The Accompanied Keyboard Sonata in France, 1734 - 1778

Abstract

The enthusiasm with which Italian style trio and solo sonatas were cultivated in France in the early eighteenth century, eventually gave way to a new interest in a setting of the sonata that was initially unique to French composers. This setting was for keyboard with a secondary part or accompaniment and it appeared fully grown in 1734 in the sonatas of Jean-Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville. Most certainly the style and form of Italian settings of the sonata, the French keyboard piece and the French ad libitum practice of having a violin double and accompany harpsichord music, all contributed to the emergence of the genre. Rameau, J. Boismortier, C. Clement, M. Corrette, L. Guillemain and l. Marchand had all composed sets of accompanied keyboard music by 1748. In the 1760's the combined Italian-French stylistic features of the genre began to give way to German influences. Composers such as J. Schobert, Honauer and Raupach began assimilating elements of galant keyboard and symphonic music into their sonatas and a considerable reduction in the importance of the accompaniment occurs. It was at this time the young Mozart visited Paris and published his own accompanied keyboard sonatas KV 6-9. Also from 1760 on, composers began to increase the number of accompanying instruments and the genre was for a time indistinguishable from the early classical piano trio, quartet and concerto. At least a further 25 sets of sonatas appeared by 1778, when Mozart's new 'duos' were published in Paris. These sonatas (KV301-6) saw a promotion for the violin, now an equal partner with the keyboard. It is this accompanied setting of the sonata with its pre-eminent keyboard part, that is the direct forerunner of the Classical duo sonata and not, as is often assumed, the Baroque solo sonata with its subordinate continuo keyboard.