Los Otros
Hille Perl Viola da Gamba
Patrick Sepec Violoncello
Lee Santana Theorbo, lute
Steve Player Guitar, dance
A gambist's travels
By Ilja Stephan
Ernst Christian Hesse seems to have been a clever man. According to musical legend, the gambist used a ruse to secure the best possible training on his instrument at the time. Provided with a scholarship by his prince for a stay in Paris, Hesse studied there with the leading masters in his field: Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray — even though the two gentlemen were bitter rivals. Hesse adopted the guise of “Monsieur Hesse” to one of them and “Monsieur Sachs” to the other, a duplicitous strategy that was only exposed when the two teachers’ pupils performed a joint concert, prompting Hesse’s hasty departure from Paris.
Indeed, Marais and Forqueray embodied the utmost contrast in both character and style. One contemporary observer even described them as “angel” and “devil”. Marais was the epitome of French style, perceiving himself as a pupil of Jean-Baptiste Lully. According to the music historian Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, Marais’s strength lay “particularly in the pleasant and flattering”. Forqueray’s strength, on the other hand, lay “in attention to the ardors and the quick and lively playing”. The harpsichordist Couperin attested to Forqueray’s “superb, difficult, aggressive art, expressing will and struggle”. Hesse, however, did not want to “restrict himself to the manner of one or the other”, according to Marpurg, so he combined the best of both worlds.
This concert’s works reflect these poles: The noble art of Marin Marais is represented above all by a suite of dance movements and two character pieces; Forqueray’s piece La Leclair, dedicated to a violin virtuoso friend, offers a glimpse of the “gravity” in his art. As a reminder of the special role of dance in French court art, the program also includes a piece by the master dancer Jacques Cordier. It is noteworthy that few of Hesse’s original compositions have survived, thus posthumous fame is largely attributed to his role as an interpreter and arranger. The viola da gamba version of Corelli’s Sonata op. 10 no. 5 is believed to have been written by Hesse, highlighting his unique ability to transfer violin virtuosity to the more intimate viola da gamba.
Despite remaining closely associated with the court of Hesse-Darmstadt for the majority of his professional life, Hesse maintained sufficient artistic autonomy to travel extensively. His journey to England, for instance, included a stop in Hamburg where he encountered Johann Mattheson and Georg Friedrich Händel. In Mantua, he had the privilege of studying with Vivaldi. From there, he traveled through Venice and Naples en route to Rome, where he performed a concert for the Emperor in Vienna. In the fall of 1719, he reunited with his long-standing friend Handel in Dresden. Despite his close friendship with Hesse, Handel’s body of work dedicated to the viola da gamba is modest in size. A notable example is his sonata HWV 364a, which was initially conceived for violin but was adapted for viola da gamba through the addition of the “per la viola da gamba” tag and the inclusion of an alto clef.
Telemann’s relationship with the viola da gamba was closer; it is even possible that he played the instrument himself. In any case, the art of playing the viol was particularly cultivated in Hamburg, where Telemann served as Director musices. The instrument maker Joachim Tielke, whose workshop was the last to produce seven-string viols, also worked in Hamburg. Therefore, it is not surprising that Telemann dedicated two lessons to viol playing in his “Getreuer Musikmeister”.
In remembrance of Leni and John Honsaker
Today’s concert is dedicated to Leni and John Honsaker. John passed away on July 26, 2024. Leni Honsaker (née Grotefend) first met John in Göttingen – and they fell in love. The couple then moved to the United States before settling in Canada, where John lived in Edmonton until his death.
They both remained closely connected to Göttingen until the end. I first met Leni in 2004 when she was visiting the Handel Festival and still living in her parents’ house on Hainholzweg. Kind-hearted and loyal, Leni remained faithful to the Festival until her death on January 23, 2017.
As a founding donor, Leni played a pivotal role in establishing the International Handel Festival Göttingen Foundation, which she and her husband cherished as if it were their own child. Thanks to people like Leni and John, the foundation is able to support concerts such as this one today.
Enjoy the concerts during the Festival and experience the special atmosphere and sense of community that Leni and John held dear.
Stefan Lipski, Chairman of the Foundation Board
