Wynton Marsalis making the case for some heretofore forgotten baroque music for trumpet

Often one good thing leads to another. Listening to a library copy of Bryn Terfel singing Mozart led me to pulling the disc of Handel arias sung by Terfel off the shelf, Listening again to the interplay of melodies between singer and trumpeter in "The trumpet shall sound" on the Terfel Handel disc reminded me of the gorgeous Handel duet for soprano and trumpet that soprano Edita Gruberova, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the English Chamber Orchestra and conductor Raymond Leppard recorded: "Eternal Source of Light Divine."

The soprano begins quietly with soft continuo (I thought it was an organ, but it is muted strings) "E-ter-er-er-er-er-er er-er-er-er-er-er-er-ernal. The trumpet repeats the same notes. The soprano starts again with the trumpet coming in on the sixth "er" (two-point counterpoint). "Light divine" gets similar glimmering treatment and eventually there is an extended statement:
(Eternal Source of light Divine,)
with double warmth thy beams display
And with distinguished glory shine
to add luster to this day,
the day that gave great Anne birth,
who fix'd a lasting peace on earth.

It really is an "occasional piece," but one that make Queen Anne divine for me (supplementing being a style of furniture!) After the soprano (the divine Edita Gruberova) is done, the trumpet (the at least regal Wynton Marsalis) has a trill-filled flourish for the final fifteen seconds.

The two also team up for a more festive-sounding "Let the bright seraphim" from Handel's rarely performed "Samson" (with a libretto adapted from John Milton's "Samson Agonistes"). Though she has (for decades!) been producing bel canto, I think of Gruberova as a Mozart soprano rather then either a bel canto one (after Mozart) or a baroque one (before Mozart). She and Marsalis both sound brilliant in this. I especially like the slowed down repeating each other in "The Lord/of Mercy" at the start of the last minute of the piece.

More gorgeous to my ears, and almost as gorgeous as "Eternal Source of light Divine" is the up-tempo "Sound the trumpet" from Henry Purcell's "Come, ye sons of art." The phrases that the trumpets repeats (sometimes embellishing) after the soprano are shorter (for the most part) than in "Eternal Source." Like "Eternal Source," the piece was written to celebrate the birthday of a queen of England, Queen Mary (Purcell later wrote music for her funeral that is beautifully sad).

The 1984 Marsalis "Baroque Music for Trumpet" is more miscellaneous than the 1983 disc with trumpet concerti by Haydn, Hummel, and Leopold Mozart (with the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leppard). Both are indispensable to any collection of baroque music. And both won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra). (Marsalis also won Grammy Awards both years and the year after for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.)

I find Marsalis's playing particularly brilliant in the Torelli sonata for trumpet, cello, and string orchestra, and the Adagio from the Molter (second) concerto is in there with my favorite content_350589521540. It takes nearly a minute for the trumpet to come in -- with a prolonged trill and then a reach to near the top of the trumpet register for a sustained vibratoed call. The rest of the movement remains high-pitched, played with sad sweetness by Marsalis. There is a pause and then a series of downward string arpeggios in the middle and more beautiful tristesse from Marsalis's trumpet. (And a bright Allegro with a flight of trumpet notes and bright string sounds.)

Georg Friedrich Handel and Henry Purcell remain well-known. I have heard other concerti by Giuseppi Torelli and Johann Molter showcasing trumpet and clarinet soloists, but know of the music of Johann Friedrich Fasch (1668-1758) only from this recording.

The playing and recording (and singing) are superb. The disc also deserves acclaim for introducing me (and, I presume others) to music of great beauty that I have never seen programmed in concert halls. There is room for more on the disc, but there is plenty on it to deserve the Grammy and my devotion. (And review of another Marsalis disc is imminent..., following upon what I wrote about his recording of his ballet scores Sweet Release and Ghost Story.)


Fasch: Trumpet Concerto In D - 1. Allegro 2:06
Fasch: Trumpet Concerto In D - 2. Largo 0:58
Fasch: Trumpet Concerto In D - 3. Allegro 2:35

Handel: Sampson - Let The Bright Seraphim 5:47

Torelli: Sonata A 5 For Trumpet & Strings, TV 3 4:59
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Purcell: Come Ye Sons Of Art - Sound The Trumpet 2:34
Purcell: Come Ye Sons Of Art - Chaconne 1:13
Purcell: The Indian Queen - Entrada 0:42
Purcell: The Indian Queen - Trumpet Air 1:02
Purcell: King Arthur - Trumpet Tune 0:49
Purcell: The Indian Queen - Trumpet Overture 3:32

Torelli: Sonata A 5 For Trumpet & Strings, TV 7 5:54

Handel: Birthday Ode For Queen Anne, HWV 74 - Eternal Source Of Light Divine 2:24

Molter: Trumpet Concerto #2, MWV 6/13 - 1. Allegro 4:08
Molter: Trumpet Concerto #2, MWV 6/13 - 2. Adagio 5:54
Molter: Trumpet Concerto #2, MWV 6/13 - 3. Allegro 2:15

Total: 47 minutes