Klarinet Archive - Posting 000358.txt from 2005/04

From: Tony Pay <tony.p@-----.org>
Subj: RE: [kl] Dan's non-Partita
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 18:34:35 -0400

On 22 Apr, "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net> wrote:

> Well for one thing no Partita has two minuets surrounding the slow
> movement. That was a feature of the serenade, though there are serenades
> with only one minuet. Notice how the E-flat and c minor wind serenades as
> well as the Gran Partitta all have the minuet pair surrounding the slow
> movement. No partita has that structure.
>
> Another factor is the number of movements. Partitas were generally limited
> to four movements, very few have five, and none have six or more.
>
> The partita is much more a baroque form than a classical one. If I remember
> correctly, the last true partita ws written about 1770.

So, forgive me for going on about this:

There are pieces called 'partitas' -- they're called that in their titles,
those titles that were written on the manuscript by their composers -- and
they turn out to have these characteristics, namely:

They don't have slow movements sandwiched by minuets;

They don't have more than six movements, and usually have five or less.

So if we discovered in some library a work by a composer of the 1700s that
had slow movements sandwiched by minuets, and with more than six movements,
and he called it a partita; then we wouldn't alter our definition of partitas
to include it, but would say, well, it isn't a partita?

Moreover, if the characteristics of the partitas we know about included, say,
that they always had key signatures that contained fewer than two sharps or
two flats; and the newly-discovered 'partita' was in the key of A major, with
three sharps in its key-signature; then even if it didn't have slow movements
sandwiched by minuets, and had four movements, we would be entitled to say
that *that* showed it wasn't a partita, too?

Have I got that right?

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd tony.p@-----.org
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