| History (based on the Grove Dictionary of Music): The history of classical music, like any other art form, is hinged upon a myriad of over-amplified legends and ironic twists of fate. Georg Philip Telemann (1681-1767) is a striking example of the latter: virtually forgotten in the 19th century and rediscovered only in recent times, the composer's contemporaries were virtually unanimous in counting Telemann among the best composers of his time, comparing him favorably to composers of his own generation, namely Bach and Handel, and even writing, after his death, that "his name is his eulogy". Though showing signs of a great talent at an early age, Telemann was pushed by his family toward studying law, but even in his university career at Leipzig he gravitated toward music. After his efforts to conceal his musical gifts from the other students were confounded by a room-mate discovering a setting of Psalm VI that had somehow found its way into his luggage, Telemann's musical career went on almost without obstacle to the highest degree of excellence... Let us consider, however, the genesis of the presented work. Little is actually known about the time, place or occasion in which the "Ouverture burlesque" was written, as the work was not published in Telemann's time. However, its patina of Francophone grace is undoubtedly the result of the composer's first extended project. Telemann left Leipzig by early June 1705 to become Kapellmeister to Count Erdmann II of Promnitz at Sorau ... |
