SPERGER PROJECT. Introduction: Concerto 4, Adagio Cantabile

For the last ten years i've been dreaming of exploring and presenting all 18 bass concertos by the unsurpassed Master of the instrument, Johann Matthias Sperger. Unfortunately only a few of these exquisite works are played today: those that can be more or less faithfully reproduced on the modern double bass in fourths. That's a pity, because they are wonderful pieces.

Now, together with a few fearless friends, i'm hoping to make the "Sperger Project" a reality. Eighteen concertos. For the moment the main purpose is to bring these sleeping beauties back to life, in whatever form or shape: on the original Viennese Violone, on a modern bass, with gut or steel strings, with or without frets or period bows, accompanied by an ensemble, a keyboard, an orchestra: everything goes. There will be time later on to give them all the "full" treatment. And hopefully this Project will encourage other players to discover Sperger's beautiful music for themselves.

As an Introduction, here is a very old recording that we recently found, of the Adagio Cantabile from concerto number 4. This is a very peculiar work: it's in the key of F. Which means that Sperger intended it for a Viennese-tuned bass, tuned a minor third higher than the standard tuning in D.

This is one of the very few pieces (less than a handful) in the history of the Viennese bass that utilize this extremely high scordatura. The resulting sound is very special indeed, and Sperger uses harmonics to great effect, almost imitating the glass harmonica.

It's interesting to note that the players in this recording use a 415Hz pitch, which makes the piece sound in E to our modern 440 Hz-tuned ears, rather than in F. It's also clearly played in Viennese Tuning: the double-stops in harmonics are impossible to realize on a bass in fourths. The timbre seems to indicate that gut strings were used.

This recording is very probably an historical World Premiere. As far as we know, no other recordings exist of this concerto, and it seems pretty certain that this music was never played after Sperger's death.

We have no idea who made the recording, or when and where it was made*. We have tried to eliminate as much of the background noise as we could, but some of it remains. It adds to the charm, i think.

Coming soon: the complete concertos 1, 2, and 4. And at the other extreme of the list, numbers 17 and 18.

Many thanks to the Landesbibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for their support.

Enjoy!

Korneel Le Compte

(* Some people have uttered the suspicion that this is, in fact, a fake-old recording. Further research might throw more light on this matter. In the meantime, why not just enjoy it for the light and pleasure Sperger's music brings to our present-day world?)