Charles Avison
Charles Avison (baptized February 16, 1709 in Newcastle upon Tyne ; † May 9 or 10, 1770 ibid) was an English composer .
Life
Charles Avison probably took lessons in London with Francesco Geminiani and in 1735 became organist in his native city; he did not leave this post despite good offers. In addition to his main activity, he gave harpsichord , violin and flute lessons.
From July 1738, Avison organized subscription concerts in Newcastle and Durham , which were among the first of their kind in the kingdom. Here he performed his own works, but also those by Jean-Philippe Rameau . Under the title Twelve Concertos in seven parts done from two Books of Lessons for the harpsichord by Domenico Scarlatti , he published arrangements of Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonatas arranged for Concerti grossi .
Avison became best known for the publication of a treatise on musical expression under the title An Essay on Musical Expression (1752, revised version 1757, German translation 1775), in which he compared the music of George Frideric Handel, who was very popular in England, in direct comparison the music of Geminiani and the Benedetto Marcellos criticized. In 1753 he was sharply attacked for this by William Hayes (1708–1777).
Avison was one of the first to adopt the expression > ( rinforzando ) introduced by Geminiani . The English music historian Charles Burney described Avison as a respected, resourceful, and educated man, and as an elegant and artful composer.
Works
Published were:
- op. 1: 6 trio sonatas (1740)
- op. 2: 6 Concerti grossi (1751)
- op. 3: 6 Concerti grossi (1755)
- op. 4: 8 Concerti grossi (1755)
- op.5: 6 sonatas for harpsichord, 2 violins and violoncello (1756)
- op.6: 12 Concerti grossi (1758)
- op.7: 6 sonatas for harpsichord, 2 violins and violoncello (1760)
- op.8: 6 sonatas for harpsichord, 2 violins and violoncello (1764)
- op.9: 12 Concerti (1766)
- op.10: 6 Concerti grossi (1769)
- Works without op .: 12 Concerti grossi based on Francesco Geminiani's violin sonatas op.1
- Works without op .: 12 concerti grossi based on harpsichord sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti
- An Essay on Musical Expression (1752)
literature
- Arthur Milner: Charles Avison.
- Part 1. In: The Musical Times. Vol. 95, No. 1331, 1954, pp. 16-18, doi : 10.2307 / 936167 ;
- Part 2. In: The Musical Times. Vol. 95, No. 1332, 1954, pp. 73-75, doi : 10.2307 / 934176 .
- Norris L. Stephens: Avison, Charles. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 1 (Aagard - Baez). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1111-X ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
Web links
- Literature by and about works by and about in the catalog of the German National Library
- Sheet music and audio files from Avison in the International Music Score Library Project
- Norris L. Stephens: Avison, Charles. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Clive Unger-Hamilton, Neil Fairbairn, Derek Walters; German arrangement: Christian Barth, Holger Fliessbach, Horst Leuchtmann, et al .: The music - 1000 years of illustrated music history . Unipart-Verlag, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8122-0132-1 , p. 82 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Avison, Charles |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | baptized February 16, 1709 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 9, 1770 or May 10, 1770 |
| Place of death | Newcastle upon Tyne |