BLENDING TWO DIFFERENT STYLE PERIODS AND NATIONAL STYLES IN THE SONATAS OF JEAN-MARIE LECLAIR: AN ORNAMENTATION STUDY AND TRANSCRIPTION OF JEAN-MARIE LECLAIR’S SONATA IN E MINOR, OP. 9 NO. 2 FOR MODERN OBOE

Abstract

Music from eighteenth century France represents one of the most fertile eras of repertoire development for solo treble instruments. However, it is also one of the most neglected eras by modern scholars and performers. One possible explanation for the absence of French Baroque music from the standard oboe repertoire is the lack of sonatas specifically written for the oboe. Composers in the late- Baroque period did not specifically write for the oboe. Rather, many solo sonatas were written for the violin or transverse flute with the understanding that they could be adapted for other instruments such as the oboe, recorder, and musette. Additionally, many of the sonatas written during the French Baroque that could be adapted to the oboe have yet to be published as modern editions. The violin and flute sonatas of French Baroque composer Jean-Marie Leclair are brilliant representations of the late-Baroque compositional style and would be adaptable to the modern oboe. Few composers of the late-Baroque period were writing in a hybrid style, which meant mixing the elegant, graceful, and reserved French style with the virtuosic and florid Italian style. Leclair equally blends the two national styles in his sonatas and concertos, showcasing a synthesis of the French Lully-Couperin tradition and the Italian Corelli-Vivaldi style. In particular, Leclair balances the use of French agréments and written out Italian ornamentation throughout his various sonatas. The purpose of this study is to examine and illustrate the differences between the French and Italian ornamentation practices used in Jean-Marie Leclair’s Sonata in E minor, Op. 9 no. 2. This study provides modern oboists with specific examples of ornamentation and applicable performance practice instructions that can serve as a basis for further study and performance.