn there. Soler's achievement is also astonishing whenconsidering that much of his day would have been taken up with prayer and theroutine of the community. Periods of illness often prevented him from working.We learn from the anonymous obituary of Soler, written by a fellow monk on theday he died, that he survived on only four hours sleep most nights, oftenretiring at midnight or one o'clock in the morning before rising at four orfive o'clock to say Mass. Mention is also made of his religious devotion,compassionate nature, scholarly interests and excessive candour. Soler died atthe Escorial on 20th December, 1783, from a gradually worsening fever which hehad caught the previous month. Soler's huge outpu
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