Carl Friedrich Abel - Six Sonatas for Two Violas da Gamba from The Countess of Pembroke’s Music Book. - more information
 
Composer: Carl Friedrich Abel, 1723-1787
Source - MS Lbl Add. 31697.

The source includes two sets of 15 sonatas for solo viol with a basso accompaniment. The unaccompanied pieces in the same source have been published by Schott. Our edition of six accompanied sonatas consists of three books - the score and two part books. The score has the solo viol part together with an unfigured basso part. The sonatas in the source include an unfigured basso part (two of the sonatas are figured in a later hand), with no instrument specified. However, the thirds in the basso of Sonata 1 of the first set perhaps suggest that the instrument intended was another gamba or a 'cello, rather than a keyboard instrument.

The basso parts are very simple indeed - typical of the galant style. The solo parts are not difficult, but this edition deliberately includes what appears to be the most didactic of all the two part sonatas in the source. We have tried to arrange the six sonatas chosen for this set in approximate order of difficulty.

The sonatas each have two or three movements, and are in the keys of C, D, A, G, C and G. The middle movement of the Sonata in A is in E major. The last sonata in the set extends to d' a ninth above middle c, but only on one occasion, moving by step. Most of the time the solo parts do not extend beyond the top fret.

The fingerings from the source are reproduced on the page in the edition, but editorial suggestions are included in square brackets. The original fingerings are most interesting because in places they are highly questionable. They appear in the source in at least two distinct styles - whether these are two different hands, or the same hand some years apart, is unclear. The fact that some of the fingerings seem to be dubious, suggests that perhaps they are not Abel's