Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto in F major (RV 442)
(score and parts)
for alto recorder, strings and basso continuo
Edited by Franz Müller-Busch
Realization of the thorough bass by Eckhart Kuper
Girolamo G 12.030, score and 5 parts, € 24,00
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) is a composer of great significance for recorder players primarily because of his virtuoso concertos for "flautino" (RV 443 and 444 in C major, RV 455 in A minor) and the C minor concerto for treble recorder (RV 441). Moreover Vivaldi wrote two sonatas for recorder as well as numerous concertos for different solo instruments and orchestra and several opera arias all in which the recorder was included.
The recorder concerto in F major (RV 442) is Vivaldi’s first concerto for treble recorder and strings 1) and was composed around 1725 2). In the present critical as well as practical edition the concert has been published for the first time in its original form.
The two corner movements of the concert are in F major and the slow middle movement in F minor. It is entitled "Concerto per flauto" which in Vivaldi’s terms unambiguously signifies treble recorder. Later he used the concerto as a model for the flute concerto op.10/5 in F major (RV 434) that was published in Amsterdam in 1728 or 29. 3) Alterations in the text relating to this are to be found in various places. Moreover there are notes addressed to the copyist at the beginnings and endings of the movements such as the commentary that the 2nd movement should be transposed one second upwards and notated in five staffs.
The original version was relatively easy to reconstruct since Vivaldi used lighter ink or the ink had faded in the course of time. The original notation is also still legible at the few places where notes have been scratched away and have been written over by the lighter ink. In the 1st movement at bars 34–35 and 50–53 however it seemed to make more sense to take over the revised version since real errors could be rectified, the places gained considerably in elegance and a stronger rapport could be established to the rest of the thematic material.
Brackets or dotted lines indicate any additions by the editor. The numbers of the figured bass have been taken over and supplemented from the op. 10 print in order to save the continuo player work. The editorial work is documented in the audit report.
Translation: Julia Whybrow
Celle, February 2010, Franz Müller-Busch
1) F. M. Sardelli: Preface to Antonio Vivaldi: VI Concerti a Flauto Traverso Opera Decima, facsimile edition, Florence 2002, p. 17
2) loc. cit., p. 14–15 and p. 19
3) loc. cit., p. 9