Martines: Harpsichord Sonata in G Major

The composer, keyboard virtuoso and singer Marianna Martines (1744–1812), daughter of Nicolò Martines who was the master of ceremonies of the Apostolic Nuncio to Vienna, got significant support from Pietro Metastasio. Through him, she received lessons from Nicola Porpora, Joseph Haydn, Johann Adolf Hasse and Giuseppe Bonno. Charles Burney held her in high esteem, and W. A. Mozart, Salieri and Haydn took part in her influential "musical soirées" in Vienna during the 1780s and 1790s. in 1773, Martines was the first female composer to be accepted into the Accademia filarmonica in Bologna.

This is the most significant of her three harpsichord sonatas. It dates from 1769 and remained unpublished during her lifetime. Stylistically, this imaginative work can be placed alongside Haydn's early and middle sonatas. As a captivating repertoire piece, the "Sonata da Cimbalo" will enrich concert programmes and is also ideal for advanced harpsichord or piano lessons.

Notes on historical performance practice, a reader-friendly engraving and practical page turns invite you to rediscover this sonata.