Field: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 And 4

Description

John Field (1782 - 1837)Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 John Field was born in Dublin in 1782, the son of a theatreviolinist. He was first taught by his father and then from the age of nine bythe Neapolitan composer and impresario Tommaso Giordani, who had settled in Dublinin 1783. Giordani was a prolific composer and it seems that his early teachinghad some effect on Field's later attempts at composition. Field himself madehis debut as a pianist in Dublin on 24th March 1792 at the Rotunda AssemblyRooms in a Lenten concert organized by Giordani. He was advertised with pardonableunderstatement as eight years old and played in later Spiritual Concertsin the season, including in one progran1Jne a concerto by his teacher. In 1793 the Fields moved to Bath, hoping, perhaps, to usetheir connection with the famous castrato and composer Venanzio Rauzzini, whohad settled there, but by the autumn of the same year they had moved again,this time to London. Here Field's father played as a violinist in the HaymarketTheatre orchestra and found the substantial sum of a hundred guineas to buy hisson John an apprenticeship with Muzio Clementi. In 1794 John Field appeared in London,at the age of twelve, as the talented ten-year-old pupil of Clementi. Haydn, ina diary entry of 1795, records his impression of "Field a young boy, whichplays the pianoforte Extremely well" and on 25th May that year Fieldplayed a concerto in a benefit concert that included a Haydn "Overture".Clementi himself combined musical and commercial interests and by the 1790s hadestablished himself as the leading piano teacher in London, investingsubstantially in piano manufacture and music publishing. Field's apprenticeshipbrought the advantages of a sound musical training, continued appearances in Londonconcerts and the start of a necessarily concomitant career as a composer. In1799 he played his Piano Concerto No.1 in E flat major at a charityconcert given on 2nd February. The concerto was repeated three months or solater in a benefit concert for the fourteen-year-old George Frederick Pinto.1801 saw the end of Field's seven-year apprenticeship. In 1802 Clementi set out for Paris, taking Field with him.From there they travelled on to Vienna, Clementi intent on his businessventures, but obviously having Field's interests at heart. In Vienna lessons incounterpoint were arranged with Albrechtsberger, who ten years before hadperformed the same service for Beethoven. Clementi had intended to leave Fieldto fend for himself in Vienna. His own intention was to travel to Russia topromote sales of his pianos and his interests in publishing. Field begged to beallowed to accompany him and Clementi agreed, with some reluctance, since thiswould mean a material addition to the expenses he might now incur. In Russia Clementi was able to use Field, as he had donein London, as a demonstrator in his piano sale-rooms, but there were necessaryeconomies which led to Field's later resentment, although it